The FSB conducted a series of searches in the homes of believers on Sakhalin

On January 20, 2019, at least 11 searches were conducted in the homes of citizens suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Nevelsk, as well as in the village of Nogliki. This is the first action of this kind after President Putin expressed dissatisfaction with the persecution of believers of this religion and promised to deal with it.

The events began on Sunday morning at 11:10 in the village of Nogliki (Sakhalin region). Armed FSB officers stormed the apartment of Alexander Ryndin, where guests had gathered at home. The 47-year-old owner was punched in the face and knocked to the floor. The search in the apartment lasted 5 hours. Then Aleksandr Ryndin was taken to the FSB department for interrogation. His 14-year-old child was also questioned in the presence of witnesses, a teacher from his school and 2 special forces. His guests were also taken away to have their apartments searched. Electronic devices, books, photographs, and even a greeting card for the newlyweds with the inscription: "Be an example in love and faithfulness to Jehovah and to each other" were seized from citizens. Among others, two 80-year-old women were taken to the local FSB for interrogation. After searches and interrogations, everyone was released.

A criminal case under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation was initiated on December 24, 2018 against 57-year-old Sergey Kulakov from Nevelsk. D. Melnikov, an investigator of the Sakhalin Oblast Directorate of the FSB, believes that in the fall of 2017, Sergey Kulakov "led a religious group consisting of residents of Nevelsk professing the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses, provided material and other support for the group's activities, convened appropriate meetings, religion, ensured the performance of religious rites and ceremonies, taught religion and religious education." The judge of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk City Court, Galina Masterkova, to whom the FSB officer applied for a search warrant, considered that the above circumstances were enough to unleash persecution of innocent believers in her own city. The search warrants were signed by the judge on January 17, 2019.

Russian law enforcement officers mistakenly mistake the joint religion of citizens for participation in the activities of an extremist organization. In addition to the president, prominent public figures of Russia, as well as the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, drew attention to this problem. Jehovah's Witnesses have nothing to do with extremism and insist on their complete innocence.