Brezhnev Leonid kiss. How world leaders tried to avoid Brezhnev's passionate kisses. Brezhnev's famous kiss

Look at these photos. Do you recognize anyone? You saw it somewhere, you say... Or more precisely? Shame on you, citizen! It's a shame not to know, because behind each of these pictures there is a History.

Alexey Karaulov

Zee commen!

Helmut Newton (1920-2003), the author of this outrage and, perhaps, the most famous German photographer of the 20th century, was born into the family of an ordinary button manufacturer. The skill of unfastening them, learned in childhood, was extremely useful to Newton in life. By the age of twenty, having escaped Nazi Germany and settled in Paris, the gifted young man became interested in nude photography. The very first black-and-white photographs brought Newton fame as a talented voyeur. The photographer managed to get rid of this dubious fame and prove to the whole world the seriousness of his intentions only at the age of 61.

In 1981, Newton’s passion for German philosophy gave him the idea to shoot a diptych built according to the thesis-antithesis scheme. Two photos of four unknown models with the general title “They are coming!” should, according to Newton, clearly show how the role of women in society is changing. Hypocrisy was replaced by aggression and sexuality. Tremble, men! Alas, the editors of French Vogue, where Newton sent his work, decided to sacrifice the philosophical subtext. The pictures were published in the wrong sequence and also included the caption: “Watch your figure so that your clothes better highlight its contours.” The result of this malicious fraud was loud scandal, started by Newton and which has already earned him worldwide fame. Now the most easy way To annoy Newton's fans is to cut out pictures from the magazine and swap them...

An accident helped photographer Barbara Klemm take this photo, which turned Leonid Brezhnev into the main gay icon of the 70s. Being a native of the capitalist Federal Republic of Germany, she might not have been able to attend the meeting of the two leaders of the socialist countries - the Prime Minister of the GDR Erich Honecker with the Secretary General of the USSR Brezhnev. Fortunately, Barbara went to the event as a photojournalist for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. The organizers simply did not bother to check in which city the newspaper was published. After all, there are two Frankfurts in Germany (one on the Main, the other on the Oder), and in 1979, when the photo was taken, the cities were located different sides borders. The organizers of the meeting, who were negligent, were later punished, but this did not stop Fräulein Klemm from capturing and replicating the savory kiss of the two comrades. And despite the fact that the very next day after the publication of the photo the whole world laughed at Brezhnev, kissing became fashionable among Soviet (and then Russian) politicians.

*- Note Phacochoerus "a Funtik: « By the way, many soviet people This photograph was never seen in its entirety. In 1987, artist Dmitry Vrubel used a fragment of it in his painting, which he later hung on the Berlin Wall. The leaders were depicted in large numbers, and the canvas was decorated with the slogan “Lord! Help me survive among this mortal love." Reproductions sold with a bang »

In the original language

The controversy over whether Albert Einstein suffered last years lives with senile dementia continue to this day. And although any arguments in favor of Einstein should crumble when looking at this photograph, the history of the frame proves that the old man still had, if not intelligence, then at least wit. The photo was taken in 1951, on the day when the creator of the theory of relativity turned 72 years old. The family spent a long time trying to persuade Albert to take a photo for the family album. The scientist spoke in the sense that he would soon die and this photo could be his last, and he would not want to be remembered by the world in this form: unkempt and in a worn jacket. Towards the end of the party, Einstein finally allowed himself to be persuaded, but then, as luck would have it, the camera’s shutter jammed. Very happy about this circumstance, Albert stuck out his tongue at the photographer. At that moment, the device made a dying click and broke completely. The film, of course, was later removed and even developed, but the photographer was never allowed to publish the top shot.

The film was bought and hidden at Einstein's house by his relatives, who feared for the reputation of the great physicist. It is not surprising that the owner of the house soon found her. And having found it, he printed the photo in five copies, cut off the faces of unnecessary guests and sent the portrait under the guise of a gift card to the largest scientists of that time. Among the recipients were, in particular, Oppenheimer and Niels Bohr. The photograph became the property of pop culture and for half a century personified the Creator Mocking the Crowd...

