Categories: First childhood memory, Viktor Kolokolnikov

Oh, frankly speaking, Kseniya Aleksandrovna, these are constant moves. Luggage, bags, large suitcases, temporary flats. Frankly speaking, you know, we were half-starved, almost half-starved. Frankly speaking, because I saw what «lard» meant for the first time when we came here (laughing), honestly. The deuce knows, I will tell you honestly, when I studied I was actively involved with sport. I played hockey, I even used to play for the junior football team «Pischevik» in Minsk. I attended the lessons of competitive swimming, target shooting, fencing, and box, I did everything. And of course I attended libraries. These are all the memories. You know I will tell you directly, we, the pre-war guys, were prepared for the war; they did prepare us both spiritually and physically. In spiritual sense of it we were taught in keeping with patriotism. They taught us that one had to give one’s life to the Motherland if needed, one had to be ready. You had to be ready physically: there was a complete system of defense, a system of indicators. These were «GTO» (transl. remark – «ready for work and defense of the USSR»), «BPGTO» (transl. remark «Be ready for work and defense of the USSR!»), first place diploma, second place diploma. It wasn’t easy to fulfill the targets, it wasn’t easy. We were prepared to the war. That’s why we really … I will tell you frankly, my generation faced the war just after they had finished school or hadn’t finished it yet.

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Researcher: Natalya Ivaschenko, PhD (Historical Sciences), associated professor at Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, Kseniya Adasik, Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno