Biography
On April 10, 2019, searches were carried out in the families of believers in Abakan. Roman Baranovskiy and his mother Valentina were detained. A criminal case was opened against them for extremist activities. The investigation lasted more than a year, and then the case was considered in court for 8 months. In February 2021, a harsh decision was made: Roman was sentenced to 6 years in prison, and his 70-year-old mother was sentenced to 2 years in prison for believing in Jehovah God. 3 months later, the Supreme Court of Khakassia upheld the verdict.
Roman was born in 1974 in the city of Balakovo, Saratov Region. Later, the family moved to Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), and in 1991 moved to Abakan, where Valentina's relatives lived. As a child, Roman was fond of chess and football. He graduated from the Polytechnic College as an auto mechanic, and later mastered the skill of finishing work, which is what he is doing to this day.
From his youth, Roman thought about the meaning of life. He says: “Sometimes I asked God to show me the right way. It always seemed to me that there is a higher meaning in life than just living it ... In 1993 I bought a Bible and began to read it ”. Mother joined him in this. The man is very impressed by the consistency of the Bible's teachings.
In his free time, Roman likes to play mind games. He is also interested in playing the guitar. Before sentencing, Roman took care of his mother. “He is a very big support for me,” said Valentina.
Roman's cousins and sister were shocked to learn that Roman and his mother were accused of such monstrous things as extremism simply because of their belief in God. They were surprised by the unfair conviction of Roman and Valentina.