BioGraphy

Anti-Semitism before the war

Andrei Ozerovski recalls the anti-Semitism in Warsaw, although he had not felt it before in Lutsk when he lived there. He describes anti-Semitic violence at the university, pogroms in Jewish neighbourhoods.

The routine nature of the purges

When he was a primary school teacher, Andrei Ozerovski opposed the literacy policy as it was enforced by the Soviet government. He witnessed purges that had become routine in the countryside.

Complexity of conflict

After the farmers’ property was looted, they joined the resistance. It was extremely hard to take up a position, between the Germans, the Ukrainian nationalist partisans and the Soviet partisans.

Mobilisation

Mobilisation into the army and disappearance of young conscripts. He was arrested and nearly executed.

Prisoners’ resistance - Hunger strike at Bryansk

Common law criminals

Children in the Gulag camps

The Karlag - Saved by the Karlag...

“I’m very grateful to the Karlag. If it hadn’t been for the Karlag, I wouldn’t have lasted long on this earth. It was nothing like Bryansk.

First of all, we were given clothes... trousers, overcoats, the felt boots called valenki. In fact that was the first time I’d ever worn any. There was all we needed and even proper bread. True, we went out to work, but when we came back, we had mattresses, pillows, blankets, our beds were proper ones.”

The Karlag - Illness and farm work

“I suffered from night blindness... I had scurvy, chronic bronchitis, I was in an advanced state of exhaustion. I could have died. I kept falling ill... I also had myocarditis: four illnesses in all. But I wasn’t written off as invalid, I was given individual work to do three to four hours a day. That was my quota, whereas for the others it was 11 hours and they did 12.

That’s what bloody farm work is like! But we lived all right in the Karlag, it was no worse than outside!”

Work in the camps

Death of Stalin and release of some prisoners

Relations between prisoners and camp guards

Prisoners’ resistance - Camp uprising in 1954

Prisoners’ resistance - Prisoners’ demands

Former prisoners’ work and locals’ attitude

Poor reception at the sovkhoz after release

 

We were very poorly received at the sovkhoz. There were the young komsomols sent out to open up the virgin lands. They avoided us like the plague. One of our lot found a wallet on a path. It contained papers: a komsomol membership card, a travel voucher and 180 roubles. He was a shy fellow, but I went directly to the club where the young people were dancing, watching films. They looked at us suspiciously. I looked at the papers, there was the komsomol boy’s photo on his card. I recognised him. “Are you Sebriuk?” “Yes, why?” The poor lad was frightened. “You’re pretty careless, you don’t look after your belongings. Are these your papers? – Oh, thank you, uncle, but please keep the money. – I’m not penniless. Why would I need your money? Keep it, you’ll make better use of it and don’t lose it again. – Uncle, come and see us from time to time.”

 

Reception at the sovkhoz after release - Poor reception at the kolkhoz (French version)

 

We were very poorly received at the sovkhoz. There were the young komsomols sent out to open up the virgin lands. They avoided us like the plague. One of our lot found a wallet on a path. It contained papers: a komsomol membership card, a travel voucher and 180 roubles. He was a shy fellow, but I went directly to the club where the young people were dancing, watching films. They looked at us suspiciously. I looked at the papers, there was the komsomol boy’s photo on his card. I recognised him. “Are you Sebriuk?” “Yes, why?” The poor lad was frightened. “You’re pretty careless, you don’t look after your belongings. Are these your papers? – Oh, thank you, uncle, but please keep the money. – I’m not penniless. Why would I need your money? Keep it, you’ll make better use of it and don’t lose it again. – Uncle, come and see us from time to time.”

 

Reception at the sovkhoz after release - The Chechen girls

There were two Chechen girls. “Hey, girls, aren’t you afraid of us? – No, why should we be? – Because everyone here in the sovkhoz is afraid of us, they all think we’re wild animals. – They’re the ones who are wild animals. We know you’re human beings.” That’s what the Chechen girls were like! So they began to look at us differently. They realised.

 

Work in the mine, in freedom

 

“I arrived in Karaganda in 1960, I got married in 1955 and our daughter was born in 1956. So in 1960 I arrived here and got a job at the mine. I already knew about mining after my years at the Zheskazgan camp. But here I was free and there was no gas, it wasn’t as dangerous. If I had to start again today, I’d go back to work in the mine. Yes, there are explosions, people can lose their lives, yes, it’s hard. But today, I’d really be happy to see the mine again, even for half an hour. I love watching miners work. I’m deeply attached to mining!”