Focused on the Honor of Serving Jehovah

 RUSSIA


Focused on the Honor of Serving Jehovah


The Vyselkovskiy District Court of the Krasnodar Territory will soon announce its verdict in the case involving Brothers Yevgeniy Bochko, Vladimir Kolesnikov, Aleksey Shubnikov, Vitaliy Ushakov, and Valeriy Vechkayev. The prosecutor has yet to request a potential sentence.

February 13, 2024


Profiles


Yevgeniy Bochko

Born: 1975 (Novoberezansky, Krasnodar Territory)


Biography: Worked as a maintenance engineer


Prayed to God for help identifying the true religion. Baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1998


Married Anna in 2009


Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis


Personal Comments


What has been your focus while going through this criminal investigation and trial?


Throughout this process, my wife and I have prayed that we can bring praise to Jehovah’s name. We have had that opportunity. While one of the investigators was reviewing volumes of material in the criminal case, he asked us several questions about Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are 17 volumes of material in the case, each between 100 and 350 pages long. On nearly every page, the name Jehovah appears. It is a great honor to have a share in making his name known.


Vladimir Kolesnikov

Born: 1946 (Ukraine)


Biography: Retired from the military. Later, worked in the mining industry


Married Zinaida in 1979. They had two daughters and a son. Zinaida passed away in 2020


Studied the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses as a couple. Both baptized in 1995


Personal Comments


What has helped you to maintain a positive attitude despite your trials?


It is not always easy to cope with the many challenges I face. While I sometimes get discouraged, I have learned how to overcome such feelings. I pray and make use of the spiritual resources I have available. My appreciation for God’s Word has increased, and I have learned how valuable it is to share everything with Jehovah in prayer. Thinking back, I realize that in the past I may have tried to solve things on my own. Now talking with Jehovah about my feelings, my worries, and my joys gives me both satisfaction and stability.


Aleksey Shubnikov

Born: 1982 (Nizhnevartovsk, Tyumen Region)


Biography: Confined to a wheelchair after a serious spinal injury at the age of 16. Impressed by the Bible’s logical explanations about suffering


Baptized in 2008


Personal Comments


What have you learned as a result of going through this criminal prosecution?


When I read the experiences of brothers and sisters who said that they felt peace during their trials, I wondered, ‘How could that be possible?’ But when I was searched and interrogated and when I had to go to court and had to give a witness, I was at peace. This proved to me that Jehovah was helping me and that it is possible to go through such trials with joy. I am very grateful to Jehovah for his support and for the honor of serving him.


Vitaliy Ushakov

Born: 1980 (Khatukay, Republic of Adygeya)


Biography: Worked as an auto mechanic. Learned the truth from his mother. Especially appreciated the Bible’s promise of a happy future. Baptized in 1995


Married Irina in 2006. They have two sons


Personal Comments


What helped you to endure being in the pretrial detention center?


During the first month and a half that I was in the detention center, I did not have a Bible. So I wrote out the Scriptures I could remember in a notebook along with my thoughts about each one. This was especially helpful when I was in solitary confinement. It allowed me to analyze my feelings. I am now even closer to Jehovah, and my heart is more responsive to his guidance.


Valeriy Vechkayev

Born: 1973 (Vyselki, Krasnodar Territory)


Biography: Works as an interior finisher. Impressed by the high moral standards found in the Bible and how Jehovah’s Witnesses lived up to them. Baptized in 1999


Married Irina in 1996. They have two sons and a daughter


Personal Comments


How is Jehovah helping you to cope with this trial?


Jehovah helps in many ways. My brothers and sisters pray for me and have provided me with material and emotional support. And through the fulfillment of Bible prophecies, Jehovah has made it clear that his new world is near at hand. This has led me to view my current trials like clouds. They come in various shapes and sizes, but they will eventually dissipate and disappear completely. I am grateful to Jehovah that in the meantime he is giving me the strength to endure.


We are confident that Jehovah will continue to provide joy and strength to these brothers and to all who continue to look to him for support.—Psalm 141:8.


