Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

Believer Arrested During Searches in Seversk. Former Prisoners of Conscience Among the Victims of Raid

Tomsk Region

On June 17, 2026, law enforcement officers in Seversk carried out searches at the homes of 11 local Jehovah's Witnesses. Vladimir Kompaniets, 60, was placed in a pretrial detention center.

The investigative actions affected believers between the ages of 41 and 73. Electronic devices, books, bank cards, and personal savings were seized.

Among those whose homes were searched were Aleksey Yershov and Sergey Belousov. After several years of investigation and court hearings, both were given suspended prison sentences in 2022. "The previous search and the trials drained us emotionally. We had only just begun to recover when everything started all over again," Belousov's wife said. "But my husband and I felt calm fairly quickly."

Seversk is a small town about 15 kilometers from Tomsk. The prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses has been ongoing here since 2020; six believers have already faced criminal prosecution, one of whom is being held in a penal colony.

Belousov's case in Seversk

Case History
For several months, intelligence agent Kira Klisheva, who portrayed an interest in the Bible, kept covert video recordings of Jehovah’s Witnesses worship services in Seversk. She transmitted the data to the FSB. In July 2020, employees of the Investigative Committee invaded with a search of a peaceful family man Sergey Belousov. In March 2021, the Investigation Department for the Closed Administrative Territory of Seversk opened a criminal case against the believer, separating him from the case of Yevgeny Korotun. Belousov was accused of extremism, which, according to the investigation, was expressed in participation in worship services, the performance of religious songs and prayers. In July 2021, the case was submitted to the Seversky City Court of the Tomsk Region. It was considered by judge Ekaterina Soldatenko. On April 14, 2022, Belousov was sentenced to 3 years of probation with restriction of liberty for 1 year. In June 2022, the appellate court upheld this decision.
Timeline

Persons in case

Belousov
Sergey

Criminal case

Region:
Tomsk Region
Locality:
Seversk
Suspected of:
With the help of the "Zoom software" and the "Signal" mobile application, he took part in... religious worship", as well as in "singing songs" and "prayers to Jehovah God" (from the indictment).
Court case number:
12102690003000022
Initiated:
March 25, 2021
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department for the Closed Administrative Territory of the City of Seversk of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Tomsk Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-9/2022 (1-255/2021)
Court of First Instance:
Seversk City Court of the Tomsk Region
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Yekatarina Soldatenko
Case History

Case of Ershov in Seversk

Case History
Since March 2020, Kira Klisheva, who portrayed an interest in the Bible, recorded the worship services of Jehovah’s Witnesses from her computer and handed them over to the FSB. Soon, employees of the Investigative Committee raided the house of Alexei Ershov, a former deputy of the city Council of People’s Deputies. In March 2021, the case against the pensioner was separated into a separate proceeding from the case of Yevgeny Korotun. Ershov was accused of participating in worship services, saying prayers and singing religious songs. In July 2021, the case was submitted to the Seversky City Court of the Tomsk Region, it was considered by Judge Yalchin Badalov. The prosecutor suggested that the court consider Yershov as an organizer, not a member of an extremist community, and sentence him to 5 years in prison. In January 2022, the court sentenced Yershov to 3 years in a penal colony. He was taken into custody in the courtroom. In April 2022, the court of appeal replaced the sentence with 3 years of probation.
Timeline

Persons in case

Yershov
Aleksey

Criminal case

Region:
Tomsk Region
Locality:
Seversk
Suspected of:
"took part in a closed conspiratorial meeting in the form of collective religious worship ... consisting of the playback of audio recordings and video recordings... the sequential singing of songs from a special collection of religious teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses and prayers to the God of Jehovah... explained to the other participants the religious materials demonstrated, and also said a prayer to Jehovah God, calling on the others to pray with him" (from the indictment)
Court case number:
12102690003000019
Initiated:
March 25, 2021
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department for the Closed Administrative Territory of the City of Seversk of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Tomsk Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-8/2022 (1-253/2021)
Case History

The Kompaniets Case in Seversk

Case History
In June 2026, the homes of 11 local Jehovah’s Witnesses were searched in Seversk. Vladimir Kompaniets was detained and placed in a pre-trial detention center. A criminal case was initiated under the article on organizing the activities of an extremist organization. According to investigators, in 2025, Kompaniets held online video meetings from his apartment, where participants read and discussed religious texts. Persecution of believers in Seversk, a closed city near Tomsk, has been going on since 2020.
Timeline

Persons in case

Kompaniets
Vladimir

Criminal case

Region:
Tomsk Region
Locality:
Seversk
Suspected of:
"through video conferencing on the ‘Zoom’ cloud platform, organized meetings with citizens, where he were quoted . . . religious texts" (from the decision to initiate a criminal case)
Court case number:
12602690003000028
Initiated:
June 17, 2026
Current case stage:
preliminary investigation
Investigating:
Investigative Department for the Closed Administrative Territory of Seversk of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Tomsk Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Case History
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