Searches and Torture in Dimitrovgrad — Elderly Believer Hospitalized

A series of violent home searches took place on February 3, 2026, in Dimitrovgrad. Law enforcement officers used brutal force against members of at least three families; Igor Popov, 60, was hospitalized. He and Igor Balashov, 59, were placed under house arrest, while one couple, Aleksandr and Irina Yelizarov, under pretrial detention.

Officers broke into the house of the Popov family early in the morning. When Igor's wife, Zhanna, opened the door, she was knocked to the ground by a masked officer. As a result, the 57-year-old believer injured her knee. "That day it was minus 25 degrees outside, so the porch was very cold. I was wearing only a nightgown. They pinned me to the floor. I was shaking from shock and the cold. I didn't understand who these people were or what they wanted," she said.

During the search, one masked officer, demanding the password for the computer, took Igor Popov into the freezing porch, threw him to the floor, and struck his back while forcefully twisting his neck. After the search the believer was taken to the FSB office in Dimitrovgrad. There, according to Igor, with hands cuffed behind his back, he was beaten again, then stripped and repeatedly subjected to electric shocks. All of this was done to try to force him to sign a self-incriminating testimony they had prepared earlier and to agree "to cooperate" with the investigation.

During an examination, extensive bruising, swelling, and other injuries were documented on Popov's body. On February 5, the court placed him under house arrest, but the next day he was hospitalized in the surgical ward because of his injuries. A criminal complaint has been filed with law enforcement agencies regarding the torture of the believer.

During interrogation they also tried to pressure Igor Balashov to sign a pre-written "testimony." The search of his home began at 6:00 a.m. Around noon, he was taken to the FSB office in Ulyanovsk for interrogation, which commenced around midnight. During all this time — about 20 hours — he was not allowed to drink, eat, or take prescribed medication for his chronic illnesses. As a result, when the interrogation began, his blood pressure had risen sharply, half his face was numb, and he was shaking.

Another search took place at one young couple's home. Both of them were thrown to the floor and handcuffed. Only after 2 hours, they placed the wife on the bed, still handcuffed. Her seriously ill husband was taken to another room, where, according to his wife, force was used against him trying to make him unlock his phone. He was not allowed to get dressed for 1.5 hours although the balcony door was opened frequently during the search and it was freezing cold outside.

Previously six Jehovah's Witnesses from the Ulyanovsk Region have received suspended sentences for their faith.