Source: www.forum18.org
Date: June 12, 2026
https://www.forum18.org/archiv
By Victoria Arnold, Forum 18
Prosecutions of registered religious organisations for failing to give
their full official name on buildings, printed literature or online appear
to be one of several means for state authorities to exert pressure on
particular religious communities. In Bryansk, officials targeted League of
Salvation Pentecostal church, "one of the region's most socially active
churches", lawyer Sergey Chugunov wrote. As well as a fine under
Administrative Code Article 5.26, Part 3, the church has been inspected and
searched several times, and a criminal case has been launched.
Bryansk Region Prosecutor's Office did not reply to Forum 18's questions as
to why the League of Salvation had been prosecuted and convicted for the
absence of a sign at the premises of another religious association, and
what other administrative or criminal charges prosecutors may have brought
against it, its clergy, and any associated organisations (see below).
The Judge at Soviet District Magistrate's Court No. 12 who fined the Church
did respond but did not answer the question (see below).
In July 2025, Federal Security Service (FSB) personnel conducted an
unannounced raid on an associated "Love" Support Centre for People in
Difficult Life Situations to investigate "the possible activities of an
illegal religious organisation". This organisation provides accommodation
and social and medical care to homeless and disabled people. The local
court dismissed two administrative cases against a Support Centre employee.
The FSB has launched a criminal case, but it has not reached court (see
below).
"The organisation's activities were essentially paralysed. People were left
homeless on the streets. Some were taken in by believers," the Moscow
lawyer Anatoly Pchelintsev wrote (see below).
In November 2025, security personnel had raided an inter-faith prayer meal
organised by Bryansk's Pentecostal Churches even before it had begun. "Four
plainclothes officers entered the hall, accompanied by four soldiers in
body armour and helmets, holding machine guns," the lawyer Pchelintsev
noted. The event went ahead after officers had questioned about ten
participants (see below).
Also targeted was the Evangelical Church of the Holy Trinity in the Moscow
Region town of Balashikha. As well as a case under Administrative Code
Article 5.26, Part 3 (which a court returned to prosecutors), the church
faced inspections from numerous state agencies and a fine for allegedly
failing to appear at a pre-arranged meeting. "The prosecutor's office is
turning into some kind of punitive body, not at all a supervisory or law
enforcement agency," Pastor Roman Zhukov complained. "Without any
investigation, they're already presuming us guilty" (see below).
Holy Trinity Church is linked with Pastor Nikolay Romanyuk, who is serving
a four-year jail term for a sermon calling on fellow believers not to go to
fight in Ukraine (see below).
Neither the Moscow Region Prosecutor's Office nor the Moscow Region branch
of the Interior Ministry responded to Forum 18's questions about the
grounds on which officials had conducted the inspection of Holy Trinity
Church, and what charges had been brought against it as a consequence (see
below).
Administrative Code Article 5.26, Part 3 punishes "Implementation of
activities by a religious organisation without indicating its official full
name, including the issuing or distribution, within the framework of
missionary activity, of literature and printed, audio, and video material
without a label bearing this name, or with an incomplete or deliberately
false label" with fines or a warning
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
order religious literature confiscated or destroyed.
According to the limited available court records, seen by Forum 18, 52
cases are known to have reached court
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
of January 2025 and the end of April 2026. These involved 43 registered
religious organisations and 9 individuals. Most resulted in convictions and
fines.
One element of pressure from state authorities and investigative agencies
Administrative Code Article 5.26, Part 3, which came into force in July
2016, punishes (https://www.forum18.org/archi
"Implementation of activities by a religious organisation without
indicating its official full name, including the issuing or distribution,
within the framework of missionary activity, of literature and printed,
audio, and video material without a label bearing this name, or with an
incomplete or deliberately false label".
A religious organisation's official full name must indicate its religious
affiliation and its organisational and legal form
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Religious Organisation", "Local Religious Organisation", etc.). It
therefore tends to be long and complicated, but use of an abbreviated form
may incur prosecution.
