Vitalii Nerush
Vitalii Nerush, born 1979, Voronezh Oblast. Charges: Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Organization of the activities of an extremist organization); “The case of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Voronezh Oblast”. Sentence (November 21, 2025): 6 years' imprisonment in a general regime colony. Status: imprisoned. Recognition: Memorial Human Rights Centre — recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion, November 5, 2020; Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners — recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion, November 5, 2020.
In brief
Voronezh Oblast · Voronezh · Manual workers · Extremism cases, Cases against Jehovah's Witnesses
Sentence
6 years
imprisonment in a general regime colony
No information about an appeal ruling.
Charges
- Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code — Organization of the activities of an extremist organization
Full wording of the charges
Organised meetings, speeches and worship services, preached and recruited "new supporters".
Latest event
November 21, 2025 — first-instance verdict
The court delivered a guilty verdict: 6 years.
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion — Memorial Human Rights Centre, November 5, 2020
- Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion — Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, November 5, 2020
Timeline
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 6 years
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
Pre-trial Detention Centre №1 (SIZO-1) of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russian Federation for the Voronezh Region
· Preventive measure: ban on certain activities
· Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion
Memorial Human Rights Centre
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
Pre-trial Detention Centre №1 (SIZO-1) of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russian Federation for the Voronezh Region
· Persecution begins
The case of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Voronezh Oblast
· Preventive measure: placement in a temporary detention facility
Temporary detention centre (IVS OMVD) for Nizhnedevitsky District of Voronezh Oblast
Criminal case
The case of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Voronezh Oblast
- Case number
- 1-1/2025
Other defendants in the case
- Aleksei Antiukhin — Imprisoned, 6 years
- Sergei Baev — At large, 6 years
- Mikhail Veselov — Imprisoned, 6 years
- Yuri Galka — Imprisoned, 6 years
- Valerii Gurskii — Imprisoned, 6 years
- Stepan Pankratov — Imprisoned, 6 years
- Igor Popov — At large, 6 years
- Evgenii Sokolov — At large, 7 years
- Anatolii Iagupov — Imprisoned, 6 years
Thematic group: The case of Jehovah's Witnesses in Voronezh region
Write a letter
Address (in Russian, as written on the envelope)
394030, Воронежская область, г. Воронеж, ул. Желябова, 56, ФКУ СИЗО-1 УФСИН России по Воронежской области, Неруш Виталий Алексеевич, 1979 г.р.
Details and sources
Full summary
A resident of Voronezh region. On 13 July 2020, Nerush's house was searched, after which he was detained. Later, the court decided to take him into custody under the case of organising activities of an extremist organisation. On 1 December, a preventive measure in the form of a ban on certain actions was chosen.
On 21 November 2025, the court sentenced him to six years in a general regime colony.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia
- Preventive measures
- pre-trial detention
Other people prosecuted under Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.