Biography
A pensioner from the village of Kholmskaya, Alexandr Ivshin, faced criminal prosecution in April 2020: a criminal case was opened against him for believing in Jehovah God. After the search and interrogation of law enforcement officers, Alexandr and his wife suffered a hypertensive crisis.
Alexandr was born in August 1957 in Katav-Ivanovsk (Chelyabinsk region). Later he moved to the Kuban, to the village of Kholmskaya, where he still lives.
Alexandr has two older brothers and a younger sister. As a child, he loved to organize hiking and sporting events. After school he graduated from the Chelyabinsk Polytechnic Institute. Later he graduated from the Voronezh Forestry Institute.
Alexandr worked as a turner, assembler of radio equipment, foreman of a forging and production workshop. Having moved to the Krasnodar Territory, he got a job as a lumberjack. Before retirement he worked as chief engineer, industrial safety engineer. Now he is on a well-deserved rest. Likes to travel with his family through the territory of the former USSR, is engaged in floriculture.
Alexandr met his future wife Galina in 1974, and four years later the couple got married. Galina worked as a kindergarten teacher and is now retired. The spouses help in raising 8 grandchildren.
In the 90s, a serious illness made Alexandr think about the meaning of life. Together with his brother, they read three of the four Gospels in one night. In 1995, Alexandr met those who, with the help of the Bible, helped him get answers to deep life questions. This is how Alexandr became a Christian. Peaceful views prompted him to refuse to participate in military training and take up arms.
After searches and interrogations in quarantine due to COVID-19, the family faced difficulties in resolving medical and domestic issues. “I feel humiliated,” the believer shared. - All the time waiting for something bad. The court seized Alexandr's car, considering that it was necessary to ensure the execution of a possible sentence.
Relatives and friends are worried about the married couple. They were shocked that Alexandr was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison, despite his age and state of health. While awaiting an appeal against the verdict, the believer visited five pre-trial detention centers in a month and a half and fell seriously ill. On April 15, 2021, an appeal in Krasnodar upheld the verdict.