One of Jehovah's Witnesses from Sevastopol, Vladimir Sakada, has served his sentence: "Now the walls no longer confine me"

On August 3, 2026, Vladimir Sakada, 55, left penal colony No. 5 in the Kaluga Region. He was the last of three Jehovah's Witnesses from Sevastopol convicted in the same case to be released.

"It is very joyful to meet friends. Now the walls no longer confine me, now there is freedom," Vladimir said.

Behind bars, Sakada faced difficulties in receiving medical assistance. "I developed an illness while in custody. There were no conditions in the camp for proper treatment; there was a shortage of staff and no opportunity to take me for treatment," Vladimir explained. He spent several months seeking a doctor's appointment, and his illness progressed. Two months after he finally underwent the long-awaited surgery, he was placed in a punishment cell for 15 days.

Prison life was not without difficulties, but Vladimir tried to find ways out of the situation: he negotiated with inmates so they would smoke only in designated areas, went outdoors more often, added spices to his food, and refused the poor-quality bread served in the cafeteria.

Every 3 months, Vladimir's wife, Svetlana, traveled about 2,000 kilometers to visit her husband. The couple agreed to pray at the same time every day. "God is our main connecting thread, because we both trust Him and love Him very much," Svetlana explained.

The criminal case against Vladimir Sakada, Yevgeniy Zhukov, and Vladimir Maladyka was initiated in the fall of 2020. The men were charged with organizing the activity of an extremist organization. Each was given 6 years' imprisonment.