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My mother evacuated with the plant since she worked at the clinic and at the medical office of the plant. My wife and my one-year-old son were with her. They only had one day to get ready to evacuate. They could only take hand luggage with them. They just locked the apartment. They arrived at Makhachkala from where my mother was directed to move to Agdam [Azerbaijan, 1,400 km from Odessa]. I went to where they were by trains. I was registered at the local military registry office and employed as an attendant at the local hospital.
Agdam is located at the border between Nagorny Karabach and Azerbaijan. [Editor's note: Nagorny Karabach is an autonomous region in Azerbaijan, formed in 1923.] Its population consisted of Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russians who had come from Kuban escaping from collectivization [29]. There were no national conflicts in the area. My mother was a doctor and doctors were always respected. My wife was an elementary school teacher. There were very hard living conditions. We received 400-500 grams of bread per day. Local women picked mulberries. They spread a bed sheet under a tree, shook a tree and picked berries that they boiled with water in huge bowls. This became sort of a jelly that they spread on bread and flat cookies. Corn, cereals, fruit, raisins and dried apricots were sold at the market. My mother and wife sold all their jewelry in Agdam: my mother's rings, chain and a gold watch - everything, but her wedding ring. My wife Valentina sold her mother's gift: an amber necklace.
I worked in hospital from morning till night. I was also the manager of the club in this hospital and I was the Information Bureau news reporter. Newspapers and local radio were the only sources of information. Patients got into our hospital after they were wounded for the second of third time. Doctors used naftalan for their treatment. Naftalan was oil with organic substances. It was used to treat injuries. It was used like curative mud to help the healing. The hospital smelled of oil and the bandages were of black color.
Agdam is located at the border between Nagorny Karabach and Azerbaijan. [Editor's note: Nagorny Karabach is an autonomous region in Azerbaijan, formed in 1923.] Its population consisted of Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russians who had come from Kuban escaping from collectivization [29]. There were no national conflicts in the area. My mother was a doctor and doctors were always respected. My wife was an elementary school teacher. There were very hard living conditions. We received 400-500 grams of bread per day. Local women picked mulberries. They spread a bed sheet under a tree, shook a tree and picked berries that they boiled with water in huge bowls. This became sort of a jelly that they spread on bread and flat cookies. Corn, cereals, fruit, raisins and dried apricots were sold at the market. My mother and wife sold all their jewelry in Agdam: my mother's rings, chain and a gold watch - everything, but her wedding ring. My wife Valentina sold her mother's gift: an amber necklace.
I worked in hospital from morning till night. I was also the manager of the club in this hospital and I was the Information Bureau news reporter. Newspapers and local radio were the only sources of information. Patients got into our hospital after they were wounded for the second of third time. Doctors used naftalan for their treatment. Naftalan was oil with organic substances. It was used to treat injuries. It was used like curative mud to help the healing. The hospital smelled of oil and the bandages were of black color.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Victor Feldman