Detention: Dmytro was detained on December 8, 2022, in Simferopol, Autonomous Republic of Crimea (temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine). He was charged under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code ('organization of the activities of an extremist organization'), alleging that he organized religious meetings, Bible discussions, and activities of the local Jehovah's Witnesses community. Officers from the Russian Investigative Committee conducted a series of mass searches in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses, after which Dmytro Oleksandrovych Naukhatskyi was detained.

Sentence: On December 10, 2022, the court imposed a preventive measure of house arrest. On March 24, 2023, the investigation additionally charged him under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Russian Criminal Code ('financing extremist activities'), claiming he allegedly collected voluntary donations for the religious community.

Dmytro Oleksandrovych Naukhatskyi was born on June 23, 1969, and resided in Simferopol. He is a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious community. There is no reliable information available in open sources about his education, profession, or marital status.

On December 8, 2022, Russian security forces conducted extensive searches in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Simferopol. After the search, Dmytro Naukhatskyi was detained, and a criminal case was opened against him. According to the investigation, he allegedly organized religious services, Bible text discussions, and coordinated the activities of the local community. In March 2023, the charges were supplemented with an episode of allegedly financing extremist activities through the collection of voluntary donations. Human rights defenders note that the charges are based solely on peaceful religious activities and do not contain evidence of violent or extremist actions.

The case of Dmytro Naukhatskyi is part of a large-scale campaign of persecution against Jehovah's Witnesses in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea following the 2017 decision of the Russian Supreme Court to liquidate the legal entities of this religious organization. Ukrainian and international human rights organizations consider such criminal proceedings a violation of the right to freedom of conscience and religion.

As of July 27, 2026, no guilty verdict has been issued against Dmytro Naukhatskyi. The criminal case is at the pre-trial investigation stage, and he remains under house arrest.

Information used from open sources: Project 'Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial', USCIRF (United States Commission on International Religious Freedom), Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Update date: 27.07.2026.