Kammala wannan jumla: Irina Ratushinskaya an haife ta ne a Odessa, Ukraine a ranar 4 ga Maris 1954. Mahaifinta, Boris Leonidovich Ratushinsky, injiniya ne; mahaifiyarta, Irina Valentinovna Ratushinskaya, malamin adabin Rasha ce. Irina tana da 'yar'uwa ɗaya. Iyalin mahaifiyarta sun samo asali ne daga Poland: an kori kakanta daga Poland zuwa Siberia, jim kaɗan bayan da aka yi watsi da mulkin mallaka na Soviet.
Janairu 1863 Tashin hankali game da tilastawa shiga cikin Sojojin Rasha.