05 June 2026

The Faces of Resistance: The Story of Artem Herasymov, a Political Prisoner from Crimea

Life Before His Arrest

Artem Herasymov was born in 1985 in Yalta. Since his childhood, he was fond of table tennis and wrestling. When he was ten, he developed an interest in religion. His parents did not share the interest, but treated him with understanding.

As a teenager, he lost seven relatives, including his father. Artem was trained as a pastry chef, but went on to work in various jobs and became a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization.

Persecution

In 2019, illegal searches were conducted in the apartment of members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and in Herasymov’s home. On the same day, the occupation authorities opened criminal proceedings against him, accusing him of “organizing the activities of an extremist organization” due to his participation in the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Russia banned this organization in 2017 and, following the occupation of Ukrainian territories, illegally imposed Russian jurisdiction there.

Artem Herasymov was fined 400,000 rubles, but he disagreed with the “court’s” decision and filed an appeal. As a result, on June 4, 2020, the occupation court in Crimea replaced the fine with a six-year prison sentence. 

After transferring Herasymov to a penal colony, the FSB officers began monitoring his friends and acquaintances.

Behind Bars

Artem Herasymov was initially imprisoned in Penal Colony No. 12 in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, in the Rostov Region of the Russian Federation. However, according to the latest available information, since February 28, 2023, he has been held at Penal Colony No. 10 in Rostov-on-Don city.