05 August 2026

Political prisoner Volodymyr Sakada served his sentence and was released

On August 3, Volodymyr Sakada, a resident of temporarily occupied Sevastopol and a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious organization, was released after serving a six-year sentence in russian imprisonment.

On October 1, 2020, Russian security forces conducted mass searches in the homes of believers in Sevastopol. On the same day, the occupation authorities opened a criminal case against Volodymyr Sakada, accusing him of “organizing the activities of an extremist organization”, specifically for participating in the “Jehovah’s Witnesses” religious organization, which Russia banned in 2017 and unlawfully extended its legislation to Ukrainian territories following their occupation.

In October 2022, the occupation “court” of Sevastopol sentenced Volodymyr Sakada to six years of imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.

During his imprisonment in the Russian penal colony, Volodymyr Sakada’s health systematically deteriorated due to the prolonged ignoring of his complaints and a severe shortage of medical staff.

As a reminder, Volodymyr Sakada became the last of the three Jehovah’s Witnesses convicted in this case to be released after serving his sentence. Yevhen Zhukov was released in June 2026, followed a month later by Volodymyr Maladyka.