Biography
A resident of the village of Khurba, located near Komsomolsk-on-Amur, was accused of extremism—a criminal case was opened against pensioner Svetlana Zharkova for believing in God.
Svetlana was born in 1964 in the village of Khurba, Khabarovsk Territory. She grew up in a single-parent family: her mother raised two daughters alone. As a child, Svetlana loved skiing and cycling, being in nature, going hiking with classmates or walking in the forest. After school, Svetlana graduated from medical school, and worked in this field until her retirement.
Svetlana is married and has two adult sons who live separately. There are already grandchildren whom the woman helps to take care of.
Svetlana's interest in the Bible arose in 2001. Then she, along with her mother, who is no longer alive, began to read this book. At the time of initiation of the criminal case, Svetlana was not one of Jehovah's Witnesses. She likes to communicate with believers, she appreciates their respectful, sincere and kind attitude towards each other and others.
The criminal prosecution and the possibility that Svetlana could end up behind bars because of her beliefs caused anxiety in her family.