AUGUST 2, 2021
RUSSIA

Faithful Older Ones Remain Joyful Despite Convictions

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Since the 2017 ban on the legal entities of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, authorities have arbitrarily targeted brothers and sisters—as young as 18 and as old as 89—throughout the country. As of July 2021, 18 brothers and sisters aged 60 and over have been convicted and sentenced merely for their peaceful worship. Three are currently in prison. a The 2021 Governing Body Update #4 highlighted the appalling attacks on our elderly brothers and sisters.

How have our dear older ones endured criminal prosecution? We are happy to provide some encouraging expressions from several of our faithful fellow believers.

Aleksandr Ganin

Born: 1957

Sentence: Three-year suspended prison sentence and nine months of restrictions on travel

Baptized: 1997

Personal Comments

How are you staying joyful and positive during this challenging time?

Jehovah provides clear direction through his organization about how not to become depressed in situations like this and how to maintain a positive attitude. My wife and I had health problems even before my arrest. But we keep an active lifestyle, and we do not get distracted from what is most important, taking constant care of our spiritual well-being.

How has your conviction affected you and your family?

Our faith has been strengthened, and we have drawn closer to one another. I am confident that Bible prophecies are being fulfilled exactly as foretold and that we are on the threshold of great changes that are to take place. Such knowledge provides me with the strength to continue serving without distraction.

Yuriy Krutyakov

Born: 1952

Sentence: Six-year suspended prison sentence, including five years of probation and one year of restrictions on travel

Baptized: 1998

Personal Comments

How has the suspended sentence affected you and your family?

A suspended sentence is certainly better than prison time. However, it is difficult to find work at my age with a conviction on my record. And given the current prices for groceries, medication, and medical services, my pension is very small.

What health problems are you facing, and how are you coping with these?

I suffer from osteoarthritis in my knees. I left the detention center suffering from pneumonia, as there were smokers in my cell. My lungs still have problems. I try to follow the doctors’ recommendations and find a way to maintain my health to the degree that I’m able so that I can continue doing Jehovah’s will.

In what specific ways has Jehovah helped you since your court trial ended?

The brothers and sisters have been a real help. The words recorded at Psalm 133:1 are so true. Coming to know and experience love like that was a blessing that outweighed being convicted. We could never have imagined that we would strike up friendships with so many brothers and sisters. I have seen how Jehovah arranged everything, how he cares for us through the brotherhood, how tender he is with us, and with what blessings he surrounds us in the most difficult of circumstances. Having seen all that, how could I not continue to serve such a loving and great God? Anything else is simply unthinkable.

Lyudmila Ponomarenko

Born: 1950

Sentence: Two-year suspended sentence and one year of probation

Baptized: 1998

Personal Comments

How do your current restrictions affect your day-to-day life?

I cannot change my place of residence without notifying a special government agency that controls the activities of individuals who have been given a suspended sentence. I must also appear before that agency once a month.

How has this impacted your health?

I have started to experience frequent headaches that go on for quite a long time. What really helps me is praying for reasonableness and maintaining the proper attitude toward things that I cannot change.

How has Jehovah provided you support?

Jehovah has been richly blessing me since my court hearings concluded. He gives me the strength to continue living a spiritual life, and he has not left me without help. My loving fellow believers are by my side, and when difficulties arise, they are ready to come to my aid. Even when things were difficult and some situations seemed impossible, ultimately everything turned into a blessing. I have learned to trust Jehovah even more and to rely on him in all things. I am very grateful to Jehovah for entrusting me with this form of the ministry—speaking before the courts. It is a joy for me to do so. I have no reason to be discouraged, and I am firmly determined to run the race to the end and help others reach that wonderful finish line.

Gennady Shpakovskiy

Born: 1958

Sentence: Initially, six and a half years in prison. Upon appeal, court suspended the sentence and imposed two years of probation

Baptized: 1995

Personal Comments

Since your trial ended, what restrictions are you under?

I do not have the right to take part in the organizing or activity of any public religious organizations for a period of three years. I am forbidden to leave my home from the hours of 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. I cannot travel beyond the limits of the municipality nor change my place of residence without permission. And I must appear before a special government agency twice a month.

How have your brothers and sisters helped you during this time?

I received all kinds of help. From my very first day in detainment, my family and I have received letters, cards, drawings, and text messages with expressions of support, encouragement, assurances of love, and offers to help in any way necessary.

How has your resolve to continue serving Jehovah been strengthened?

Everything that has happened to my family and me in the last few years has strengthened my confidence that I serve the true God, Jehovah! Reading about, meditating on, and directly participating in events that the Bible describes as “the last days” leaves no doubt in my mind that I am on the right path—the path that leads to the new world.

Valentina Suvorova

Born: 1948

Sentence: Two-year suspended prison sentence

Baptized: 1996

Personal Comments

How has your conviction affected you?

Being convicted as a criminal is humiliating and offensive, as I am a person who believes in a God of love, joy, and mercy. There is constant anxiety. There are sleepless nights, headaches, hypertension, and back pain.

What has helped you to stay positive?

What helps me is love, gratitude, and appreciation for our God, Jehovah, his laws and principles, and for our organization. In the past, I knew about the love, mercy, comfort, and encouragement of our dear heavenly Father, Jehovah God. But now I have come to know these things to a greater degree, both on a physical and spiritual level. I have come to know this thanks to our dear fellow believers, my close friends, the responsible brothers, the congregation, and our entire organization. Thank you everyone!

We are grateful for the fine example of our faithful older ones in Russia. Their courageous stand for righteousness is worthy of imitation and, more importantly, beautiful in God’s eyes.—Proverbs 16:31.

a Sister Valentina Baranovskaya, aged 70, is serving a two-year prison sentence. Brother Aleksandr Ivshin, aged 63, is serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence. And Brother Yuriy Savelyev, aged 68, is serving a six-year prison sentence.

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