NOVEMBER 25, 2021
RUSSIA

UPDATE | Jehovah Comforts Brother Yevgeniy Korotun

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On May 16, 2022, the Tomsk Regional Court denied the appeal of Brother Yevgeniy Korotun. He remains in prison.

On January 20, 2022, the Severskiy City Court of the Tomsk Region convicted Yevgeniy and sentenced him to seven years in prison. His sentence will begin immediately.

Time Line

March 31, 2021

The trial began
September 7, 2020

Taken into custody and sent to pretrial detention after a court appearance
July 15, 2020

Placed under house arrest
July 14, 2020

FSB officers searched the homes of six families of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Seversk, including the Korotuns’ home
July 13, 2020

The criminal case against Yevgeniy was initiated
2018–2019

Two undercover officers pretended to show interest in the Bible and kept secret recordings of conversations to be used against Yevgeniy as evidence

Profile

Yevgeniy Korotun

Born: 1970 (Seversk)

Biography: Studied art. Worked as a carpenter, decorative plasterer, and plumber. Enjoys photography and loves to read

After researching the Bible for nearly a decade, became convinced that it is God’s Word. Baptized in 2008 and married his wife, Yevgeniya, later that year. They have a ten-year-old son, Aleksandr

Personal Comments From Yevgeniy’s Wife, Yevgeniya a

What specific challenges are you facing while your husband is in detention?

The Federal Financial Monitoring Service blocked our debit and credit cards. I’ve had many meetings with various government agencies to try to get the matter resolved. Nonetheless, Jehovah has used our brothers and sisters to provide us with our necessities.

What is helping you to maintain your joy and not be overwhelmed with anxiety?

My spiritual habits have helped me . . . Since Yevgeniy is not around to pray for me and our family, I have many personal conversations with Jehovah. I have discovered new topics to discuss with him. I have also started to read a lot about persecution, courage, endurance, loyalty, the matter of universal sovereignty, and the value of a positive attitude. When I do not have the strength to read, then I watch videos from our broadcasts. Our songs have also been very upbuilding.

How is your son, Aleksandr, coping with his father’s absence?

Sometimes he cries and says he misses his dad . . . But this has not led to constant sadness. Overall, he remains positive and upbeat. . . . He has expressed his desire to get baptized. This makes me really happy.

We are confident that Jehovah is with the Korotun family and all those who serve him faithfully through difficult times.—Romans 15:5.

a Because Brother Korotun is currently in pretrial detention, it was not possible to obtain comments from him.

Jehovah’s Witnesses

UPDATE | Jehovah Comforts Brother Yevgeniy Korotun

Time Line

Profile

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