Biography
When neighbors learned that a criminal case had been initiated against Khetag Dzhanaev, they collected signatures in his support and wrote character references. One neighbor, seeing him after the court hearing to determine the preventive measure, burst into tears, hugged him, and said: "Where should I go, whom should I ask, where should I write so that they leave you alone? They have found a criminal!"
Khetag Dzhanaev was born in July 1971 in Vladikavkaz. He has lived almost his entire life in this city. From the age of 12, he grew up with his mother, as his parents separated. His father has already passed away.
As a child, Khetag enjoyed football and attended drama and breakdancing clubs. After 10th grade, he enrolled in a financial technical college. He graduated in 1993, after completing military service. Life in the 1990s was not easy; Khetag scraped with odd jobs until he began working in interior decoration — since then, this has been his profession.
Khetag talks about his interests: "I have always enjoyed good films. Sometimes I like to rewatch movies from the Soviet era. I like playing guitar. But most of all, I enjoy spending time with friends and going with them to the mountains. There, in the mountains, it is quiet and majestic."
Since childhood, Khetag had questions: what is the meaning of life? Why is there so much injustice? One day, a former classmate gave him a book describing the Bible view of the origin of life. "It was a true revolution. I had never read anything more logical and understandable," recalls Khetag. In August 1996, he was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. His lifestyle changed noticeably. Those who have known him for a long time respect these changes and, for example, do not allow themselves to use foul language in his presence.
That same year, 1996, Khetag met Angela. In July of the following year, they got married. Angela works as a salesclerk, enjoys baking Ossetian pies, hosting guests, and tries her hand at writing poetry. Khetag's wife first met Jehovah's Witnesses when she accompanied her mother to meetings for worship. Later, she herself wanted to study the Bible.
The couple has two adult sons. Khetag's mother is already over 80. She is a labor veteran — she worked for 50 years as a laboratory assistant in meat-and-dairy expertise, and she was awarded a professional medal. She is a person with a disability: she underwent cancer surgery, had her hip and knee joints replaced, and is hospitalized in cardiology once every 6 months. On the day of the search and Khetag's detention, she was unexpectedly in the hospital. As a result of the stress, Khetag himself experienced health problems — his stomach ailments worsened.
In July 2026, a masked assault group broke into the Dzhanaevs' apartment: officers forced Khetag and his sons face down onto the floor and handcuffed them. He was sent behind bars for a day, and afterwards — placed under house arrest.