This person is also involved in another criminal case as well:
Case of Polevodov and Kim in Khabarovsk
Name: Polevodov Nikolay Yuryevich
Date of Birth: February 10, 1970
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility, 175 day in a pre-trial detention, 200 day Under house arrest
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: Punishment in the form of 7 years 6 months of imprisonment, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of a public religious organization, for a term of 5 years, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year, imprisonment shall be considered suspended with a probationary period of 5 years

Biography

In June 2024, Nikolay Polevodov, a peaceful electrician from Khabarovsk, received a harsh sentence in the region for his faith. The court sentenced him to 8.5 years in a penal colony. He had previously received a two-year suspended sentence on similar charges in another court.

Nikolay was born in 1970. As a child, he loved to read, especially history books. After graduating from school, he was educated as an electrician and worked by profession for a long time.

Nikolay, who grew up in a non-religious family, considered himself a staunch atheist, but was keenly interested in the question of the origin of life. One day, he learned from a school friend that there was evidence for the existence of God and the validity of the Bible. Thoughtful reading of this book prompted the man to reconsider his views on life and devote his life to serving God.

Polevodov said: "I remember how for a long time I felt an inner emptiness from the fact that I did not know what the meaning of life was. I had a job, friends, health, and a roof over my head, but none of this filled the inner emptiness. And when I got acquainted with the Bible, everything fell into place. I realized that there is a loving Creator. I completely changed my life: I got rid of the habits that were ruining my health and ruining my relationships with others. Thanks to my religious beliefs, I have no enemies and I myself do not hate anyone."

In 1995, Nikolay married Tatyana, who worked as a teacher. They had a son, Ilya. Nikolay and Tatyana love to sing with the guitar, play sports in the open air, travel.

Nikolay is known as a kind and sympathetic person, always ready to help in word and deed. His verdict was a real shock not only for the family, but also for friends and colleagues. They cannot understand what extremist things he has committed.

Case History

In November 2018, OMON officers raided a friendly gathering in a café, after which Nikolay Polevodov, Stanislav Kim, Vitaliy and Tatyana Zhuk, Svetlana Sedova and Maya Karpushkina ended up under investigation. The men were sent to a pretrial detention center, and later placed under house arrest. In the end, the Investigative Committee charged the believers: the men with organizing the activity of an extremist organization, and the women with participating in it. Hearings of the court of first instance over 14 months, revealed the groundlessness of the charges, and the case was returned to the prosecutor’s office. In December 2021, it went to court again. In June 2024, Polevodov, Zhuk and Kim were sent to a penal colony for 8.5 years, 8 years and 4 months and 8 years and 2 months, respectively. Tatyana Zhuk and Svetlana Sedova were given a 5-year suspended sentence and Maya Karpushkina 4 years. Kim and Polevodov, who were defendants in another criminal case for their faith, simultaneously defended their beliefs in another court. In October 2024, the court of appeal reduced the sentences by 1 year and changed the men’s to suspended sentences.
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