Biography
"It was a shock for all of us," is how Alik Yeliseyev described the search in his house. Since February 2025, his family has been getting used to the new realities of life under the weight of accusations of extremism.
Alik was born in Altai, in Slavgorod. He has a younger brother and sister. Their mother was a housewife, and their father worked as a builder.
As a child, the boy wanted to learn to play the guitar. "Grandma paid for the courses," Alik recalls, "and I was so passionate that I could play from morning to evening." He also ran. And on winter evenings, Alik liked to go outside and remove the snow. "I really liked it because I could pause and look at the winter, bright, beautiful sky," he says. "Since we had little light in the private sector, the stars seemed very bright."
Alik's parents always spoke well of God and read the Bible. He eventually became a third-generation believer and was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in 2012.
"Since I was 14, I dreamed of having my own small business, family, and home," Alik said. He gradually achieved his goals. After school, the young man learned to be an electric welder and locksmith, graduating from a technical school with a high grade. Alik worked in his specialty and acquired construction skills. After a while, he began to work for himself.
Yeliseyev met his wife Galina in his student years, then she was mastering the profession of a primary school teacher. They had much in common, including faith in God. In August 2010, the young people got married, and in 2016 they had a son.
Galina received a higher education and worked in trade. After the birth of her son, she left her job, and the provision of the family fell entirely on the shoulders of Alik. The Yeliseyevs love to spend time together: travel, fish. "Although our son was small, we tried to take him everywhere with us," Alik recalls. "A family in nature with a tent . . . It brings us very closer."
At 7 a. m. in the winter of 2025, the Yeliseyevs woke up to a knock on the windows, the flickering of police flashing lights, and the siren of a fire truck. "All we managed to do was open the door, I was immediately thrown to the floor," Alik recalls. After the search, he was taken away for interrogation. "When he returned, his wife hugged her son, cried, said: "He supports me now." My son told her: 'Mom, don't worry, they can take away our equipment and laptops, but they cannot take away our faith.'"
Despite the difficulties associated with criminal prosecution, the family has become even more united. The Yeliseyevs maintain a positive outlook on what is happening and appreciate the time spent together.