Court in Kaluga Sent Believers to Penal Colony for 6.5 Years

On March 13, 2026, Judge Irina Tarelicheva of the Kaluzhskiy District Court sentenced 50‑year‑old Roman Makhnev and 61‑year‑old Dmitriy Kuzin to 6.5 years imprisonment. They were declared as extremists for meeting with fellow believers, singing songs together, praying, and reading the Bible.

Makhnev and Kuzin are graduates of Bauman Moscow State Technical University. Dmitriy is a mechanical engineer specializing in turbines, and Roman is a design and process engineer for radio‑electronic equipment. They have been friends for almost 30 years.

The criminal prosecution began back in 2018. According to Roman, the law enforcement agencies had them under surveillance and tapped their phones. "We were practically expecting them to come for us every day," Makhnev says. In June 2019, searches were carried out in their apartments; they were arrested and spent 6 months in a pretrial detention center, and later placed under house arrest.

"While in custody, Roman learned that his father had died," Dmitriy Kuzin recounted. "The investigator did not let him attend the funeral. Later, his parental home in the village burned down. After he was released from pretrial detention, his mother died. He cared for his grandmother, who is about 100 years old... Despite these tragic events, Roman remains positive. I admire his courage. He is a true friend, a caring shepherd, and an exemplary family head."

Svetlana, Dmitriy's wife, told the court: "I have a wonderful husband — very loving, caring. And that is not only to me but to all our relatives, to his parents, and, really, to everyone." A neighbor who has known Dmitriy and his parents for a long time described the believer as well-mannered and an excellent family man.

The investigation and trial of Makhnev and Kuzin in Kaluga lasted more than 6 years — one of the longest in the context of the prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. From the very beginning, numerous violations were evident: planting of banned literature, degrading treatment of the believers and members of their family, and being denied necessary medical care. Dmitriy Kuzin also faced discrimination from the court: at a hearing on the preventive measure, the judge did not allow the believer to defend himself and, in effect, mocked him — this was later acknowledged by the court of appeal. As the trial progressed, other violations came to light. For example, expert studies were carried out by experts who, at the time they issued their conclusions, did not hold diplomas.

In July 2024, the European Court of Human Rights recognized the prosecution of Roman Makhnev as well as other believers as unlawful.