Biography
Andrey Shurygin, a power engineer from Chelyabinsk and father of two, became a victim of persecution for his faith in Jehovah God in June 2023.
Andrey was born in February 1976 in the village of Ust-Karabolka, Chelyabinsk Region. He has an elder sister. Parents divorced when the boy went to school. The mother had to raise her children alone. Andrey said: "Life, like many others, was not easy, as my sick mother had to raise two children alone—me and my elder sister. Against my will, I learned early what it means to work hard, to be malnourished, and to experience the other hardships of life. Sometimes the only food for the day was what grows in the garden. For example, you pick carrots from the garden, wash them, eat them, and it's good."
As a child, Andrey was fond of running and skiing, participated in school and district competitions. He loved to go fishing, admiring nature and the starry sky. Even at a young age, he reflected on how beautifully and wisely everything around him is arranged.
Andrey graduated from a technical school and received the specialty of an electrician. Over the years, he has worked as an electrician, process equipment adjuster and senior building maintenance foreman.
As a teenager, Andrey began to ask questions: what is the meaning of life? what should we strive for? what should guide you in making decisions? why do people die and what happens after death? Why is there no justice in the world? After serving in the army, he continued his spiritual quest. Soon he met Jehovah's Witnesses, who helped him find answers to these questions in the Bible. Andrey was surprised by the practicality and consistency of the Bible, as well as the fact that the prophecies from this book are being fulfilled. Love for God and his laws prompted him to embark on the Christian path at the age of 22.
Andrey met his future wife Yevgeniya in 2003. They got married three years later. Yevgeniya is an office worker. The couple are raising two school-age daughters in the spirit of Christian values. The whole family loves to go out into nature, meet friends, play board games.
The search and criminal prosecution became stressful for the whole family and affected the health of Andrey and Yevgeniya. Relatives and colleagues of the believer are perplexed as to how a peaceful and law-abiding person who peacefully reads the Bible and believes in God can be persecuted.