Aida Skripnikova was born in 1941 in Western Siberia to a Baptist family. Her pacifist father was imprisoned and shot for refusing to fight when she was an infant. Her mother died when she was eleven. Though she received an atheistic Soviet education, God was not finished with her.
Converting to Christ in Leningrad
In 1960, the young woman moved to Leningrad where her brother Viktor lived. When Viktor became gravely ill, he sought spiritual reconnection and became a devout believer. His death at age 25 led Aida to attend services herself. She converted to Christ and immediately began sharing her faith with fearless boldness.
Christian Persecution Soviet Union
She was first arrested at age 17 for distributing homemade New Year's cards with Scripture. This began a pattern of arrests, interrogations, and imprisonments that would mark her life.
In court, she testified with stunning courage: "The society you communists are trying to build can never be just because you yourselves are unjust." She was sentenced to one year in prison.
Faith Through Government Persecution
From prison, Aida secretly wrote letters that were smuggled out on pieces of cloth. Brother Andrew, the famous Bible smuggler, shared her writings "in hundreds of meetings around the world." She wrote: "I have been told more than once, 'You can believe in God but act differently.' In other words, believe in God but do not obey His commandments. This is the condition on which freedom is offered to me."
Aida chose obedience over freedom, faith over comfort.
Living Testimony of God's Faithfulness
When she was released for the fourth time, at age thirty, she had changed beyond recognition—her youth spent in Soviet prisons. But one thing remained unchanged: her smile, which still exuded love and joy in knowing her Redeemer.
Aida Skripnikova survived the Soviet persecution and is still alive today, residing in St. Petersburg—a living testimony to the faithfulness of God.