Windy special

Of all the photographs of Marilyn Monroe, this is perhaps the most famous - perhaps due to numerous parodies. The shot with the flowing skirt was and remains the most quoted in the history of cinema. Yes, yes, exactly the movie. After all, it was made on the set of the film “The Seven Year Itch.” According to the script, the heroine Marilyn Monroe was supposed to walk over the subway ventilation grille. But what was definitely not in the script was the paparazzi filming Monroe at the moment of saying goodbye to her clothes. However, photographer Matthew Zimmerman snuck onto the set and took this shot during the first take.

When Marilyn saw the photo in the newspaper a couple of days later, she said that the cameraman and agent had “too lustful faces.” This marked the beginning of a scandal between Monroe and the film’s crew, as well as a deep internal conflict in the actress’s soul. It is possible that her entire subsequent life (including her marriage to Arthur Miller, her role in The Misfits, and even suicide) was one continuous attempt to destroy the image of the flighty blonde.

What do you have here?

It was difficult to call the President of the Cuban National Bank Ernesto Guevara a public person: he basically did not allow himself to be filmed. So the photographer Alberto Corda, who took this photo, was terribly lucky. In 1960, a year after the victory of the revolution, a French ship carrying weapons and humanitarian aid for supporters of Fidel Castro exploded off the coast of Cuba. Presenters took part in the memorial service for the ship's crew politicians Cuba, as well as the writer Jean-Paul Sartre, who was visiting Havana at that time. Che Guevara, who usually hid from the cameras, stepped out of the crowd for a minute to exchange a few words with Sartre. At that moment Korda photographed him.

All subsequent events are pure mysticism. After developing the film, Korda locked himself in his house and stopped communicating with outside world(in particular, with the editors of the newspaper Revolucion, on whose instructions he photographed Che Guevara). The photograph was miraculously obtained by the Italian Gian Giacomo Feltrinelli, who, seven years after the memorable shooting, snuck into Korda’s house. He claimed that the photographer was completely crazy: he considered Che the new incarnation of Christ, and did not allow the photograph to be published, because it, they say, could cause the Day of Judgment. Whether Corde Feltrinelli introduced himself as the Archangel Gabriel or the Pope remains a mystery to this day. However, the Italian took the photo and published it. Without paying the photographer a centavo...

Icon in a coat

The cult actor James Dean, who played leading roles in only three films throughout his life - “Giant”, “East of Eden” and “Rebel Without a Cause” - is almost unknown in our country. But for America, he became perhaps the first person whose life illustrated the slogan “Live fast, die young.” In addition, he became the main personification of the Outcast and the Lone Hero.

This photo (the quintessential image of James Dean) was taken in New York in 1955 - a month before the actor crashed his Porsche at the age of 24. James happened to be passing through New York - he was returning to Hollywood from a farm in Fairmont, where he spent his childhood. Dean was persuaded to go home by photographer Dennis Stock. Having shot a whole film in Fairmont, he headed to Hollywood with the star. After the sunny farm, New York seemed like a chilly place to Dean. Therefore, going out onto the main street of Times Square, the first thing he did was go into the store and buy a coat. The blurred landscape and the actor's hunched figure inspired Stock to take another photo. There was only one (!) frame left on the film. And it just so happened that he became the last in the life of the young talent. The photograph at one time made the rounds of all magazines, and now it is displayed on the wall of any decent bar. After all, when you look at him, you involuntarily want to order an extra portion of bourbon...

Lenin and Stalin did not like to kiss, at least not in public. There was, however, a case when the legendary Chkalov hugged Joseph Vissarionovich out of excess of feelings, but this does not count.

The emergence of party fashion for kissing

The fashion for government kisses was introduced by N. S. Khrushchev. His rise to power marked a certain warming in the domestic political situation. Obviously, like any spring phenomenon, it caused a surge of positive emotions, expressed in this gesture, meaning a manifestation of love for one’s neighbor, including in the Christian understanding of this word. After the asceticism of the Stalin years, the kisses of the leaders of the party and government looked soulful and quite natural. They were readily accepted as a norm of behavior along with the words “our dear”, which came into use at the turn of the sixties.

