After Searches at the Homes of Jehovah's Witnesses In Tolyatti Two Criminal Cases Were Initiated for Their Faith

On May 16, 2023, in Tolyatti, officers of the Investigative Committee and the FSB broke into the homes of at least three families of believers. Two new criminal cases are known to have been initiated. Aleksandr Dolganov, 34, was placed under house arrest, and Sona Olopova, 36, signed a recognizance agreement.

Searches of the homes of the Dolganovs and of another believer started at about 6:30 in the morning and lasted more than two hours. At about the same time, a search took place at the home of Anatoliy and Sona Olopovs. Armed law enforcement officers confiscated electronic devices and personal records from the believers, and foreign passports were also taken from Dolganov and Olopova. Sona Olopova was taken for interrogation to the building of the investigative department, where she was kept until about 7.00 p.m, after which she was released under recognizance agreement.

After the searches, Aleksandr Dolganov was detained and placed in a temporary detention center. The next day, May 17, Elena Laskina, judge of the Central District Court of Tolyatti, placed him under house arrest.

The criminal prosecution was initiated by the Central Interdistrict Investigative Department for the city of Tolyatti of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. The investigative actions were led by senior investigators A. S. Kharitonov, R. N. Mgoyan and A. O. Grekov. The day before the searches, the latter initiated at least two criminal cases: against Aleksandr Dolganov and Sona Olopova. Both are charged with Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to Grekov, from 2017 to the present time the believers have been participating in the activity of a banned religious association.

Earlier, in the Samara Region, two criminal cases had already been initiated against five Jehovah's Witnesses for their faith.