Biography
Oleg Zhukov was born on January 13, 1972, in the village of Tselinnoe, Shirinskiy District, Republic of Khakassia. He has two older sisters and a younger brother. His father passed away when Oleg was 5 years old. For 2 years the boy lived with his sister in Saratov, and later he and his mother moved to Sayanogorsk, where she remarried and later gave birth to his younger brother.
From childhood, Oleg enjoyed hiking, hunting, and fishing. After finishing school, he enrolled in a vocational college but left before graduating and began working. He was first hired as an auto mechanic at a motor depot. Later he spent some time herding sheep, worked as a baker, and then got a job as an potline operator at the aluminum plant in Sayanogorsk. Oleg worked there for 26 years and continued even after receiving his early retirement pension in 2022.
Oleg met his future wife, Lyudmila, when they were still in school. They married in 2005 and have two sons and a daughter. Lyudmila works as a cleaner.
When Oleg was about 30, he came across a Bible. Its advice seemed practical to him, and by applying it he was able to strengthen his family. Later, Lyudmila also began reading the Bible. After a while, the couple became Jehovah's Witnesses.
When FSB officers came to their home with a search at the end of January 2026, Oleg was arranging the funeral of his son‑in‑law. Zhukov was taken away for questioning and the next day placed in a detention center. "We were left without the head of our family, our breadwinner and support," Lyudmila said. "It's hard to cope with the household tasks that only Oleg handled... Our daughter needed physical and emotional support after the sudden death of her husband. Now two homes have lost their men."
Colleagues and neighbors consider the prosecution unjust and hope that Oleg will be released.