Biography
Yaroslav Kalin, a peaceful family man from Irkutsk, is one of Jehovah's Witnes in the fourth generation. In Soviet times, his parents were exiled from Ukraine to Siberia for their faith. In October 2021, Yaroslav himself was accused of a “crime against the state”.
Yaroslav was born in April 1969 in Siberia, where his parents were exiled during Operation “North” in 1951. Yaroslav has a younger sister. The father and mother worked at the local state farm, kept up the household, therefore, from early childhood, the children were accustomed to work.
In his youth, Yaroslav was fond of sports, loved music and played in a school ensemble. After school, he completed courses as a television mechanic, after that he worked for a long time in the repair of television and radio equipment.
In 1991, Yaroslav married Tatyana. She is a teacher by profession, enjoys interior design, loves to play the piano. The family had four children — two daughters and two sons. Yaroslav had to master different professions: an electrician, a joiner, a carpenter, as well as a manager in the field of trade, in order to provide for his large family.
One of the Kalins' daughters, Svetlana, is a lawyer. The other, Liliya, works in the field of software support. Vasiliy is currently doing alternative civilian service, since his convictions do not allow him to take up arms. In 2007, a great misfortune happened in the family: at the age of four, the youngest son Vitaliy died tragically.
The Kalins and their children loved to spend time together: to go to Lake Baikal, to meet with relatives and friends. The criminal prosecution deprived the wife and children of the support of the head of the family. Everyone experienced an emotional shock.
Relatives and friends, including those who do not share the religious beliefs of the Kalins, cannot understand why Yaroslav was arrested, because he did not commit any crime.