Biography
On May 14, 2018, a criminal case was opened in Orenburg under Article 282.2 (2) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation against Aleksey Matveev. For reading the Bible with friends, he is charged with "participation in the activities of an extremist organization." What is really known about this supposedly dangerous criminal?
Alexey was born in 1983 in Uzhur, Krasnoyarsk Territory. The only child in the family. Since childhood he is fond of basketball, volleyball, running and swimming. He changed a number of professions: a furniture assembler, a seller of auto parts, a builder-finisher, etc.
Back in the 1990s, Alexei and his parents got acquainted with the Bible. Alexei, then still a teenager, was deeply impressed by the brotherly love and mutual assistance that reigned among people who sought to live according to the biblical commandments. Once, together with his father, Alexei set out to find a contradiction or an unanswered question in the Bible, but as a result, only a few months later, both were baptized as Christians.
In 2004, Alexei, by virtue of his peace-loving Christian convictions, asked for the replacement of military service with alternative civilian service. His request was granted, and for 3.5 years he worked as an instructor in one of the correctional colonies of Orenburg.
In 2008, Alexey married Oksana, a hairdresser-stylist by profession. The couple have a daughter, Ksenia, who at the age of 5 is good at drawing and playing chess. The whole family loves to walk together, collect puzzles, ski, swim, go to nature, build huts.
Relatives and friends of Aleksey are concerned about his criminal prosecution, searches and all kinds of examinations. They consider the case to be illegal and unfounded.