Biography
Zinaida Minenko, a visually impaired with a disability of group I, became a widow in January 2020. In November 2021, she faced a new challenge — religious repression for her faith in Jehovah God.
Zinaida was born in January 1940 in the city of Kiselevsk (Kemerovo region). Her father was a miner, and her mother served railway tracks and turnouts. The family had 4 children — 2 boys and 2 girls. When Zinaida was 1.5 years old, her mother died of typhoid fever, and at the age of 17, the girl lost her father.
As a child, Zinaida liked to sing and go in for athletics. She graduated from the Krasnoyarsk technical school with a degree in state insurance. From the age of 15 she worked at a bakery. Most of her career, Zinaida was a tower crane operator and for 6 years she participated in the construction of a hydroelectric power plant — she was awarded the "Builder of the Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Plant" badge. Her total work experience is 40 years.
In 1980, Zinaida married a military man, they had a son. After his dismissal from service, her husband worked as a driver.
In addition to her hometown, Zinaida lived in Belovo, Bratsk, Khabarovsk, Usolye-Sibirskoye, in the village of Aleksandrovskoye (Stavropol Territory). After Zinaida had a kidney surgery, the family moved to Stavropol Territory. Since the 2000s, the Minenkos have been living in Zheleznovodsk.
In 1998, Zinaida's sister began to study the Bible. She shared her knowledge with her younger sister. Although from childhood Zinaida believed in God and tried to live by his laws, she did not know his name. “I read in the Bible that Jehovah is the true God, that all his prophecies are being fulfilled before my eyes. Everything that I read in the Bible was in harmony with my heart, ” recalls Zinaida. She embarked on the Christian path in 2004, and a year later her husband joined her. Zinaida loves listening to an audio recording of the Bible and walking in the fresh air.
Due to the criminal prosecution, Zinaida is anxious, she has unstable blood pressure, headaches and insomnia. The believer shares: “Every day I check my mail — I am worried about the next interrogation. My relatives are worried about my health. "