As of October 26, 2022, there are currently 106 brothers and 4 sisters either in prison or pretrial detention for practicing their faith in Russia and Crimea. Brother Dmitriy Dolzhikov, aged 44, became the 100th servant of Jehovah currently incarcerated. Dmitriy was arrested on September 8, 2022. He is charged with participating in the activities of an extremist organization because he attended Christian meetings and shared his faith with others. Nearly 350 Witnesses have spent some time in prison since the 2017 ban.

Police arrested Dmitriy after raiding his apartment in the Chelyabinsk Region. Two days later, he was sent to pretrial detention in the Novosibirsk Region, some 1,500 kilometers (932 mi) away from his home.

Dmitriy is in a detention cell with 12 other people. His wife, Marina, is not allowed to visit Dmitriy, but they are able to correspond through letters.

“I didn’t sleep well and often woke up at night when he was first arrested,” Marina said. “Friends from the congregation invited me to stay with them, and that was a great help and support to me.”

Marina reports that Dmitriy is in good spirits. “Jehovah is taking care of him,” she says.

Our brothers and sisters were charged under the Russian Federation Criminal Code regarding extremist activity. This includes 57-year-old Anna Safronova, who is currently serving a six-year prison sentence. This is the longest prison sentence imposed on a sister.

Dmitriy’s arrest is yet another milestone in Russia’s shameful campaign against Jehovah’s Witnesses, which has continued for over five years despite numerous rebukes from international bodies. When Russia’s Supreme Court ruled against Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017, Russian authorities claimed that they would liquidate the Witnesses’ legal entities and not interfere with any spiritual activities. Yet, the latter has not proved true. To date, 308 criminal cases have been opened against nearly 700 of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Additionally, 1,851 homes of Witnesses have been raided.

Our prayers are with Dmitriy and all of our brothers and sisters being persecuted for their faith. We know that Jehovah will continue to give them the needed strength to endure.—Matthew 24:13.