Putintsev Artur

Name: Putintsev Artur Vladislavovich
Date of Birth: March 13, 1970
Current status: who has served the main sentence
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Time spent in prison: 5 day in a temporary detention facility, 1212 day in a pre-trial detention, 367 day in prison
Current restrictions: restriction of freedom
Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years of imprisonment with serving in a correctional colony of general regime with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of public and religious organizations and associations, for a period of 3 years, with restriction of liberty for a period of 1 year and 6 months
Released: April 10, 2025

Biography

Artur Putintsev didn't trust any religion, but his acquaintance with Jehovah's Witnesses changed his life for the better—he made loyal friends and learned to apply Bible principles in his life. However, a criminal case was opened against him for his love of the Bible and he was sent to a pre-trial detention centre in December 2020.

Artur was born in Chita (Trans-Baikal Territory) in March 1970. He grew up in a large family and was the eldest of six children. As a child, he loved to go fishing and ride a motorcycle.

The family moved several times. Artur graduated from a vocational technical school in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky (Rostov region) and received a specialty as an electrician. He worked by profession at a factory. After serving in the army in 1991 he moved to the village of Buninskiy (Oryol region) and got a job at a state farm. There he met Lyudmila, and in 1993 they got married. After the wedding, Artur started his own business, and for the last two years before his arrest he worked in a taxi.

In 2005, Artur, after carefully studying the Bible, embarked on the Christian path. A year later, his mother joined him, and two years later, his wife. The couple love to travel and ski. Artur is also fond of beekeeping and the design of machines and other mechanisms.

Criminal prosecution and a long stay in a pre-trial detention center and colony away from his family negatively affected the health of the believer—Artur suffers from hypertension. Lyudmila lost her husband's support and care for a long time. Friends and relatives do not understand that he was prosecuted for this calm and peaceful person. In April 2025, Putintsev was released after serving his sentence.

Case History

Since 2009, Vladimir Melnik, a father of three children from Oryol, has been recording facts of pressure, threats and provocations from the FSB. In December 2020, it was invaded by armed security forces. Vladimir Piskarev and Artur Putintsev were also detained. The believers were placed in a pre-trial detention center, and their names were included in the list of Rosfinmonitoring. In January 2022, the case went to court. During the hearings, it became clear that a hidden wiretapping was installed in Piskaryov’s apartment, the audio recordings from which formed the basis of the accusation. In the pre-trial detention center, his health began to deteriorate sharply—he suffered a stroke and more than one hypertensive crisis. Nevertheless, the measure of restraint was not mitigated either for him, or for Melnik or for Putintsev. In October 2023, the court sentenced three believers to 6 years in a penal colony. An appeal in March 2024 upheld the verdict. This decision was upheld by the court of cassation in February 2025. In April of the same year, the believers were released, having completely served their sentence.
Timeline
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