Poveshchenko Yevgeniy

Updated: April 26, 2024
Name: Poveshchenko Yevgeniy Sergeyevich
Date of Birth: January 23, 1969
Current status: accused
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1), 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 2 day in a temporary detention facility

Biography

Yevgeniy Poveshchenko, a resident of the city of Kingisepp, became one of the defendants in a criminal case whose home was searched by security forces in February 2023 because of faith in Jehovah God.

Yevgeniy was born in January 1969 in the city of Slavyansk, Ukraine. As a child, he loved skiing, martial arts and basketball. His father was in the military, and his mother was an English language teacher.

After school, Yevgeniy received a higher military education, served in the army and retired with the rank of major. He has lived in many places: in Crimea, Georgia, and Chukotka, as well as in Murmansk, Cherepovets, Gatchina, Saint Petersburg and Kingisepp. Yevgeniy is an entrepreneur who cares for his wife and two children.

In the early 2000s, Yevgeniy became interested in the Bible. After comparing what he read with what he saw around him, he realized that this book can be trusted, and in 2007 he decided to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses and live according to Bible principles. Back then, the believer never imagined that he would be subjected to criminal prosecution for his beliefs.

Case History

At the end of February 2023, seven searches took place in the towns of Kingisepp and Slantsy, Leningrad Region. The Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case on charges of extremism against Kirill Khabrik, Igor Zhmyrev, and other unidentified persons. Charges were also filed against Sergey Ryabokon, Andrey Morozov, and Yevgeniy Poveshchenko. The latter is under a recognizance agreement; the rest have been detained. At the end of March, searches again took place in Kingisepp. Eleven believers were interrogated. Five more people became defendants in the criminal case: Miroslav Sabodash, Igor Shevlyuga, Tatyana Stepanova, Aleksandr Vaganov, and Konstantsiya Vovk. They were placed in a temporary detention center but were quickly released except for Shevlyuga, who spent 26 days in a detention center. All five are prohibited from certain activities.
Timeline