Irina is retired and enjoys handicrafts: she crochets and knits, and also decorates her yard with her own hands.
On January 13, 2025, Irina was charged with administrative offences under Article 19.11 in the Novobelitsky District Court of Gomel. After serving 24 hours, Irina was released and went to visit her sister in Russia. However, during this time, a criminal case had been opened against her and she was placed on the wanted list, unknown to her. Upon returning to Belarus, Irina was detained on the train and placed in a temporary detention facility in St. Petersburg, after which she was transferred to a pretrial detention facility in Minsk.
Irina had an 80-year-old mother in her care.
On December 13, 2025, she was released following a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Ukraine.
