Biography
In September 2022, armed law enforcement officers burst into the apartment of Maksim Latsko and conducted a search. Later, he was repeatedly interrogated as a witness in cases involving his fellow believers, and in July 2026, a criminal prosecution was initiated against him as well.
Maksim was born in March 1983 in Moscow. He has a younger sister. When he was a child, the family moved to Chelyabinsk. Maksim's mother, Lyudmila, worked for many years as an accountant. Before retiring, she worked as a social worker. Those whom she helped appreciated her kindness and genuine care.
As a child, Maksim enjoyed cycling, picking mushrooms in the forest with his grandfather, and skiing. He still enjoys walks in the forest.
After school, Maksim enrolled in the Chelyabinsk College of Law and graduated in hotel management. He worked as a hotel porter and later in facility maintenance services. More recently, he worked at a private company producing dairy products.
Maksim's mother was the first in the family to begin studying the Bible, and he followed her example. "When I first attended a meeting [for worship] of Jehovah's Witnesses, I was struck by the atmosphere there," Maksim recalled. "Seeing that peaceful, joyful, and pleasant environment, I too became filled with peace and joy." One Bible teaching that convinced Maksim of the reliability of this book was the statement that the earth "hangs on nothing." He was impressed that this phrase had been written long before the law of gravity was discovered. The young man was baptized in 2001.
Latsko completed alternative civilian service in Yekaterinburg, working as a machine operator in the shipping department at a transport manufacturing plant. During that time, he found himself alone in an unfamiliar city. Fellow believers helped him adjust, and some became like family to him. Maksim lived in Yekaterinburg for 6 years; he returned to Chelyabinsk at the end of 2009 due to family circumstances.
The criminal case has brought uncertainty into Maksim's life. "I am often gripped by anxiety because of the anticipation of what lies ahead," he said.