Updated: March 28, 2024
Name: Kulakov Sergey Vladimirovich
Date of Birth: April 18, 1961
Current status: who has served the main sentence
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years 6 months of imprisonment with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public and religious organizations for a term of 3 years, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year; The sentence of imprisonment shall be considered suspended with a probationary period of 2 years

Biography

In 2018, Sergey Kulakov was suspected of extremism. In January 2021, he and his wife, Tatiana , were put on trial solely because of their faith. All this seriously affected the health of the Kulakovs.

Sergey was born in 1961 in Nevelsk. When he was 14 years old, his parents were deprived of parental rights, and he ended up in a boarding school. Later, his parents died. Sergey has two sisters. As a child, he was fond of football and chess, later graduated from SPTU and received the specialty of a ship repairman. He is now retired.

In the 2000s, Sergey and his wife Tatyana decided that the main thing in their lives would be the spiritual: God and his commandments. Sergey was greatly affected by the genuine brotherly love among the Christians he met.

The couple raised two sons, one of whom needs special care due to disability. The couple say that their son's illness has become a real test for them, but they do not give up. Both parents and children love to play outdoor games and enjoy reading the Bible together.

Case History

In January 2019, at least 11 searches were carried out at the homes of local Jehovah’s Witnesses in three Sakhalin settlements. The criminal case  against the couple Sergey and Tatyana Kulakov, Vyacheslav Ivanov, Yevgeniy Yelin and Alexandr Kozlitin for their faith, was investigated by the FSB in the Sakhalin Region. In January 2021, the trial began in court, and a year later a verdict was issued: Sergey Kulakov and Yevgeniy Yelin were given a 6.5 year suspended sentence, and Tatyana Kulakova, Vyacheslav Ivanov and Alexandr Kozlitin were given a 2 year suspended sentence. The appellate and cassation courts upheld the verdict.