Penal Colony Instead of Fine: 68-Year-Old Jehovah’s Witness From Polar Region Convicted for “Extremism”

On May 4, 2026, the Polyarnyy District Court of Murmansk handed down a 6-year and 3-months sentence in a penal colony in the case of Anatoliy Odintsov from Snezhnogorsk. This decision by Judge Artur Shapotin came as a surprise, since the prosecution had only requested a fine. The believer was taken into custody in the courtroom and transferred to a pretrial detention center.

Anatoliy spent most of his life in the Murmansk Region. For many years he worked for various organizations as a medical equipment engineer and, before the criminal prosecution began, he was employed by the regional pathology services. Odintsov became one of Jehovah's Witnesses in the 1990s. "I worked with people of different faiths — Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Muslims. If I had extremist views, then over more than 30 years of practicing my religion they would have shown themselves at least to some extent," Anatoliy said in his final statement.

Addressing the court, the believer also commented on his participation in meetings for worship that the authorities charged him with: "From the recordings made during the operational-investigative measures, it's clear that religious texts and the Bible are being discussed, prayers are being said, songs are being sung, which have nothing to do with extremism. Quite the opposite: it's about morality, high moral conduct, family values, and taking care of one's health."

The criminal case against Anatoliy was initiated in the spring of 2023. The Investigative Committee deemed it illegal to discuss the Bible among friends and charged Odintsov with organizing the activity of an extremist organization. In total, he spent nearly 4 months in a pretrial detention center, and then more than 8 months under house arrest.

In the Murmansk Region, this is the first verdict for faith that involves an actual term of imprisonment. With the court's decision against Odintsov, the number of Jehovah's Witnesses over 60 who are now behind bars has reached 35.