Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

New Searches in Homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Kemerovo Region. Man, 46, Under Arrest

Kemerovo Region

On August 26, 2026, in Novokuznetsk, officers of the Investigative Committee conducted searches in at least five homes of believers and detained Maksim Zavyalov, 46, the father of a young child.

Two days later, the Tsentralnyy District Court of Novokuznetsk sent the believer to a pretrial detention center. The criminal case under the article for organizing the activity of an extremist organization is being handled by R. Ganbarov, investigator of the RF Investigative Committee.

The number of Jehovah's Witnesses from the Kemerovo Region who have faced criminal prosecution has reached 22. Guilty verdicts have entered into force in Prokopyevsk, Belovo, Berezovskiy, Kemerovo, Kaltan, and Tayga. In May 2026, another case was initiated in Kemerovo — it is at the stage of preliminary investigation.

The Case of Zavyalov in Novokuznetsk

Case History
In August 2026, the Investigative Committee in Novokuznetsk initiated a criminal case against Maksim Zavyalov. The grounds for the extremism charge were operational-investigative measures—a listening device was installed in the believer’s apartment. After the search and interrogation, the man was detained and placed in a pretrial detention center. In September, his health deteriorated sharply and he required emergency medical assistance. A month later, Zavyalov suffered a hypertensive crisis in court.
Timeline

Persons in case

Zavyalov
Maksim

Criminal case

Region:
Kemerovo Region
Locality:
Novokuznetsk
Suspected of:
"holding religious meetings, organizing... religious meetings... of Jehovah's Witnesses" (from the order to initiate a criminal case)
Court case number:
12602320010000217
Initiated:
August 26, 2026
Current case stage:
preliminary investigation
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Case History
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