Biography
The search of Mikhail Moish's house began early in the morning. The whole family was still asleep. The sudden invasion of the security forces shocked his wife and children. The eldest son at that time was 11 years old, and the youngest was only six months old. After the search and arrest of his father, they had health problems, the youngest even ended up in the hospital.
Michael is a third-generation Jehovah's Witness. His grandfather practiced this religion from a young age, although it was banned in the Soviet Union. Mikhail's parents became Jehovah's Witnesses in the 70s, and he remembers the times when his family was forced to meet with fellow believers late at night to avoid arrest.
Mikhail and his twin brother Vasil were born in August 1987 in Transcarpathia (Ukraine), in the village Glubokiy Potok. By this time, the family already had 7 children: 4 boys and 3 girls. Parents ran a farm, and Mikhail helped them with his brothers and sisters.
Mikhail graduated from the 9th grade and from the age of 16 he began to work. He worked in many cities of Russia and Ukraine: Kiev, Kherson, Vinnitsa, Moscow, Kaluga. He independently mastered several professions, such as a tiler, a finisher, an electrician, and a plasterer-painter. In recent years, Mikhail has been an individual entrepreneur in the field of trade.
Mikhail met his future wife, Yelena, at home, in Transcarpathia. They got married in March 2009. A few years later, their first child was born, and in March 2021, their second son was born. The family enjoys spending time in nature. Mikhail loves fishing and introduces his eldest son to his hobby.
As a child, Mikhail, like his wife, attended Christian meetings with his parents. He believed that the Bible's teachings were true, but he hesitated to become a Christian. Already an adult family man, he attended a service of Jehovah's Witnesses and after that took up a serious study of the Bible. As a result, in 2016, Mikhail embarked on the Christian path. His wife had become Jehovah's Witness six years earlier.
Now the couple live in Irkutsk, where they moved from Transcarpathia to help Yelena's parents. After the arrest of Mikhail, Yelena, who was on parental leave, had to go to work instead of her husband. She took care of the whole family on her shoulders. In addition, she is forced to spend a lot of time and effort on cases related to the criminal prosecution of Mikhail. At first, Yelena asked her friends for help, and now her father is helping her, who came specially for this from Ukraine.
Despite the difficulties, Yelena does not lose her presence of mind. She says: "It is difficult to realize that now my half is in custody, but I am glad that not for some crime, but for faith in our Father." Mikhail's brothers and sisters, most of whom share his convictions, are confident that justice will soon be restored.