However, it is impossible to attribute the First Secretary’s display of affection to Easter kisses; he did not like the church, and tried by all means to limit its activities. Nikita Sergeevich received his last official kiss in October 1964 from Klim Voroshilov, whom the participants in his removal did not inform in advance of their serious intentions. None of the members of the Central Committee wanted to hug him anymore, although they had done so before. Everyone kissed Khrushchev during his reign: Brezhnev, Semichastny, Mikoyan, and Kosygin. In fairness, it should be noted that he showed his feelings timidly, somehow like a pioneer, and did not abuse this deeply intimate gesture, showing voluntarism in other matters.

"Triple Brezhnev"

After the embarrassment, a plenum took place at the airport, at which Leonid Brezhnev was elected secretary general. The kiss quickly became part of the party ritual, demonstrating to the Soviet people and the entire world community the deeply humane essence of their native government. It was impossible to suspect the head of state of any perverted inclinations, and not because anyone was afraid of the all-powerful KGB. For him, dear, the fame of not just a “walker”, but a famous amateur, was firmly established beautiful women, and he could afford to behave as he saw fit, and express his feelings as he pleased.

Brezhnev's first kiss, which went down in the history of the USSR, made a huge impression on the citizens of Czechoslovakia. was kissed three times, quite Orthodox-style, on the cheeks and lips. Perhaps the representatives of the fraternal Slavic peoples who inhabited the then Czechoslovak Socialist Republic would have treated this act more tolerantly, if not for the preceding events of 1968, after which they developed an excess of sarcasm and causticity. Showing reactionary thinking, they called this kiss “triple Brezhnev,” apparently hinting that a definition with a larger numeral is possible.

Refuseniks

The Romanian communist leader turned out to be less tolerant. He suffered from bacteriophobia, was terribly afraid of infection by pathogens, and therefore avoided contact with all possible sources of bacilli. Brezhnev's kiss, he believed, could cause an infection, because no one wiped the Soviet leader with alcohol, and he was not sterile. History is silent about exactly what words the head of the CPR expressed his disagreement with, but he still managed to avoid kissing.

Brezhnev's famous kisses caused serious concern to the British Foreign Office in anticipation of the government visit being prepared in 1971. The “Iron Lady,” who had gone through a rigorous school of political struggle, was faced with a situation the likes of which the Parliament of Foggy Albion had never known. Thatcher, like the intractable Romanian, managed to avoid the friendly embrace, which at that moment she perhaps feared more than all the Soviet ones combined.

Fidel Castro made a witty comeback, he simply lit a cigarette on the gangway, and so, with a cigarette clenched in his teeth, he went to say hello. The matter was settled with a firm handshake and a hug, which is quite acceptable on Liberty Island. But kissing is not customary among Cuban men.

Brezhnev's every kiss was captured by lenses

But a young American woman, who came as part of a delegation to Moscow in 1973, received Brezhnev’s kiss, which went down in the history of the USSR and the USA at the same time. Every normal man will understand dear Leonid Ilyich: a pretty girl gives flowers, how can you resist? Annie Hollman, the dance teacher, immediately became a celebrity, which she apparently didn't mind. Few Americans could boast of such an event in their lives, except perhaps Jimmy Carter, the president. He got it too.

Not sparing the suffering lips

Indira Gandhi, Yasser Arafat, many other leaders of the socialist world, rulers and dictators of developing countries, Latin American liberators fighting neo-colonialism, African leaders and other representatives of progressive humanity were received in Moscow as dear guests. And the magnificent receptions were invariably complemented by Brezhnev’s legendary kiss. Perhaps not all guests liked it, but for political and economic reasons they tolerated it. Joseph, according to unverified rumors, suffered more than others; he even injured his lip.

