Biography
Love for biblical moral norms radically changed the life of Vladimir Baykalov from Kemerovo: he used to teach people boxing, now he appreciates love and forgiveness. In February 2022, a criminal case was opened against him only because of his belief in God.
Vladimir was born in April 1963 in the village of Krapivinsky, Kemerovo Region. He has an elder sister. Their father loved horses, with his own hands he made teams, sledges and even a carriage, on which he rode his grandchildren. In 2015, he died, and in 2020, their mother died of COVID-19.
Vladimir was fond of sports since childhood and loved to design. At the age of 16, he entered an agricultural technical school and at the same time seriously took up boxing. Later, he entered the Kemerovo Technological Institute of Food Industry, where he met his future wife, Irina. They married in 1984.
In 1983, Vladimir graduated from helicopter courses. The following year he became a master of sports in boxing and received an invitation to play for the national team of Belarus. He accepted him, and the couple moved to Bobruisk for a while.
After graduation, Vladimir worked as a stadium director and coach. In the 2000s, he trained as a plumber and worked in the industry for many years. For the last 2 years he has been working in the cleaning industry.
The couple raised two children — a son and a daughter. They already have families of their own. The Baykalovs have two grandchildren. Vladimir and Irina lead an active lifestyle, love cycling in the summer and skiing in the winter. They enjoy spending time outdoors in tents, especially with friends. Vladimir also likes to fish, to be in nature in silence. Irina is fond of creativity, needlework and cooking. She also sews professionally.
Irina was the first in the Baykalov family to study the Bible, later her daughter and then sister Vladimir joined her. He recalls: "I resisted for a while, but I stopped resisting them because I saw how this study affected them." He himself became interested in the Bible after he was hospitalized in the 1990s with a gunshot wound—his elbow was shattered by a shot, there was a danger of losing his arm. After leaving the hospital, he began to diligently study the Holy Scriptures. This had a positive effect on him, and in 1999 Vladimir embarked on the Christian path. The man who shot him was impressed that he had forgiven him and was not going to take revenge.
Criminal prosecution has become stressful for the Baykalovs, but they are trying not to lose heart. He says: “Our dear children, grandchildren and friends support us. The nieces also call us and encourage us.”