Background
Sipko was born on 28 February 1952 in the town of Tara in the Omsk Oblast.
Sipko was born on 28 February 1952 in the town of Tara in the Omsk Oblast.
At age 16 he entered college in Omsk. In 1978 his family returned to Omsk and became Baptist. In 1984 he was ordained as a deacon, and in 1985 became a pastor.
From 1987 Sipko was the senior pastor of the Omsk and Tyumen regions.
He served for two four-year terms. In 2007 his organization sponsored an event where evangelists toured by bicycle throughout Russia spreading the word of Christ.
In October 2008, during the conflict between Russia and Georgia, he met with his Georgian counterpart to discuss reconciliation. In a joint statement the participants condemned the war between the two countries as "pointless and brutal".
He left office on 25 March 2010, replaced by Pastor Alexei Smirnov.
The publishers apparently had links with the government. In November 2009, commenting on proposed legislation to restrict missionary activity in Russia, he said "Practically all believers will become susceptible to penal sanction".
Quotations: "Practically all believers will become susceptible to penal sanction".