Biography
For a long time, the security forces followed the peaceful life of Aleksey Lelikov, a pianist-teacher from Krasnodar. As a result, he was accused of extremism because of his religion.
Aleksey was born in August 1960 in Krasnodar. His father was a musician-vocalist, and his mother was a film engineer. When Aleksey was 21 and his younger brother was only 12, their father died.
At the age of 8, Aleksey began learning to play the piano. In 1977 he graduated with honors from the music school for children. Also, from the age of 12, he began to play football at the youth sports school and for 5 years he played for the city team. Aleksey was fond of fishing since childhood and loved to read.
After he finished school, Lelikov entered the piano department of the Krasnodar Musical College named after N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov. A year later he was drafted into the army. Upon his return, he became a member of the Comunist Party, since in the party charter he was attracted by the ideas of universal brotherhood and peace on earth. Aleksey continued his studies in music and, having received the specialty of a piano teacher, entered the music and pedagogical department of the Krasnodar State Institute of Culture, from which he graduated with honors with a degree in music teacher. He was a Lenin Scholar and winner of the interuniversity competition "Profession - Music Teacher".
Aleksey got acquainted with his future wife, Irina, in his youth - they lived in the neighborhood. In April 1979 they got married. Irina is a weaving production technician by profession. She likes to cook, bake pies, listen to music and go to the theater, go to the forest, pick mushrooms and enjoy nature as much as her health allows (Irina has a visual disability of group II). The Lelikovs enjoy daily walks around the neighborhood of their rural territory partnership: they watch plants and animals, listen to birdsong and take care of pets. The Lelikovs have two adult children and a granddaughter.
Aleksey worked by profession for a long time in various educational institutions: he was an accompanist, piano teacher, head of a choir circle, teacher of music and world art culture, artist-vocalist of a chamber choir. In 1994 he became a finalist in the competition "Teacher of the Year" in Krasnodar. At the same time, he was a soloist of the folklore ensemble "Krinitsa", which in 1994 became a laureate of the All-Russian competition "Young Voices of Russia". Also in the early 1990s, Lelikov, together with his daughter, toured with a vocal ensemble of folk art. In recent years, Aleksey has been teaching singing, as well as playing the piano.
Until the age of 33, he played in the football team for the championship of the city and the region. But due to the progressive disease of the joints, this hobby had to be abandoned.
Aleksey and Irina met Jehovah's Witnesses in 1993 through friends. Aleksey said: “My wife and I were in search of happiness, peace in the family and the meaning of life, but we did not find answers. At that time, having read a lot of books, I was very disappointed in philosophers. The personal opinion of some person for me was no longer authority. Therefore, it was very touching that Jehovah's Witnesses answered all the many questions only with the help of the Bible.” According to Lelikov, thanks to knowledge from the Holy Scriptures, relations in their family have strengthened, and "life has gained real meaning." In 1994 Aleksey and Irina became Jehovah's Witnesses.
The Lelikovs lived in different cities of Russia: in Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, Rostov-on-Don and Volgodonsk. In 2015, they had to return to Krasnodar, where Aleksey cared for his seriously ill mother until her death.
In January 2022, Aleksey faced persecution for his faith. He said: “All the investigative measures disrupted the usual way of life of each family member. We got sleep desorder, headaches became more frequent from tension and frequent calls from the investigator demanding this or that… eavesdrop and spy on your family's life 24 hours a day."
Relatives of the Lelikovs, including those who do not share their beliefs, worry about them. Aleksey said: “They cannot believe that I am accused of crimes, and even more so of such a serious one. They cannot understand what kind of extremism they are talking about and what relation to extremism their loved one has, with whom they have excellent relations. What is happening is perceived as complete absurdity and injustice.