Nikolay Voishchev, 69, Released from Penal Colony

On April 28, 2025, Nikolay Voishchev was released. For his faith in Jehovah God, he spent more than 900 days (about 30 months) in prison: a little less than a year in a pretrial detention center, and the rest of the time in a penal colony. Voishchev served his sentence in Almetyevsk, which is almost 2000 kilometers from his home.

Nikolay, being a man of kind disposition, maintained good relations with other prisoners throughout his term. Being of pension age, the believer did not work in the penal colony but trained as a boiler room operator.

Pretrial detention and being in the penal colony worsened Nikolay's already poor health. Prior to his arrest, he was diagnosed with a tumor that required treatment. At first, he did not receive the necessary medication in the detention center, but later he started receiving them. He was also sent to the regional hospital for examination. The believer suffered from severe headaches, caused amongst other things by the stress he encountered. Due to being often near smokers, his hypertension worsened.

Despite all his difficulties, Nikolay did not despair. Throughout his imprisonment, he was supported by relatives and friends. He emphasizes that these trials did not weaken him. "I have been a Christian for over 50 years. What happened to me certainly did not alter my faith," Nikolay Voishchev said after his release.

In May 2025, another Jehovah's Witness from Adygea, Inver Siyukhov, is to be released. He was sentenced to 6 years in a penal colony because of his faith.