Updated: May 3, 2024
Name: Sveshnikov Mikhail Vladimirovich
Date of Birth: December 20, 1969
Current status: accused
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Time spent in prison: 1 day in a temporary detention facility, 119 day Under house arrest

Biography

In 2012, the eldest daughter of Mikhail Sveshnikov died in a car accident. Faith in the biblical doctrine of the resurrection gave the family strength to survive this. However, it was precisely because of his love for the Bible that the man found himself involved in a criminal case in August 2023.

Mikhail was born in 1969 in the city of Kovrov (Vladimir region). When he was 4, his parents divorced. Mother worked at the plant as a quality control inspector. Later, she married her colleague, and 12-year-old Mikhail had a younger brother.

In primary school, Mikhail was engaged in artistic gymnastics, in the older grades he was fond of wood carving, made gifts to friends and relatives with his own hands. After school, he entered a technical school and in 1989 received the profession of mechanical technician.

After returning from the army in 1991, Mikhail went to work at the factory where his mother and stepfather worked. He was a turner, a milling machine. Before the criminal prosecution, he was a janitor in a sports complex, but due to house arrest he lost this job, which affected the financial situation of his family.

After returning from the army, Mikhail met Yelena, a medical student and later a nurse at the Kovrov City Hospital. In 1992 they got married and soon moved to the village of Melekhovo (Vladimir region). The couple raised two sons and two daughters. The eldest son is married and lives separately. Mikhail and his wife and children spend their free time together: they go to the river or lake, walk in the forest, ride bicycles.

When Mikhail was 8, his grandfather, whom he loved very much, died. "Why do people die and what happens after death? For many years, these questions haunted me, "the man recalls. When his eldest daughter and wife began to study the Bible, he heard from them the answers to his questions. The eldest son of the Sveshnikovs was the first in the family in 2009 to take the Christian path, his parents followed his example in 2011, followed by the eldest daughter. Mikhail believes that Christian values have had a beneficial effect on all his children: on their attitude towards their parents, on the formation of life values.

Case History

In August 2023, the Investigative Committee for the Vladimir Region opened a criminal case, the defendant of which was the father of many children, Mikhail Sveshnikov. At the time of his arrest, Mikhail was thrown to the ground and his hands were twisted behind his back. After the searches, the believer was detained for a day, and then placed under house arrest. The investigation considered his participation in the worship services of Jehovah’s Witnesses to be extremism.