After spending some five years behind bars, on July 26, 2023, Brother Sergey Klimov was released from a Russian penal colony in the city of Astrakhan. He was first arrested and detained on June 3, 2018, and held in pretrial detention. On November 5, 2019, he was sentenced and soon thereafter transferred to a penal colony.

While in prison, Sergey was not permitted to see his wife, Yuliya, for about nine months. Additionally, he never received the majority of the letters that were sent to him. Poor conditions in his prison cell caused Sergey’s health to deteriorate considerably. Yet, despite all of this, Sergey maintained a positive attitude by continuing his spiritual routine of prayer and Bible reading.

The authorities charged Sergey with extremism based on his religious beliefs. However, during his criminal trial, Sergey boldly countered this accusation and explained why he shares the Bible’s message with others: “My God, Jehovah, is a loving and just God.” He added: “What motivates me to act and help others is love, not hatred or extremism.”

We rejoice with Sergey and Yuliya as they are reunited. And we are grateful to see that Jehovah has blessed Sergey’s determination to maintain his integrity.—Joshua 24:14.