Biography
In May 2019, a court sent four peaceful Volgograd citizens behind bars, all the "guilt" of which was to confess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. One of them is a former military pilot, Valeriy Rogozin. The 7.5 months he spent in the pre-trial detention center undermined his health so that he needed long-term treatment.
In September 2021, four civilians were sentenced to real prison terms for their faith in Jehovah God. Valeriy was released in April 2026.
Valeriy was born in 1962 in the city of Krasnokamsk (Perm Territory). As a child, he liked to go camping in the taiga overnight, went in for sports.
After graduating from school, he entered the Kacha Higher Military Aviation School in Volgograd. Thus began a new page in Valeriy's life, which connected him with this city. He served as a military pilot. After 12 years in the army, he worked for many years as a design engineer.
In 1984, Valeriy married Marina, a teacher by profession. The couple raised two sons. In his spare time, Valeriy likes to do landscape design and repair work around the house. In the 1990s, Valeriy discovered the wisdom of the Bible and since then has tried to live up to its high moral standards.
In court, Rogozin emphasized: "I am a law-abiding citizen. I am a peaceful believer who has been practicing his religion for over 20 years. I do it in the way it happens all over the world. I join others in praying to Jehovah God, singing songs of praise to our heavenly Father. I read the Bible and discuss articles based on the Bible with other believers."