The Administrative Code specifies that cases under Article 5.26 can be
brought by the police, Prosecutor's Offices, or local Justice Departments.
Many prosecutions under Administrative Code Article 5.26, Part 3 take place
in isolation (or in conjunction with prosecution under Article 5.26, Part
4). Such prosecutions usually come after the discovery of unlabelled
literature during routine prosecutor's office inspections.
Other prosecutions appear to be one of several means for state authorities
to exert pressure on particular religious communities.
Balashikha: "People in masks" inspect Holy Trinity Church
On Sunday 8 February, "people in masks" turned up at the Evangelical Church
of the Holy Trinity in the Moscow Region town of Balashikha, apparently for
an unannounced (rather than scheduled) inspection, the Church's Pastor
Roman Zhukov wrote that day on his Telegram channel
(https://t.me/zametki_o_zhizni
A senior pastor linked to the church, Nikolay Romanyuk, is currently
serving a four-year prison sentence
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Article 280.4 ("Public calls to implement activities directed against the
security of the Russian Federation, or to obstruct the exercise by
government bodies and their officials of their powers to ensure the
security of the Russian Federation"). He was jailed for a sermon he gave at
Holy Trinity in which he called on fellow believers not to go to fight in
Ukraine.
"Friends, a large-scale inspection of our church has begun: the
prosecutor's office, the Interior Ministry, the Federal Security Service,
the Emergencies Ministry, Rospotrebnadzor, and others", Pastor Zhukov wrote
on 8 February (https://t.me/zametki_o_zhizni
isn't over yet, but it looks like there's a lot of questions, and of
course, there are familiar faces."
The officials arrived at the end of Sunday morning worship on 8 February,
the pastor continued. "Everything was polite and proper. They showed the
documents authorising the inspection. They didn't interfere with the
service. They allowed us to finish and asked us to warn people about the
need to show their documents upon exiting. Nobody could leave the building
without showing their documents."
Balashikha: "Without any investigation, they're already presuming us
guilty"
Prosecutors have accused Holy Trinity Church of several violations. "The
assistant prosecutor, apparently out of spite, decided to add a fourth to
the three administrative violations – for the late submission of
documents. This was despite a verbal agreement with the lawyer to
reschedule the time for submitting the documents," Pastor Roman Zhukov
noted on 18 February (https://t.me/zametki_o_zhizni
"The prosecutor's office is turning into some kind of punitive body, not at
all a supervisory or law enforcement agency," Pastor Zhukov added. "Without
any investigation, they're already presuming us guilty."
On 2 March, a case against Holy Trinity Church under Administrative Code
Article 5.26, Part 3 ("Implementation of activities by a religious
organisation without indicating its official full name, including the
issuing or distribution, within the framework of missionary activity, of
literature and printed, audio, and video material without a label bearing
this name, or with an incomplete or deliberately false label") reached
Balashikha District Magistrate's Court No. 5. The judge sent it back to
prosecutors.
It is unclear on what grounds prosecutors initiated the case or why the
judge decided not to consider it. According to Balashikha City Court's
website, an appeal was lodged on 14 May, apparently by the prosecution. No
hearings have yet been listed.
On 5 March, the church received a "notice of elimination of violations of
land use legislation", according to Pastor Zhukov
(https://t.me/zametki_o_zhizni
"A large-scale investigation of our organisation is currently underway",
Pastor Zhukov wrote on 13 April (https://t.me/zametki_o_zhizni
That day, the church received a 50,000 Rouble fine under Administrative
Code Article 17.7 ("Failure to comply with the legal demands of a
prosecutor, investigator, investigative officer, or official conducting
proceedings in a case of an administrative offence"), because
representatives had supposedly failed to attend the prosecutor's office on
a particular day to present documents.
This was despite the fact that Pastor Zhukov had called ahead to arrange
another appointment because the church's lawyer was working on a different
case.
