Biography
On December 12, 2019, in Nevinnomyssk (Stavropol Territory), the Investigative Committee opened criminal cases under two "extremist" articles against 9 believers. One of them is 78-year-old Anatoliy Boyko.
Anatoliy was born in 1941 in the Alarsky district of the Irkutsk region. He grew up in a large family, but out of eight children, only two sisters survived, except for Anatoly. Both grandfathers were repressed and died during the Great Terror.
The first years of Anatoly's life were in wartime. Because of poverty and hunger, instead of children's games, the boy collected plants from which the mother could prepare food for the children. At the age of 5, he was on the verge of starvation. Growing up, he began to get involved in technology. He took care of animals and tried to breed bees.
Anatoly graduated from 7 classes of school. He did not serve in the army, as at the age of 13 he injured his spine and became disabled. For many years he worked on an excavator. After leaving home, for some time he lived in Bratsk, in the city of Nartkala (Kabardino-Balkaria), and in 1971 he moved to live in Nevinnomyssk. He is currently retired. They have three children.
Anatoliy says that a difficult childhood, hunger and cruelty of the war and post-war years prompted him to think: "Is it really going to end like this?" In 1967, Anatoliy began to study the Holy Scriptures. Having received answers to his questions, despite the strong opposition of relatives and colleagues, he decided to embark on the path of a Christian.
Here Anatoly was waiting for new trials. The criminal prosecution had a negative impact on the health of the elderly person. During the search, he became ill and had to call an ambulance.
Anatoly's friends are very worried about him, and do not understand how a person at this age can be persecuted just for believing in God.
Once upon a time, both of Anatoly's grandfathers suffered from repression, and now, 82 years later, their grandson is subjected to new repressions - religious.