Biography
Aleksandr Vakarev is a surgeon from Uyar with more than 26 years of experience. Local residents know and respect him. After the search and criminal case against the head of the family and his younger son, Zakhar, the familiar life of the Vakarevs ground to a halt.
Aleksandr was born in 1968 in Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory. He has a younger brother. Their father worked as an electrician, and their mother was a cook. She is retired; their father is no longer alive.
As a child and teenager, Aleksandr enjoyed fishing, soccer, and hockey. After school, he attended medical college and then entered medical university. He worked in his field — as a surgeon and endoscopist, and most recently, as a surgeon in a clinic.
In 1997, Aleksandr married Olga, who is also a medical professional. Shortly after the wedding, their son was born. In 2000, the family moved from Krasnoyarsk to Uyar, where their younger son, Zakhar, was born. Aleksandr enjoys cooking and reading; he also has a small collection of antique wall clocks. Olga likes to sing, dance, and write poetry. The Vakarevs as a family enjoy listening to music together, watching movies and cartoons, and spending time outdoors.
In 2005, Olga was the first in the family to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses; a year later, Aleksandr was baptized as a Christian. He was struck by the reliability of Bible prophecies and the wisdom of its advice. "It saved our marriage," the believer recalls. "I stopped smoking, swearing, and getting drunk. My wife and I are always together, everywhere." Studying the Bible helped the couple raise their children with dignity. Aleksandr shared: "Teachers at school said they had never had parents who cared so much about educating and ensuring the well-being of their children. The children grew up obedient and were repeatedly awarded letters of recognition."
Aleksandr has cancer in a recurrent stage; he has been recognized as a person with a disability. Due to the criminal prosecution, it is difficult for him to receive treatment in Krasnoyarsk. He is also deprived of the opportunity to visit his elderly mother in another city. The prosecution of her husband and son has further undermined Olga's already fragile health. However, the difficulties have not broken the family — the Vakarevs are convinced that they have committed no crime.