Updated: July 26, 2024
Name: Voronchikhin Aleksandr Anatoliyevich
Date of Birth: May 5, 1965
Current status: defendant
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Current restrictions: recognizance agreement

Biography

Aleksandr Voronchikhin became one of Jehovah's Witnesses in the USSR, when believers were repressed by the authorities. Today, after a short-lived freedom of religion, he again faces persecution—a criminal case has been initiated against him for his belief in God.

Aleksandr was born in 1965 in the city of Zlatoust, Chelyabinsk region. As a child, he was fond of competitive orienteering. After finishing school, he served in the army, after which he graduated from an industrial technical school with a degree in steel production. After the deaths of his father and stepfather, Aleksandr invited his mother to live with him; she is now retired.

At various times, Aleksandr worked as an assistant steelworker, a boiler room mechanic and a communications electrician. Now he works as a cable-splicer of linear-cable lines. In his free time, he likes to watch soccer and to do crossword puzzles.

Aleksandr met his future wife, Galina, in 1982, and in 1985 they got married. The couple raised a daughter—Irina. She shares the religious beliefs of her parents. In 2008 the family moved to the city of Simferopol. Galina works as a nurse.

Along with his wife, Aleksandr became very interested in the study of the Bible, and in 1990 they began their journey as Christians. Aleksandr recalls that he always thought that everything surrounding him must have been created by someone. Thanks to knowledge from the Holy Scriptures, he found a reasonable and logical explanation for the emergence of all life on earth.

The Voronchikhins maintain a positive attitude. Aleksander and Galina's friends and relatives continue to loyally support them in every possible way.

Case History

In November 2022, mass searches of believers took place in the Simferopol district of Crimea, as a result of which a criminal case was initiated. Aleksandr Voronchikhin was interrogated and a recognizance agreement was taken from him. The Investigative Committee accused him of organizing the activity of an extremist organization, calling peaceful meetings for worship a crime. In August 2023, new searches took place in Armyansk, Simferopol and Saki, including at the homes of Voronchikhin’s son-in-law, Dmitry Zakharevich. He, as well as Aleksandr Kopylets, Ekaterina Demidova and several other Jehovah’s Witnesses became suspects in the case. Later, the cases of four believers were separated from their case into separate proceedings. Zakharevich and Kopylets spent more than 8 months under house arrest, after which they were released on their own recognizance. In November 2023, the case went to court, but was later returned to the prosecutor. After 7 months, the retrial of the case in court began.