Biography
In September 2025, law enforcement officers entered Aleksandr Akelin's apartment pretending to be neighbors, who were allegedly flooded. The spouses and their son, who came to them, were interrogated, and then the head of the family was placed in a pre-trial detention center.
Aleksandr was born in Saratov in 1966. As a child, he was engaged in Greco-Roman wrestling. After graduating from high school, he worked as a bus driver.
In 1988, Aleksandr married Irina, with whom they went to school together. She is an economist by profession. Irina is fond of music and writes poetry. The Akelins' son already has his own family; he is raising two children.
Irina was the first in the family to become interested in the Bible. Aleksandr soon joined her. "Communicating with Jehovah's Witnesses, I was amazed at their sincerity, kindness, and desire to live according to God's standards," he recalls, "I understood these are real Christians!" Studying the Bible, Aleksandr changed his life. "I stopped abusing alcohol, quit smoking and using foul language," the believer said, "I saved my family and found the meaning of life." The Akelins were baptized as Jehovah's Witnesses in 1998.
Aleksandr suffers from hypertension and bronchial asthma. The persecution worsened the situation. Due to restrictions, he is not allowed to visit the clinic—only an ambulance is available to him in emergency cases. All these events affected Irina's well-being. She suffers from diabetes mellitus, during the search she felt ill several times due to high blood pressure. The woman had to quit her job for health reasons.