Biography
Vasiliy Shishkin faced criminal prosecution in January 2025. He lost not only his freedom of movement, but also the opportunity to communicate with his own wife, Irina: the man was placed under house arrest, which is why the couple had to live separately. A year later, the believer's wife was also accused of extremism.
Vasiliy was born in April 1972 in Prokopievsk (Kemerovo region). He has a younger brother. Their mother worked as a nurse and is no longer alive. His father is a miner, traveler and poet, professes Orthodoxy and lives in a secluded monastery.
Vasiliy's parents divorced when he was 8, he was raised by his grandmother, and his younger brother grew up with his father and stepmother. Sometimes they tried to live together. As a child, Vasiliy was actively involved in sports: he went swimming, played hockey and football. His father took him rafting on mountain rivers and thus instilled in him a love for nature. He still enjoys cycling, hiking, fishing, and mushroom picking.
After graduating from a mining technical school, Vasiliy worked in a mine for six months. Later he took courses as a carpenter and massage therapist. Throughout his life he worked in various fields: baker, locksmith, salesman, loader, meat cutter and janitor.
In his youth, Vasiliy, according to him, "often felt emptiness, meaninglessness, fear." The reason for this was, among other things, the harsh upbringing of his father and family quarrels. Thanks to the Bible, the man learned the meaning of life and found hope. In 1998, he became one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
In 2013, Vasiliy married Irina. She was educated as accounter and pharmacist. She works in a pharmacy. Spouses are united by common values and views on life. They love to spend time in nature. Vasiliy also loves to draw, sometimes writes poetry.
The search, interrogation and arrest had a negative impact on Vasiliy's emotional state. His loved ones support him and take care of his needs.