Time Line


February 11, 2022


Criminal case initiated against Yevgeniy, Aleksey, Vitaliy, and Valeriy


February 13, 2022


Homes searched. Yevgeniy, Aleksey, and Vitaliy interrogated. Vitaliy placed in a temporary detention center


February 15, 2022


Vitaliy sent to a pretrial detention center


February 16, 2022


Yevgeniy and Aleksey placed under travel restrictions


February 18, 2022


Valeriy placed under travel restrictions


February 21, 2022


Criminal case initiated against Vladimir


March 15, 2022


Vladimir placed under travel restrictions. Criminal cases combined into one


September 8, 2022


Vitaliy released from pretrial detention and placed under house arrest


October 10, 2022


Vitaliy released from house arrest and placed under travel restrictions


May 31, 2023


Criminal trial began


In the photo:

Top: Brothers Yevgeniy Bochko, Vladimir Kolesnikov, and Aleksey Shubnikov

Bottom: Brothers Vitaliy Ushakov and Valeriy Vechkayev

Comentarios

Publicar un comentario

Entradas populares de este blog

Appeal in Samara Upholds the Conviction of Aleksandr Dolganov — Three Years in Prison for Faith in Jehovah God

 RUSSIA Appeal in Samara Upholds the Conviction of Aleksandr Dolganov — Three Years in Prison for Faith in Jehovah God October 1, 2024 Samara Region On September 27, 2024, the panel of judges of the Samara Regional Court agreed with the decision of the first instance in the case of Aleksandr Dolganov. Although the term of punishment for the believer, 35, remained the same, the appeal counted the time under house arrest against the punishment at the rate of 1 day of house arrest for 1 day of colony. According to this decision, Dolganov should serve his sentence a month and a half earlier. Earlier, the Avtozavodskiy District Court of the city of Tolyatti considered it a crime for Dolganov to hold services of Jehovah's Witnesses. According to the believer, this contradicts the explanations of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, so he appealed the verdict. Addressing the panel of judges, Dolganov said: "Bible principles taught me to be a kind, caring, patien...
Leer más

Jehovah's witnesses can refuse blood transfusions, decides the Supreme Court (STF).

 BRASIL  Jehovah's witnesses can refuse blood transfusions, decides the Supreme Court (STF). 26/09/2024 The thesis that determines the state the cost of alternative treatments that are available from the Unified Health System (SUS) and that do not involve blood transfusion was fixed. The Supreme Court (STF) ruled on Wednesday (25/9) that medical patients can refuse blood transfusion for religious reasons. The plenary discussed extraordinary appeals (REs) 979742 (topic of General repercussion 952) and 1212272 (topic of General repercussion 1069), which deal with the right to perform surgery without blood transfusion for patients Jehovah's witnesses, a religion that does not accept this type of treatment. In RE 979742, the position of Rapporteur Minister Luís Roberto Barroso prevailed. In his vote, the president of the Supreme Court allowed Jehovah's witnesses to refuse blood transfusions, as long as this refusal meets requirements such as the patient being of legal age, capa...
Leer más

Appeal in Moscow Toughens the Punishment for One of Jehovah's Witnesses. The Terms for Two Other Believers Remain Intact

 RUSSIA Appeal in Moscow Toughens the Punishment for One of Jehovah's Witnesses. The Terms for Two Other Believers Remain Intact October 4, 2024 Moscow On October 3, 2024, the verdict against Anatoliy Marunov, Sergey Tolokonnikov and Roman Mareyev came into force. At the same time, the Moscow City Court added two months to Tolokonnikov's term. Three believers received from four and a half to six and a half years in prison. "The court criminalized the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses," the believers' lawyer said in the appeal. "The result was that the court declared the peaceful and socially harmless practice of religion a crime." Roman Mareyev stressed that the decision of the first instance violates Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which guarantees freedom of conscience and religion. He also noted: "The court did not establish the presence of motives of religious hatred or enmity in my actions, and did not establish agai...
Leer más