New Sentence for Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Moscow Region: Suspended Terms Ranging from Two to Six Years

On April 14, 2026, the Taldomskiy District Court of the Moscow Region sentenced Galina Inkina, 72, and 44‑year‑old Dmitriy Mladov to two and six years of suspended imprisonment, respectively.

Galina was born in the Urals into a large family. For more than 20 years she worked as a laboratory technician at a glass factory, and later as a social worker and a cafeteria attendant. After undergoing cancer treatment, she was forced to leave her job. Dmitriy grew up in the city of Kandalaksha on the coast of the White Sea. As a child, he was deeply impressed by the nature of the Kola North, in which he saw evidence of God's existence. This sparked his desire to read the Bible.

In December 2024, criminal cases were opened against both believers on suspicion of extremism. On the same day, Galina's home was searched. She later recalled: "I was terribly frightened, I was shaking with fear and couldn't speak. They put me facing the wall and threatened me—this went on for two hours. Then they took me for questioning to the city of Dmitrov. I was placed alone in an office, nothing was explained to me, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I stayed there without food or water." As a preventive measure, the woman was ordered to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. "My veins bulged, my legs turn blue and swell by evening, and the tracking bracelet digs into my leg," Galina said, describing what she had to endure.

Dmitriy was detained in Novorossiysk while traveling by car with his wife and was sent to a pretrial detention center in the Moscow Region. He described the conditions in one of the detention facilities as follows: "The cell was in a semi‑basement, with a small window near the ceiling, from which sometimes only someone's legs could be seen, as well as dogs and rats running by. The cell, designed for eight people, measured 14 square meters." He was granted his first visit with his wife only after six months of separation.

In their final statements, the believers expressed their views on what was happening. "I did not insult anyone, rob anyone, steal anything, or kill anyone. The case file contains positive character references about me from local police inspectors," Dmitriy noted. He added that during the year he spent in pretrial detention centers he had no conflicts with other inmates, as he tried to conduct himself in a Christian manner. Galina said: "My entire life is the complete opposite of extremism. I lead a peaceful way of life and respect the laws and the authorities because I am a believer."