1. On October 7, 2021, the Krasnodar Territory Court denied Brother Meleshko’s appeal. His original sentence remains in force

2. August 11, 2021

   The Abinskiy District Court of the Krasnodar Territory, convicted Vasiliy and sentenced him to three years in prison after two days of court hearings. He was taken into custody from the courtroom. He is the fourth Jehovah’s Witness to be hastily tried and convicted by this court a

3. August 10, 2021

   The criminal trial against Vasiliy began. When asked by the judge, Vasiliy courageously identified himself as an active Jehovah’s Witness

4. June 24, 2021

   Previous conversations between Vasiliy and Brother Aleksandr Ivshin were added to his list of criminal activities. The prosecutor labeled the content of their discussions as religious topics related to “the service of Jehovah God”

5. April 12, 2021

   Vasiliy was officially charged with the crimes of “giving and listening to lectures based on religious literature” and “participating in a collective discussion of religious books,” among other activities

6. April 7, 2021

   At 6:30 a.m., three armed security officers, four investigating officers, and two agents forcefully searched the home of Vasiliy and Zoya Meleshko. Vasiliy was later taken for investigation. The investigators then photographed him in front of his home as well as the building where our brothers formerly met for worship. Investigators used these photographs to “film the crime scene.” Vasiliy was ordered not to leave the area

While this hasty trial and continued persecution of our brothers and sisters in Russia is “bad news,” we are confident that Vasiliy and his family will remain steadfast and unshakable, “trusting in Jehovah.”—Psalm 112:7, 8.