Theodore Griffin

Theodore Griffin is a freelance journalist. He has reported from Ukraine while completing his degree at Edinburgh.

Ukraine’s Jehovah’s Witnesses are refusing to go to war

From our UK edition

Prison guards led Vitalii Kryschenko to an inhospitable, cramped cell. Inside, the prisoners were curious. They watched with great interest as Kryschenko found his allotted place. A small, gentle man with a nervous expression, he wasn’t a typical criminal but a Jehovah’s Witness. Kryschenko was jailed by Ukrainian authorities for refusing to go to war; taking up arms is forbidden by his religion. He was now going to share his days with the very worst of Ukrainian society. This would include thieves, those guilty of assault or worse.  'I was living with murderers, people jailed for life,' he said. 'It was terrifying. On my first night, I asked myself how I would survive in these conditions. All the same, I continued my daily prayers and read the Bible.