"On Monday, we brought all the documents and explanations we were required
to provide. But the prosecutor was interested in documents we couldn't
provide. And right in front of us, he issued us Article 17.7! For not
showing up on Friday," Pastor Zhukov wrote.
"We had seemingly ironclad evidence: a certificate from the [pre-retrial
detention centre] indicating that the lawyer was working there that day, a
transcript of the conversation with the prosecutor's office employee in
which we had agreed to rearrange the meeting. But when did that ever
matter? The court was adamant, promoting the cult of prosecutorial
infallibility - how could it be otherwise?"
"It's not the amount that's saddening, although it's quite significant;
it's the feeling of powerlessness," Pastor Zhukov added.
Forum 18 wrote to the Moscow Region Prosecutor's Office and the Moscow
Region branch of the Interior Ministry on 8 June, asking:
- on what grounds officials had conducted the inspection of Holy Trinity
Church;
- and what charges had been brought against it as a consequence.
Forum 18 had received no response from either by the end of the working day
in Moscow of 11 June.
Bryansk: Officials "decided to wipe out one of the region's most socially
active churches"
In Bryansk, a city close to the borders with Belarus and Ukraine, "it seems
that law enforcement has decided to wipe out one of the region's most
socially active churches", lawyer Sergey Chugunov wrote on his Telegram
channel on 30 April (https://t.me/chugunovsv/516). He noted that officials
have conducted "several inspections" of the League of Salvation Pentecostal
church, and that prosecutors have opened a criminal case, "but they don't
seem to be able to 'investigate' it".
"Instead, they've conducted searches on this very pretext [i.e. the
criminal investigation], confiscating a ton of documents, phones, and other
things," Chugunov continued. "There's nothing illegal about the church's
activities. But a career doesn't build itself, after all. So, they need to
get creative [and] they have at least come up with an administrative charge
[under Article 5.26, Part 3]."
On 30 April, Bryansk's Soviet District Magistrate's Court No. 12 fined the
Centralised Religious Organisation of Christians of Evangelical Faith
(Pentecostals) "League of Salvation" 30,000 Roubles, because an associated
unregistered religious group (known as "Creators of History" [Tvortsy
istorii]) had carried out its activities without displaying the centralised
organisation's official full name at the premises in which the group
worships in a house of culture.
A fine of 30,000 Roubles is equivalent of about 10 days' average wage for
an individual.
According to the prosecutor's office decree initiating the Administrative
Code Article 5.26, Part 3 prosecution, dated 9 April and seen by Forum 18,
prosecutors carried out their inspection based on information from the
Federal Security Service (FSB). The decree states that the "Creators of
History" religious group is "included in the structure [vklyuchena v
sostav]" of the centralised organisation League of Salvation" – "that is,
members of the group are de facto members of the religious organisation".
The group held a Sunday worship service on 1 February, "with the
performance of religious songs, the reading of prayers and sermons", access
to which was open to all. There was no sign with the League of Salvation's
official full name on the facade of the house of culture or at the entrance
to the premises used for worship, "thus, members of [League of Salvation]
de facto carried out religious activity without displaying information
about its full name".
"At the court hearing, we spent a long time explaining the basics of
religious association legislation, how they all operate independently and
are not responsible for one another", Sergey Chugunov wrote on Telegram.
"And we had reason to believe the court heard us and doubted the validity
of the charges. But the train can't derail. The verdict is guilty."
Forum 18 wrote to Bryansk Region Prosecutor's Office and Soviet District
Magistrate's Court No. 12 on 26 May to ask why the League of Salvation had
been prosecuted and convicted for the absence of a sign at the premises of
another religious association.
Judge Yekaterina Samotesova responded on 28 May, refusing to answer the
question on the grounds that Forum 18 is "not a party to proceedings in the
administrative case".
"If a request for information raises a question about the interpretation of
a legal provision, clarification of its application, the development of a
legal position, or the performance of other analytical work not directly
related to protecting the rights of the information user who sent the
request, the information will not be provided," the judge wrote. She
directed Forum 18 to publicly available information on the magistrate's
court website.
