Biography
In 2019, a criminal case was initiated against several residents of Saransk, including Yelena Nikulina and her husband, Georgiy, for their faith. Law enforcement officers regarded discussions about the Bible as participating in the activity of an extremist organization. The court sentenced both spouses to 4 years' imprisonment. In August 2026, Yelena was released from the penal colony.
Yelena was born in 1968 in the village of Monastyrskoe (Mordovia). She has a younger sister. The parents are long dead. As a child, Yelena was fond of cross-country skiing and sewing.
After school, Yelena studied to be a dressmaker and cutter. In search of work, she moved to Saransk and Tolyatti. She worked as a seamstress at various enterprises, was engaged in cleaning the premises. In his spare time, he likes to sew, take care of cats, and be in nature.
In 2016, Yelena married Georgiy, whom she calls a “jack of all trades”—he has 9 specialties as a handyman. According to Yelena, they lived for 13 years without registering a marriage, until they learned from the Bible how important it was. In this book, they also liked the fact that God is not indifferent to the suffering of people.
Because of criminal prosecution, the Nikulins lost their jobs and lost their livelihood. Relatives cannot understand why these peaceful and law-abiding people were sentenced to real terms of imprisonment. In court, Yelena emphasized: “We . . . do not pose a danger either to the state and authorities, or to others. We respect the laws and rules established by the authorities; we try to work honestly and conscientiously.”