Biography
In the summer of 2022, Yevgenya Samoilova, a group III disabled person, was suspected of extremist activity. The reason was her religious beliefs: the woman is a Jehovah's Witness. The second defendant in the criminal case was her daughter, Olga Golovacheva.
Yevgenya was born in October 1955 in the village of Pozharishche (Vologda Region). She grew up with her sister, who is a year older than her. The girls were raised by their mother alone.
At the age of 3, Yevgenya was diagnosed with a serious joint disease, due to which she had to spend the next years of her life—up to 16 years old—in a specialized sanatorium. The disease did not allow Yevgenya to move much, she could only watch the games of her peers in the yard and imagine herself with them. She loved to read, studied well and with pleasure.
After graduating from school, Yevgenya moved to Rybinsk, where she worked as a laboratory assistant at a flour mill until 2005.
In 1975, Yevgenya got married, a year later her daughter Olga was born. Family life was not easy, and after 9 years the marriage broke up.
In 2008, the daughter, and later Yevgenya herself, became interested in the Bible. They began to study this book and in 2014 embarked on the Christian path together.
In 2003, Yevgenya received the III group of disability. Now she is at home most of the time, as it is difficult for her to move.
The criminal prosecution has affected the life of the woman and her family: they are worried about the possible invasion of law enforcement officers and a second search. Relatives and friends worry about Yevgenya and support her in every possible way.