Biography
At the age of 16, Irina Ushakova was forced to flee Tajikistan after facing persecution on ethnic grounds. Thirty-two years later, she was persecuted again, this time in Russia, for her faith in Jehovah God.
Irina was born in 1974 in Dushanbe. She has a younger sister. Their mother is retired, their father died in 2020.
As a child, Irina was engaged in acrobatics and athletics. After school, she studied to be a hairdresser, then worked at a meat processing plant as a sausage molder. Since 2021, she has not been working, as she is on disability. Irina likes to grow flowers; she is also fond of confectionery.
From her youth, Irina was looking for answers to questions about God. At the age of 16, she bought herself a Bible with the money she gave her on her birthday. Irina recalls that she fell in love with Bible teachings when she began to apply the advice from this book and saw a positive result. In 2004, she became one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
In 2006, Irina married Vitaliy, who shares her views on faith. Together they raised two sons.
In 2022, two searches were carried out in the Ushakovs' house within a week. Later, criminal cases were initiated against the spouses. Vitaliy was in a pre-trial detention center for 7 months, then he was transferred to house arrest. The believer said: "In the family, we have always supported each other, and persecution has only brought us closer."
The persecution has a negative impact on the health of Irina, who is registered with the cancer center. Relatives and friends are worried about Irina and Vitaliy.