Two Jehovah's Witnesses accused of extremism in Crimea because of their religion

In Simferopol, on February 5, Russian special services searched the homes of two local residents - 59-year-old Galina Privalova and 27-year-old Anna Moroz.

This was reported by Krym.Realii with reference to the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses.

According to the available information, the search in the apartment of Galina Privalova lasted an hour and a half, while the investigation lasted for six hours. Russian security forces seized cell phones, photographs, personal diaries, postcards, bank cards and electronic media, including an e-book.

About ten FSB officers took part in the raid, among whom Major Latyshev was identified as he has been repeatedly involved in cases against Crimean believers. After the searches were completed, Galina and Anna, as well as her husband and parents, were taken to the Investigative Committee.

Later, the relatives were released, but Moroz and Privalova were given a pledge not to leave. It turned out that the criminal cases under the article on'extremism' against the women were initiated on January 26, 2026, by Justice Captain Rudy.

According to human rights activists, over the past seven years, 35 people have been prosecuted for their religious beliefs in Crimea. According to analysts of Crimea SOS, every eighth political prisoner on the peninsula is a representative of Jehovah's Witnesses. It should be reminded that Russia banned the activities of this organization in 2017, recognizing it as extremist, and since then it has been systematically persecuting believers in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Another crime was the seizure of the Khan Jami mosque by security forces. The attack on the 16th-century monument shows that not only communities but also objects of cultural and historical significance are under systemic pressure.

The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine emphasizes that the violent invasion of the historic Khan Jami Mosque by Russian security forces, supported by the Kremlin-controlled DUMK, cannot be considered an ordinary conflict between communities or the formal execution of court orders.

Катерина Глушко