Believers from Iturup Island Found Guilty Again. Retrial Results in Harsher Sentences

Six months ago, the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk City Court sentenced Larisa Potapova and Olga Kalinnikova to 2.5 years suspended for Bible discussions. Now, on October 29, 2025, Judge Galina Masterkova imposed significantly harsher penalties: 4 years and 11 months suspended for Potapova, and 5 years suspended for Kalinnikova.

The retrial meant the women had to fly to Sakhalin again to defend their right to freedom of religion. Olga admits: "In a situation of criminal prosecution, there's little we can control. The only thing we can and must do is be Christian."

For both women, the years-long criminal prosecution has brought additional hardships. Larisa Potapova, 61, lives with and cares for her elderly mother. "The first search was in 2019. It was hard on me — my blood pressure spiked; I had a headache. During the second search, my mother felt sick," she recalls. In court, Larisa did not plead guilty to extremism and stated: "I'm a believer. I love God and I love people, and there's not a single victim in this case."

Olga Kalinnikova, 48, has worked at a seismic station in Kurilsk for over 25 years. She is raising a minor daughter alone and also cares for her elderly parents.

Kurilsk has a population of about 2,000, and people know each other well. "When our criminal case was published in the local newspaper, some people stopped greeting us, while others started," Olga noted. She admits that court hearings aren't the hardest part: "It's painful to see how my parents worry and age because of it. Not being allowed to travel is also tough. You have to ask permission for everything. And there's the stress about work."

According to Potapova and Kalinnikova, their loved ones and friends helped them endure the second trial with resilience. "I felt like I was being carried in someone's arms," Olga shared. "I'm grateful that every day brings reasons to rejoice, and there's so much good. I'm not afraid of the future and I feel at peace."