Forum 18 wrote again to Bryansk Region Prosecutor's Office on 9 June,
seeking to clarify what other administrative or criminal charges
prosecutors may have brought against the League of Salvation, its clergy,
and any associated organisations.
Forum 18 had received no response from the Prosecutor's Office to either
enquiry by the end of the working day in Bryansk of 11 June.
Bryansk: 2025 raid on rehabilitation centre
The pastor of League of Salvation, Liliya Khrenova, is also the pastor of
the Local Religious Organisation of Christians of Evangelical Faith
(Pentecostals) of Bryansk "Spiritual and Cultural Centre 'Without Walls'",
as well as the official representative in Bryansk Region of Bishop Sergey
Ryakhovsky, head of the Russian Pentecostal Union.
"Without Walls" was listed as a founder organisation of League of Salvation
until 2021 (alongside another local Pentecostal religious organisation in
Moscow and two other legal entities). Neither Pastor Khrenova nor her
church "Without Walls" has appeared in court on any recent charges,
according to court records.
In 2015, according to tax records, Pastor Khrenova also founded the
Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation "Love" Support Centre for People in
Difficult Life Situations. This organisation provides accommodation and
social and medical care to homeless and disabled people, in Navlya
District, some 60km south of Bryansk. It also cooperates with a drug
treatment centre to provide support for those with addiction problems.
Khrenova remained director of the Support Centre until November 2025.
On 27 July 2025, Federal Security Service (FSB) personnel arrived
unannounced at the Support Centre to investigate "the possible activities
of an illegal religious organisation", according to a court document seen
by Forum 18. After establishing "that citizens were present in the
households in the specified territory, and suspicions arose that they were
being kept in violation of various regulations", the FSB notified the
district prosecutor's office of "a possible violation of citizens' rights".
The FSB officers halted their search upon the arrival of officials from the
prosecutor's office, Rospotrebnadzor (the consumer rights watchdog), the
local hospital, and the district's environmental protection department and
fire service. The Support Centre later filed an administrative lawsuit
against the prosecutor's office in an attempt to have its inspection ruled
unlawful, but Navlya District Court refused to uphold this on 25 December
2025.
The prosecutor's office had received information from the FSB "regarding a
possible threat to the life and health of citizens" at the Centre – that
about 60 people with disabilities were living there, and that "sanitary,
epidemiological, and fire safety regulations do not comply with current
legislation, and these individuals are not receiving adequate treatment", a
prosecutor's office representative told the court.
Officials took one person into the guardianship of the local
administration, "due to the lack of relevant documents regarding his care",
and sent other residents to hospital by ambulance.
Prosecutors initiated cases under Administrative Code Article 20.4, Part 1
("Violation of fire safety requirements") and Article 6.3, Part 1
("Violation of legislation ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological
well-being of the population, expressed in the violation of current
sanitary rules and hygienic standards, failure to comply with sanitary and
hygienic and anti-epidemic measures") against Sergey Koshelev, head of the
Centre's social welfare department, but these cases were later closed. With
regard to the Article 20.4 case, the fire service dismissed this on the
grounds that only property owners or people officially responsible for fire
safety can be liable, which Koshelev was not. Prosecutors challenged this
unsuccessfully on 14 November 2025, according to Navlya District Court
records.
The FSB opened a case against the Centre under Criminal Code Article 238,
Part 2 ("Production, storage or transportation for the purpose of sale, or
sale of goods and products, the performance of work or the provision of
services that do not meet the requirements for the safety of life or health
of consumers, as well as the unlawful issuance or use of an official
document certifying the compliance of the said goods, work or services with
safety requirements", when "a) committed by a group of persons acting in
concert or by an organised group; b) committed against goods, works, or
services intended for children under six years of age; or c) negligently
resulting in serious bodily harm or death to a person"). This does not
appear to have reached court.
