Biography
"When people found out what our family was like, they would say, 'Oh, four sons and one lovely daughter — just like in a fairy tale!'" Anna Gyseva recalls with a smile as she speaks about her childhood. She was born in Kvitok, Irkutsk Region. Her father worked on the railroad and her mother was a housewife. Both are now pensioners. The family enjoys farming and keeps animals.
Anna, her older brothers, and parents loved doing things together. "We often got together to play musical instruments, watch TV shows, or play board games," she remembers. "I understood that this atmosphere existed because we lived according to the Bible."
Four generations of the Gysev family value and love the Bible. They were prosecuted both in the Soviet Union and in modern-day Russia because they are Jehovah's Witnesses. In the 1940s, Anna's great-grandmother was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment; later, her grandfather and uncle were also convicted. In 2024, Anna's cousin Ivan Puyda received a suspended sentence. In March 2026, Anna herself faced prosecution for her faith.
Anna studied well at school. She received many certificates and awards for taking part in academic competitions. But she describes her main achievements this way: "The Bible taught me and my family many good principles — that money is not the most important thing, that life has a purpose, and that we should enjoy life and love other people."
In her senior school years, Anna began working in her free time and during holidays. She enjoyed helping with cleaning the school, assisting in the library, and restoring books. After finishing school, she moved to Chita. She has experience working as a senior barista and as a café manager. Currently, she works as a barista and regularly takes professional development courses.
Anna enjoys learning new things. She reads a lot and dreams of visiting different countries. She has learned sign language and is now working to improve her skills as an interpreter. She loves singing and accompanies herself on the guitar; she plays volleyball.
In the spring of 2026, in the middle of a workday, law enforcement officers took Anna directly from the café. She experienced great stress: they threatened to cut her finger off if she did not reveal the password to her smartphone. Anna's wedding in Irkutsk had been scheduled for June 14. "The saddest and most tragic consequence for me is that the prosecution and the travel restrictions have jeopardized my plans to marry the person I love," the believer says.
Anna explains: "We wanted to go on our honeymoon to another country. Unfortunately, with the current situation, that will be impossible. We spent a whole year planning everything and saving money. We had already invited friends; some of them were planning to come from abroad. This has had a very strong emotional impact on me and on my future partner."
The believer's parents, her older brothers and their wives, as well as her friends, are concerned for her. Anna's employer was even moved to tears upon learning what her family is going through.