Biography
The criminal prosecution for their faith affected three members of the same family at once. Anastasiya Astakhova, a hairdresser from Chita, her husband and sister became defendants in the same case.
Anastasiya was born in the village of Dayakon (Trans-Baikal Territory). When the girl was about two, the family moved to the village of Tyrgetui, located about 100 kilometers from Chita. According to her recollections, her mother was actively involved in her upbringing: she taught her to read before school, devoted a lot of time to joint creativity, games and conversations. Anastasiya's father died when she was very young. Later, her mother remarried, and another daughter, Svetlana, appeared in the family.
Anastasiya grew up as a cheerful and creative child. She attended a theater club, as well as a knitting and embroidery club. Anastasiya recalls: "Every evening I knitted to make gifts for my family and friends and, not being able to buy something, I gave everyone knitted napkins, potholders, toys."
After school, the girl moved to Chita to get a profession. She studied at a hairdressing school during the day, attended web design courses in the evening, and worked at the same time to support herself. As a result, Anastasiya connected her life with hairdressing. She loves her job very much: she likes to communicate with clients and see their joy from the result of her work.
Questions about God have interested Anastasiya since childhood. "I asked everyone to talk to me about what God is like, what angels are, what happens after death. I asked my grandmother to teach me how to pray," she shared. In 2005, Anastasiya's mother began to read the Bible and her daughter joined her. Anastasiya was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in 2008.
Today, Anastasiya still lives in Chita, she got married in 2021. The couple have their own hairdressing salon, where they both work. They like to do everything together: work, visit the theater, go for walks out of town. As Anastasiya herself says, "We are best friends."
Criminal prosecution became a serious test for Anastasiya and her loved ones. Relatives took the incident hard. Even those who do not share their convictions are perplexed by the charges and consider what is happening unfair.