Koku Istambulova, a woman from Russia, has managed to astonish the authorities. She is reportedly the oldest woman in the world, according to the Russian government.
She is 128 years old and claims that she hasn’t had a single happy day in her life, considering her longevity to be a punishment.
Despite her age, the woman looks remarkably well, but she says she has lived longer than she desired. Koku believes that her longevity was given to her by God and that she did nothing to achieve it.
Although everyone asks her how she managed to stay in shape and if she had an active lifestyle, Koku wearily responds that she has no tricks.
“I see people who exercise and eat something special to stay fit, but I have no idea why I’m still alive,” the woman says.
The elderly woman has turned 129 years old, but she doesn’t seem pleased about it. “I haven’t had a single happy day in my life. I have always worked hard and toiled in the garden. I’m tired. Long life is not a gift from God for me; it’s a punishment,” she adds.
Authorities in Russia claim that the woman is currently the oldest person in the world, but Koku doesn’t show her age at all.
Relatives of the woman say that five years ago she lost her last daughter, Tamara, who passed away at the age of 104. Koku is able to speak, eat, and walk without assistance, but her eyesight has started to deteriorate.
Istambulova doesn’t consume meat; instead, she prefers cream vegetable soups and loves fermented milk. According to her identification document, she was born on June 1, 1889, which means she was 27 years old when the last Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate in March 1917, and 55 years old when World War II ended in 1945. Istambulova recalls that it was terrifying during the war when Nazi tanks passed by her family’s house.
Her life has not been happy at all.
Koku was deported after World War II along with her entire family and the entire Chechen population to Kazakhstan and Siberia after Stalin accused them of collaborating with the Nazis.
“I survived the Civil War (after the Bolshevik revolution), World War II, the deportation of our nation in 1944, and the two Chechen wars. And now I am convinced that my life has not been a happy one. I remember how German tanks passed by our houses. It was terrifying, but I tried not to show it while hiding in our home. Life in Kazakhstan was the toughest for me. And in exile, we stayed in Siberia as well, but in Kazakhstan, I felt how people hated us. Every day, I dreamt of returning home,” Koku recounted.
“Working in the garden helped me escape sad thoughts, but deep in my heart, I always longed to return home,” she added.
The elderly woman does not want to talk about the tragedy her family went through, but she has lost several children, including a six-year-old son.
“Thinking about my unhappy life, I wish I had died young. I worked my whole life. I didn’t have time to rest or relax. I had to either dig the earth or plant watermelons,” she concludes.
