Selected text
From Borisova Griva we planned to go to Stalingrad to join our father. But we received a coded letter from him saying that the climate there was too bad for children, which meant that the situation near Stalingrad had become critical with the Germans approaching the city. Mother grasped it all and we headed for the Altai region, Siberia, to the village of Bystry Istok.
We have moved out of Leningrad in late February 1942, and we arrived to Bystry Istok in May 1942. We were given a small room with a hall for two families there. Mother devoted herself to agriculture. She had planted potatoes on a 10-square meter spot of land. She had protected the potatoes with tomatoes, so we had tomatoes on top and potatoes underground. Our aunt was a bookkeeper at a local dairy factory. She brought buttermilk from work – the leftovers from butter-kneading.
We have moved out of Leningrad in late February 1942, and we arrived to Bystry Istok in May 1942. We were given a small room with a hall for two families there. Mother devoted herself to agriculture. She had planted potatoes on a 10-square meter spot of land. She had protected the potatoes with tomatoes, so we had tomatoes on top and potatoes underground. Our aunt was a bookkeeper at a local dairy factory. She brought buttermilk from work – the leftovers from butter-kneading.
Period
Year
1942
Location
Bystry Istok
Russia
Interview
Irina Khokhlova