From left to right: Brother and Sister Sergey and Anna Melnik, Valeriy and Marina Rogozin, and Igor and Yevgeniya Yegozaryan
FEBRUARY 26, 2021 RUSSIA After Seven Months in Pretrial Detention, Three Brothers Await Verdict Scheduled Verdict
The Volgograd Traktorozavodsky District Court will soon announce its verdict in the case involving Brothers Sergey Melnik, Valeriy Rogozin, and Igor Yegozaryan. * The prosecutor has yet to request a potential sentence for the brothers. Profiles
Sergey Melnik
Born: 1972 (Volgograd, Volgograd Region)
Biography: Graduated from vocational technical school as an auto mechanic. Currently works as a roofer. Married Anna in 1993. They raised three sons. The family enjoys hiking and spending time together in nature
Anna began studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. When Sergey observed its positive effect on her, he began studying also. He was baptized in 1999
Valeriy Rogozin
Born: 1962 (Krasnokamsk, Perm Region)
Biography: Spent twelve years as a military pilot before retiring and working as a design engineer. Married Marina in 1984. They have two sons
He began studying the Bible in the early 1990’s. Baptized in 1998
Igor Yegozaryan
Born: 1965 (Volgograd, Volgograd Region)
Biography: Shoemaker and electrician by trade. Fond of music from an early age. Plays the guitar. Married Yevgeniya in 2002. They have one son
Introduced to the good news of God’s Kingdom by his mother. Impressed by the logic and simplicity of Bible truth. Baptized in 1992
Case History
On May 16, 2019, police and Federal Security Service (FSB) officers raided seven homes in Russia’s Volgograd Region. Two days later, the central district court judge ordered Brothers Melnik, Rogozin, and Yegozaryan into pretrial detention. The three were detained for seven months.
Although the three brothers have been reunited with their families, they face challenges as they await the trial verdict. For example, Valeriy has been placed on the list of the Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Russian Federation. “They have denied access to all of my bank accounts,” says Valeriy, “and I am prohibited from using the telephone and the Internet. I lost my job because it required both of those tools.” He and his wife are having to use their pensions to provide for their daily needs. They have had to greatly simplify their lives.
Sergey and Igor also have court-imposed restrictions that make it difficult for them to find work. Sergey has found that frequent court hearings interrupt his normal work schedule. He says: “I am a roofer by trade, so I’ve only been able to take smaller odd jobs so that I can finish a job during the breaks between judicial hearings.”
Igor is battling an illness and has to visit a medical facility frequently. He relates: “Because of the charges against me, it’s impossible to find work.” In the face of poor health and financial hardships, he continues: “Jehovah has gifted us with a large, spiritual family that hasn’t abandoned us during this difficult time.”
It is clear that our brothers and their families are experiencing serious material difficulties due to the restrictions placed on them. We are confident that all of our brothers and sisters in Russia will continue to stand firm under tests, knowing that Jehovah will continue to supply all of their needs.—Matthew 6:33.
