Biography
Andrey Shurygin, an energy engineer from Chelyabinsk and father of two, was persecuted for his belief in Jehovah God in June 2023.
Andrey was born in February 1976 in the village of Ust-Karabolka, Chelyabinsk Region. He has an elder sister. His parents divorced when the boy went to school. The mother had to raise the children alone.
As a child, Andrey was fond of running and skiing, participated in school and district competitions. He loved to go fishing, admire nature and the starry sky. Even at a young age, he reflected on how beautifully and wisely everything around him is arranged.
Andrey graduated from a technical school and received a specialty as an electrician. Over the years of his career, he worked as an electrician, adjuster of technological equipment and senior foreman for building maintenance.
Even as a teenager, Andrey began to ask questions: what is the meaning of life? what should you strive for? what should guide you when making decisions? why do people die and what happens after death? why is there no justice in the world? After serving in the army, he continued his spiritual quest. He soon met Jehovah's Witnesses, who helped him find answers to these questions in the Bible. Andrey was surprised by the practicality and consistency of the Bible, as well as the fact that the prophecies from this book are being fulfilled. Love for God and his laws prompted him to embark on the Christian path at the age of 22.
Andrey met his future wife Yevgeniya in 2003. Three years later they got married. Yevgeniya is an office worker. The couple raise their two school-age daughters in the spirit of Christian values. As a family, they love to go out into nature, meet friends, play board games.
The search and criminal prosecution became stressful for the whole family and affected the health of Andrey and Yevgeniya. Relatives and colleagues of the believer wonder how it is possible to persecute a peaceful and law-abiding person who peacefully reads the Bible and believes in God.