Shchekoldina Lyudmila

Name: Shchekoldina Lyudmila Ivanovna
Date of Birth: June 25, 1976
Current status: main sentence served
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1.1), 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 136 day in a pre-trial detention, 1288 day in prison
Current restrictions: restriction of freedom
Sentence: imprisonment for a term of 4 years 1 month with serving a sentence in a general regime penal colony, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to the organization and participation in public associations, groups for a term of 3 years, with restriction of freedom for a term of 1 year 8 months
Released: April 15, 2026

Biography

In April 2020, at the height of the pandemic, FSB officers with representatives of the Cossacks broke into the homes of civilians in two villages of the Krasnodar Territory, conducted searches and interrogations of believers. Lyudmila Shchekoldina from the village of Pavlovskaya was suspected by law enforcement officers of being an "adherent of a banned organization." A criminal case was initiated against her, and in 2022 the court sent her to a penal colony. She was released in April 2026.

Lyudmila was born in the village of Aleksandrovka (Krasnodar Territory). She has an elder sister and a brother. Their father is already dead; their mother is retired. As a child, Lyudmila learned to play the piano and was fond of macramé weaving.

After graduating from Oryol State University, Lyudmila received the specialty "primary school teacher with the right to teach Russian language and literature in secondary school." In her native village, she worked with pensioners, disabled people, orphans as a specialist of the social protection service. In 2007, she moved to the village of Pavlovskaya, where she worked as a plasterer, housekeeper, and before the criminal prosecution—as a janitor at a sports school. Employees respected Lyudmila, and the employer appreciated her conscientious attitude to work, which is confirmed by letters of thanks addressed to her.

As a child, Lyudmila thought about the meaning of life and the causes of evil and injustice in the world. She was especially worried about the question of what happens to a person after death. In the mid-1990s, Lyudmila became acquainted with Bible teachings and received satisfying answers to her questions. As a result, the woman took the Christian path.

Because of the criminal prosecution, Lyudmila's chronic illnesses worsened due to nervousness. In the colony, she underwent a planned operation, which did not take place due to her arrest. Lyudmila's nephew, Aleksandr Davydenko, was also behind bars on similar charges. In January 2025, he sentenced him to 4 years and 2 months in a penal colony.

Prosecution of several family members

Case History

In April 2020, the FSB initiated a criminal case against Lyudmila Shchekoldina from Pavlovskaya. The charges were based on a report filed by Ilchenko, an FSB agent, who reported that the believer had allegedly attempted to involve him in the activity of an extremist organization. This is how the investigation interpreted his conversations with Shchekoldina on Bible topics. Following a 9-hour search of her home and an interrogation, Shchekoldina was placed under a recognizance agreement. In May 2021, the case was submitted to court. A year later, the court sentenced the believer to 4 years and 1 month in a penal colony. The verdict was upheld by the court of appeal in October 2022. At the time of her arrest, Lyudmila was suffering from serious medical conditions and required surgery, which was only carried out in August 2023. Lyudmila was released in April 2026.
Timeline
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