Viktor Timoshchenko
Viktor Timoshchenko, born 1958, Khakassia. Charges: Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Organization of the activities of an extremist organization); “The case of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Khakassia”. Status: under house arrest. Recognition: Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners — recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion.
In brief
Khakassia · Abakan · Extremism cases, Cases against Jehovah's Witnesses
Sentence
No information about a verdict.
Preventive measure: house arrest since January 16, 2026
Charges
- Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code — Organization of the activities of an extremist organization
Full wording of the charges
According to the men's relatives, they were accused of organizing religious meetings and, by court order, were sent to a pre-trial detention centre.
Latest event
January 16, 2026 — preventive measure: house arrest
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as unlawfully deprived of liberty for exercising freedom of religion — Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners
Timeline
· Preventive measure: house arrest
· 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 Republic of Khakassia
· Persecution begins
The case of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Khakassia
Criminal case
The case of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Khakassia
Other defendants in the case
- Evgeny Bagin — Under house arrest
- Alexander Gorev — Under house arrest
- Alexei Gorokhov — Imprisoned
- Oleg Zhukov — Imprisoned
- Viacheslav Sharov — Imprisoned
Details and sources
Full summary
Resident of Khakassia. At the end of September 2025, he and two other people were detained after searches of 25 Jehovah's Witnesses families in the villages of Maina and Cheremushki. The believers were accused of organising the activities of an extremist organisation because of their involvement in the Jehovah's Witnesses community, which was groundlessly recognised as an extremist organisation and banned in Russia. According to the law enforcers, they organised worship meetings. After the detention, the believers were taken into custody.
In January 2026, Timoshchenko was transferred to house arrest.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia
Other people prosecuted under Article 282.2 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.