Biography
Aleksandr Dolganov was born in November 1988 in Togliatti. He has a sister. His parents are retired, but my father is still working.
After school, Aleksandr studied at two technical schools as an electrician. Then he got a job in his specialty and later worked as a locksmith. Since April 2023, he has worked as a call center operator.
In 2017, Aleksandr moved to Samara, where he met his future wife, Mariya. About a year later, the young family returned to Togliatti. Mariya works as a support operator in a grocery delivery service. She has been familiar with the Bible since childhood—her mother instilled in her a love for God. Over time, she became convinced that the Bible's advice was good for her.
Aleksandr also believed in God from a young age and loved to read Bible literature. "Although I didn't understand much at the time, I hoped that God would be pleased with my attitude towards him," he recalls. In 1998, his mother met Jehovah's Witnesses and began studying the Bible. When Aleksandr read Bible stories for children, he was so impressed that he wanted to attend religious meetings with his mother. Aleksandr's mother was the first to take the Christian path, then he himself and then his sister.
Aleksandr to this day, as in childhood, is fond of chess and radio electronics. Mariya loves pets. She also enjoys playing board games.
"House arrest has made its own adjustments to our lives. Due to the ban on leaving the apartment, using a mobile phone, the Internet, and mail, I lost the opportunity to provide for my family, so it became a burden on my wife. Also, to control my movement, they put on a tracking bracelet, which had a short range and deprived me of the opportunity to use the entire apartment," Aleksandr shared.
Relatives, neighbors and former colleagues are outraged that Aleksandr was unreasonably labeled as an extremist and sent to a penal colony.