OCTOBER 18, 2024 | UPDATED: AUGUST 4, 2025
RUSSIA

UPDATE—SISTER CONVICTED | “Jehovah Will Reward Me”

PLAY

On July 31, 2025, the Vyselkovskiy District Court of the Krasnodar Territory convicted Sister Vasilina Penskaya and gave her a two-year suspended prison sentence. She is not required to go to prison at this time.

Profile

Vasilina Penskaya

Born: 1997 (Vyselki)

Biography: Works as a pastry chef

Introduced to Jehovah’s Witnesses by her mother. Vasilina appreciated the Bible’s advice on how to choose good friends. Baptized in 2014

Married Dmitry in 2018

Vasilina’s mother, Sister Yelena Rumyantseva, is being criminally tried in a separate case

Personal Comments

What helps you to maintain your spiritual balance?

Being persecuted can easily make a person feel lonely, defenseless, and inadequate. I can see how, if I allowed it, this could wear me down and cause me to give my spiritual activities less and less importance. But I have personally experienced something about Jehovah that gives me the ability to keep going. Jehovah is a very appreciative God. He owes me nothing, yet he notices and cherishes my efforts to serve him. He listens to my prayers and figuratively wipes away my tears with the comfort found in his Word. When I feel scared, he offers me protection and gives me the powerful support of our brotherhood. And when I need to stand up for his name, he gives me strength. Persecution happens to many of Jehovah’s servants. It can be at school, at work, or even at home. I am confident that Jehovah will reward me and all who maintain their loyalty.

We are grateful to know that Jehovah observes each of his servants facing persecution and assures them that ‘there is a reward for their activity.’—Jeremiah 31:16.

Time Line

February 13, 2022

Home searched
May 23, 2023

Criminal case initiated. Charged with discussing the Bible and participating in the peaceful religious meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Bank accounts blocked
July 18, 2023

Placed under travel restrictions
January 31, 2024

Criminal trial began

Jehovah’s Witnesses