Detention: On July 29, 2021, FSB officers conducted searches in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses and detained Petro Zhiltsov. He was charged under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('organization of the activities of an extremist organization') and Part 1 of Article 282.3 ('financing extremist activities'). In August 2021, the court placed him under house arrest. Human rights defenders emphasize that the persecution is solely related to his religious activities as a Jehovah's Witness.

Sentence: On February 27, 2023, the Russia-controlled Yalta City Court found Petro Zhiltsov guilty and sentenced him to 6 years and 1 month in a general regime colony. The appellate court upheld the sentence. Human rights organizations recognized him as a political prisoner and noted that the case is a violation of the right to freedom of religion. On March 22, 2024, Petro Zhiltsov was released after the cassation court overturned the sentence and returned the case for a new trial.

Petro Oleksiyovych Zhiltsov was born on August 19, 1978. He lived in the city of Yalta in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Open sources indicate that before the criminal prosecution, he led a normal peaceful life, worked, and practiced the Jehovah's Witness faith with his family. Detailed information about his professional activities is not available in open sources.

Following the 2017 decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to liquidate the legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses, Russian authorities began mass criminal prosecutions of believers, including in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea. International human rights organizations have repeatedly emphasized that peaceful religious practice cannot be considered extremism.

On July 29, 2021, FSB officers searched Petro Zhiltsov's residence, after which he was detained. The investigation claimed he organized religious meetings, Bible readings, and coordinated the activities of the local Jehovah's Witness community. These peaceful religious practices were the basis for opening a criminal case. In August 2021, he was placed under house arrest.

On July 11, 2022, the house arrest was lifted, but the criminal prosecution continued. On February 27, 2023, the Yalta City Court sentenced Petro Zhiltsov to 6 years and 1 month of imprisonment. The defense emphasized that the charges contained no evidence of calls for violence or extremist activities, being based solely on participation in worship services.

During the cassation appeal, significant procedural violations were identified. In March 2024, the cassation court overturned the guilty verdict, after which Petro Zhiltsov was released from imprisonment and the case was sent for a new trial. Human rights organizations noted that even after his release, he remains a victim of politically motivated criminal prosecution.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) included Petro Zhiltsov in the international database of individuals persecuted for freedom of religion, noting that his imprisonment was solely due to peaceful religious activities.

As of July 26, 2026, Petro Zhiltsov remains free following the annulment of the guilty verdict, but his case remains an example of politically motivated persecution for exercising the right to freedom of conscience and religion.

Information used from open sources: Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, USCIRF (United States Commission on International Religious Freedom).

Photo: Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia.

Last updated: 26.07.2026.