A Jehovah’s Witness from Magadan, who received a suspended sentence, has been stripped of Russian citizenship

In Magadan, a 33-year-old woman originally from the Luhansk region of Ukraine has been stripped of her acquired Russian citizenship after being convicted in 2024 in a case concerning participation in the activities of a religious group designated as an extremist organisation. This was reported by the regional branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

It appears that this refers to Irina Khvostova—she and 13 other individuals were sentenced by Magadan City Court on 6 March 2024 in a case relating to involvement with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Khvostova was born in 1992 in the city of Stakhanov, Luhansk region. She received a three-year suspended sentence under the article on participation in the activities of an extremist organisation (Part 2, Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code).

The woman has been ordered to leave Russia voluntarily. Her passport was declared invalid and confiscated.

• The federal law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” allows for the revocation of acquired citizenship for individuals convicted of certain crimes (Article 24, Federal Law No. 138). The list specifically includes offences covered by “extremist” and “terrorist” criminal articles.