The FSB carried out its initial search of the Centre on the grounds of
suspecting "the possible commission of a crime under Article 239"
("Creation of a non-profit organisation that infringes on the personality
[lichnost] and rights of citizens"), but investigators do not appear to
have pursued this.
The "Love" Support Centre, with "concerned citizens and believers of the
Evangelical Church", "worked together and achieved much", lawyer Anatoly
Pchelintsev wrote on his Telegram channel on 5 December 2025
(https://t.me/advocatavp/604).
"And now, after 25 years of impeccable work, with dozens of commendations,
certificates, and diplomas from the governor, the head of the district,
various municipal services, the Interior Ministry, and other government
agencies, the masked show began on 27 July", Pchelintsev continued.
"The organisation's activities were essentially paralysed. People were left
homeless on the streets. Some were taken in by believers. Seven disabled
people were taken in by a hospital, but two weeks later, they were
discharged with nowhere to go. And they returned to the village."
Pchelintsev added: "Interestingly, the local authorities are siding with
these selfless people and are trying to help. Believers are also helping,
for they prioritise the commandment 'Love your neighbour as yourself'".
It appears from social media and tax records that the Centre remains
operational.
"Someone from local law enforcement asked the most stupid questions: 'Is
your denomination funded by America? Are you against the [special military
operation]? Are you led by Ryakhovsky, who wants to destroy the
constitutional order?'", Bishop Sergey Ryakhovsky told Moskovsky
Komsomolets in an interview on 17 March 2026
(https://www.mk.ru/social/2026
"This, forgive me, is insane," Ryakhovsky added. "We have so many fallen
heroes. I lead a church with thousands of such parishes. The President of
the Russian Federation recently awarded me one of the highest orders –
the Order of Honour. Before that, he awarded me the Order of Friendship.
Incidentally, I am under European sanctions."
(Ryakhovsky has repeatedly expressed support for Russia's war in Ukraine.
Ukraine placed him under sanctions in January 2023, alongside twenty other
Russian religious figures, mostly of the Moscow Patriarchate.)
Bryansk: Raid on "prayer meal"
On 19 November 2025, Pentecostal churches in Bryansk organised a "prayer
meal"
(https://cef.ru/novosti/veru-i
with the theme of "Faith and Creation: Spiritual and Moral Values in
Society".
This was the second time
(https://cef.ru/novosti/v-brya
a prayer meal – aimed at promoting dialogue between religious
organisations, state authorities, and cultural institutions, and
replicating similar events held in other regions and at a national level in
Moscow – had taken place in Bryansk. They have involved clergy from the
Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), from Baptist, Seventh-day
Adventist, and Catholic churches, and from the Muslim community of Bryansk,
as well as various local and regional officials. and representatives of
secular non-profit organisations.
On this occasion, however, security services raided the event before it
began.
"Four plainclothes officers entered the hall, accompanied by four soldiers
in body armour and helmets, holding machine guns. One of the plainclothes
officers, apparently the senior one, nervously paced the hall, shouting,
'Where is Ryakhovsky?'", lawyer Anatoly Pchelintsev wrote on his Telegram
channel on 30 November 2025 (https://t.me/advocatavp/603).
(Bishop Sergey Ryakhovsky had been due to speak at the prayer meal but was
unable to attend.)
"They started taking the participants out one by one and questioning them,"
Ryakhovsky said in his March 2026 interview with Moskovsky Komsomolets
(https://www.mk.ru/social/2026
"They asked questions like, 'Aren't you ashamed to be in the company of
these rogue Protestants? Don't you know they're Western agents?'"
The officers prevented people from leaving or entering the hall and
questioned about ten of the attendees, Pchelintsev noted. "Only 40 minutes
later did the event open with the playing of the Russian anthem. However,
the mood of the meal's participants was spoiled." (END)
More reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Russia
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
For background information see Forum 18's Russia religious freedom survey
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Forum 18's compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
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