Biography
Igor Zhmyrev is a former police officer, and now a peaceful believer, against whom a criminal case was initiated for reading the Bible. He was placed in a pre-trial detention center in February 2023.
Igor was born in December 1970 in the city of Kingisepp, Leningrad Region, where he lived until his arrest. He has two older sisters. His parents are no longer alive. As a child, Igor read a lot and loved to play hockey.
After school and military service, Igor worked as a policeman. At the same time, he led a hand-to-hand combat club. Prior to his arrest, he worked as a supervisor at the Center for the Protection of Industrial Objects.
Igor is interested in contemporary art and interior design, and he still loves to read. In time, he became interested in the Bible. He thoroughly examined this book and found that it answered his questions. In 1993, he made the decision to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
In the same year, Igor married Tatyana, whom he met at work. In her youth, she was involved in track and field sports, but she had to quit due to an injury. Tatyana is an accountant, and for many years she worked in this field. Tatyana became interested in Bible teachings while studying in Saint Petersburg, and in 1993, just like Igor, she began her journey as a Christian.
Bible knowledge helped the married couple raise their son in harmony with Christian values. After school, he immediately began to work. In his spare time, he plays sports. Igor and Tatyana love taking walks together.
The quiet life of the family was disrupted when security forces raided and searched their home. They seized all the money, bank cards, documents, and electronic devices, and they arrested Igor. His wife and son were left without him. They try to stay positive and to view the situation as an opportunity to build their faith and endurance.