Fefilov Victor

Name: Fefilov Victor Aleksandrovich
Date of Birth: March 3, 1962
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1), 282.3 (1)
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years 4 months of imprisonment, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public organizations for a period of 3 years, with restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year, punishment in the form of imprisonment shall be considered conditional with a probationary period of 3 years 6 months

Biography

On February 15, 2019, one of the most massive and inhuman operations against believers took place in Surgut and several other cities of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. 7 people reported torture, 3 people were in custody for a long time, and the total number of defendants in criminal cases exceeded 20. One of them is Viktor Fefilov. What do we know about him?

Viktor was born in 1962 in the village of Uinskoye (Perm Territory). His parents are no longer alive, but there are three siblings. As a child, Victor loved to be in nature and observe the animal world. After graduating from high school, he entered the school, where he received the profession of a universal turner. Later he worked as a driver. Due to economic difficulties, he was forced to move to Surgut to work. For a long time he was engaged in his favorite activities - hunting and fishing.

Victor met his wife Natalia in 1996, a year later they got married. Natalia is a caring and loving wife. She was the first in the family to become interested in truths from the Bible. Later, Victor joined her, finding answers in the Bible to the questions that had worried him for many years: why is there so much evil and injustice in the world? Why are wars blessed?

Relatives and friends of Viktor and Natalia are outraged by what is happening. It is difficult for them to understand why peace-loving people are being prosecuted.

Case History

In February 2019, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation initiated a criminal case against 18 men and 1 woman from Surgut (among them was a person mistaken for one of Jehovah's Witnesses). Their homes were searched. During the interrogations, 7 believers were subjected to violence. Artur Severinchik was sent to a pretrial detention center for 29 days, while Yevgeniy Fedin and Sergey Loginov — for 56 days. Timofey Zhukov was unlawfully placed in a psychiatric hospital for 14 days. The believers filed complaints about the use of torture with the Investigative Committee, the ECHR and the Human Rights Ombudsman; a press conference was held with the participation of human rights activists, but none of the law enforcement officers was brought to justice. In October 2021, materials of the case (which was put into separate proceeding in 2020) went to court. Two years later, the court gave all of the believers suspended sentences ranging from 4 to 7 years. In February 2025, the court of appeal upheld this decision.
Timeline
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