Biography
In October 2022, law enforcement officers broke into the house of pensioner Nikolay Voishchev. His house was searched; he was detained and sent to a detention center for practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. As a result, the believer spent more than 900 days behind bars: a little less than a year in a pre-trial detention center, and the rest of the time in a penal colony, where he was sent by the court. In April 2025, Voishchev was released, having served his sentence in full.
Nikolay was born in September 1955 in the city of Kandalaksha, Murmansk region. Soon after his birth, the family moved to Bratsk. Nikolay has a brother and an adult son who live far away.
Nikolay was introduced to the Bible by his parents. For some time he lived with them in Belarus. There Nikolay graduated from a technical school and became a specialist in gas equipment.
Having met his future wife, Tatyana, in 1980 Nikolay moved to her place of residence, to Maykop (Adygea), where they soon got married.
Nikolay worked as a watch repairman. When Tatyana fell seriously ill in 1995, he cared for her for many years. After her death in 2014, Nikolay stayed in Maykop and worked as a plumber until his arrest.
Nikolay loves nature, travel, people. He is always ready to help in solving difficult issues or some everyday problems. Nikolay's acquaintances speak of him as a kind, modest and cheerful person.
The confinement was a difficult test for Nikolay. Speaking in court with the final plea, he said: "The first few weeks of my arrest were a stressful situation for me—there were panic attacks, there was not enough air, I was suffocating; The closed space pressed on me from all sides. Then I would lie down on my bed, close my eyes, and begin to pray. Gradually, my heart calmed down." According to Voishchev, faith and a positive attitude helped him cope with what was happening: "For me, Jehovah became a God of consolation, tranquility, and I saw the opportunity to look at my life circumstances positively."