Brother Konstantin Bazhenov was released from a Russian prison on May 5, 2021. a After a period of temporary detention, he was deported to Ukraine on May 19, 2021. His wife, Irina, traveled in advance so as to meet him when he arrived. Konstantin was deported because Russia revoked his citizenship in May 2020.

Konstantin was born in 1975 into a nonreligious family in the western Russian city of Veliky Novgorod. As a child, he moved with his family to Ukraine. Konstantin took up gymnastics as a youth and was fond of music. He graduated from a music school and became the leader of a brass band.

Even before studying the Bible, Konstantin believed violence and war were wrong. Thus, when called to serve in the Ukrainian military, he refused. While in college, he had questions about life and religion. He investigated several denominations and found the answers he was looking for when he began studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. He was baptized in 1996.

Konstantin married Irina in 2001. He supported himself and Irina by working as a bricklayer, specializing in ovens and fireplaces. They moved to Russia in 2009.

On June 12, 2018, armed Russian special forces raided seven homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Saratov, including Konstantin and Irina’s apartment. He and two other brothers from Saratov were arrested and ordered to pretrial detention.

As soon as he arrived at the detention center, Konstantin knew he would need the comfort and support of God’s Word, but he was not able to get a Bible. “My wife sent me a notebook, and everyday I wrote down verses that I was able to remember,” recalls Konstantin. Jehovah helped him remember a total of 500 verses in only two months! When he did acquire a Bible, he eagerly read it from cover to cover in four months. The Scriptures greatly strengthened him. He also got much joy from sharing encouraging points in letters that he wrote to his wife and friends.

Konstantin often prayed fervently to Jehovah to endure his time in detention, especially when he felt alone and missed his wife. He remembers: “I would get down on my knees and would literally cry as I prayed to Jehovah. I decided to write my requests to God on a sheet of paper and then mark off the ones that he answered. I was convinced that Jehovah was very close to me.” He was released from pretrial detention on May 20, 2019. But his challenges were not over.

Konstantin and five other brothers from Saratov were subsequently convicted and sentenced to prison on September 19, 2019. After losing their appeal a few months later, five of the brothers were transferred to a prison in Orenburg. Konstantin was sent to a prison in Dimitrovgrad, over 500 kilometers (310 mi) away from his home and wife in Saratov.

While separated from Konstantin, Irina was encouraged by reading on JW News the biographies of brothers and sisters who have courageously endured persecution with joy. Irina was also encouraged by Konstantin’s steadfast spirit and inner peace. In an interview conducted while Konstantin was still in prison, she explained: “His words are always positive!” When she was allowed to call Konstantin, they would sing songs, pray, and study together. She said that their Bible discussions strengthened her faith in Jehovah and helped her maintain her joy despite the circumstances.

Konstantin spent a little more than 14 months in a pretrial detention facility and just over a year and a half in prison for his faith. He was released nine months early from his original three-and-a-half-year sentence. This is because his time in pretrial detention counts one and a half times toward his sentence. Additionally, he did not have to serve the final two months because he was granted parole.

We rejoice that Konstantin has been released and reunited with Irina. All of our dear brothers and sisters who endure persecution show that they truly take King David’s words to heart: “In the shadow of your wings I take refuge until the troubles pass.”—Psalm 57:1.