VYACHESLAV REZNICHENKO, International Union of Evangelical Christian Baptist Churches (village Zarubino, Russian Far East, Russia)

Vyacheslav Reznichenko (b. 23 October 1998) is a believer of a church belonging to the International Union of Evangelical Christian Baptist Churches, village of Zarubino, Russian Far East. He is married and father of a small child. Reznichenko comes from a large Christian family with nine children. In the church, he took part in evangelisation, in the construction of a house of prayer and in preaching.

In September 2022, he was drafted into the army. He immediately declared his religious convictions and refused to go to the war zone in Ukraine; despite that, he was still included into the mobilization. He refused to sign a contract and take part in fighting due to religious beliefs.

A criminal case was initiated against Reznichenko. After five court hearings, he was sentenced to two and a half years in a penal colony.

Reznichenko unsuccessfully appealed the verdict to the Military Court of the Pacific Fleet on 21 August 2023. He arrived at the penal colony in Vladivostok to begin serving his sentence on 18 September 2023.

In November 2024, upon his request, the court reviewed the case and assigned more lenient conditions of serving the sentence in the city of Spassk: at the new location, Vyacheslav will be able to be officially employed, drive his own car, have a telephone, move freely around the city, and possibly live with his family.