The 65th anniversary of V-Day is fast approaching on May 9.† Anastasia Moskvina has chosen to honor her grandmother who was a survivor of the Great Patriotic War with a brief introduction to the war and interview, highlighting her reaction to the war and its end.
The time flies really fast. It seems that the school year of 2009-2010 just started, but the time to leave for home is coming very soon and I encourage everyone to appreciate and enjoy every moment of your college life! As a Fulbright Language Assistant here at the College of Wooster, I am proud to be Russian and to have this unique chance to represent my great country and to share our rich culture. This year I will not be at home on the ninth of May next to my grandmother, Anastasia Romanovna, who is 86 years old now.
May 9 is a special and memorable day in Russia this year. During the Great Patriotic War on the territory of the former Soviet Union in 1941-1945, 6.8 million Soviet soldiers were killed and 4.4 million died in captivity. Every year we commemorate all those soldiers and all the people who gave their lives not to let the Nazis triumph. Every time when Anastasia Romanovna and millions of Russians as well are watching an annual magnificent Moscow Victory Parade on the Red Square, they can’t hold back tears. Here is a short interview with my grandmother, whose memories of that Victory Day in 1945 are as vivid as if it all happened just yesterday.
AM: Did you feel fear when the war broke out?
AR: Everyone was scared. I was 16 when it started. Everyone was fearful because we lived in Sortavala, right on the border with Finland and the Winter War with Finland had just ended in 1940. I remember that we were starving. And all of a sudden, the news about the new war. That was shocking and horrifying.
AM: How different would your life have been if the war had never broken out?
AR: When the war started, I was a freshman at the agricultural technical school in Sortavala (South of Karelia) and I was hoping to become an agriculturalist. But alas . . . probably, I would have finished the school if the war had never happened. I was enjoying my student life so much!
AM: What do you remember on Victory Day in 1945?
AR: When the war was over, they announced it at the workshop. That day we had a free dinner at the cafeteria. I was working at the belt conveyor making airplanes out of veneer. Also, I was trained to be an electrician during the War. Everyone was so happy and joyful and we could not believe that it was finally over.
AM: Do you think that the young generation has forgotten about the feat of the soldiers during the war?
AR: No, I am full of hopes that they will always remember and learn a lot from this tragedy. For instance, my granddaughters remember and we all commemorate the Victory Day together every year which means a lot to me.
AM: What is the most truthful movie about the war?
AR: My favorite is “The Cranes Are Flying.” It seems to be so real and true.
Every year Russia has fewer and fewer war veterans.† These witnesses who worked so hard to save the world are reminders of that terrible time period. Every May 9, I sit next to my grandmother watching war movies with the whole family, hoping that nobody will have to experience that same starvation and humiliation again.