Brezhnev's most famous kiss, which went down in the history of the USSR and the whole world

But Brezhnev’s most famous and widely replicated kiss, which went down in the history of the USSR, the GDR and all of Europe, happened in 1971. The artist redrawn it from a photo using graffiti shortly before her fall, immortalizing the epoch-making moment of unprecedented unity of the leaders of the countries of the socialist commonwealth. Eric Honecker is almost invisible, recognizable only by his glasses and hairstyle. Why is this moment so eventful? Soviet history became so famous, it’s hard to explain. The meeting with the GDR in the early seventies was an ordinary matter, its protocol was also not original. L.I. Brezhnev's kiss expressed only sincere respect for the elderly communist and anti-fascist. There was no hypocrisy in him, such was the party ethics that had been formed over decades. In general, nothing special.

When M. S. Gorbachev tried to do the same thing, everything looked completely different...

General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Brezhnev often met other leaders in accordance with the centuries-old Russian tradition of kissing three times, but not everyone liked it

Translation for – Igor Abramov

General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Brezhnev often met other leaders, in accordance with the centuries-old Russian tradition, with a three-time kiss, but not everyone liked it, and some tried in any way to avoid these fraternal kisses.

Painting by Dmitry Vrubel “Brotherly Kiss”, which depicts General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev and his German colleague, First Secretary of the SED Central Committee Erich Honecker

General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Brezhnev often met other leaders in accordance with the centuries-old Russian tradition of kissing three times, but not everyone liked it, and some tried to avoid fraternal kisses at all costs.

Joseph Stalin kisses polar pilot Vasily Molokov upon returning to Moscow with Arctic explorer Otto Schmidt, July 4, 1937

Soviet leaders were famous for their warm hugs and brotherly kisses with their comrades. Stalin kissed Soviet pilots, and Nikita Khrushchev's kiss with first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin is simply an iconic image.

Kiss between the leaders of the communist parties of Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union Gustav Husak and Leonid Brezhnev in Prague, May 5, 1970

The Soviet leader best known to the world for how warmly he greeted his guests was Leonid Brezhnev, head of Communist Party Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982. He was generally the butt of many jokes, and his passionate kisses often caused laughter. The so-called “triple Brezhnevsky” became famous abroad: one kiss on the left cheek, one on the right, and then, finally, on the lips. However, in fairness, it should be said that Brezhnev did not always kiss people on the lips.

Leonid Brezhnev hugs Fidel Castro during his visit to Moscow

Not everyone liked Brezhnev's overly warm greetings, so some heads of state found ways to avoid kissing the domineering Soviet leader. For example, Cuban leader Fidel Castro decided to get off his plane at the Moscow airport with a cigar in his mouth. Brezhnev, who met his Cuban comrade, simply did not have any opportunity to demonstrate traditional Russian hospitality.

Nicolae Ceausescu meets Leonid Brezhnev in Crimea in 1979

Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu, who was rumored to suffer from bacteriophobia, found a way to get rid of Brezhnev's claims without offending his feelings. Perhaps the Soviet leader thought that this was another sign of Romania's special status in the Eastern Bloc: Bucharest did enjoy significant autonomy compared to other socialist states.

Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito greets Leonid Brezhnev at Belgrade airport in 1971

However, some leaders appreciated Brezhnev's kisses. A photograph of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi kissing the Soviet leader hangs on the wall in her home museum. And the kiss between Brezhnev and Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito was rumored to be so strong that the latter’s lip began to bleed.

Leonid Brezhnev and Yasser Arafat during a meeting in the Kremlin in 1975

They say that one of Brezhnev's first political kisses went to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who came to Soviet Union in 1968.

Kiss between Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic in 1979

Of course, the most famous was the kiss of East German leader Erich Honecker in 1979. He was later immortalized on the Berlin Wall by the artist Dmitry Vrubel, whose painting is called “God, help me survive among this mortal love,” or “Brotherly Kiss.”

Leonid Brezhnev kisses United States President Jimmy Carter on the cheek in 1979

Brezhnev kissed the leaders of not only socialist countries, but also neutral ones who belonged to the so-called Non-Aligned Movement. Sometimes the Soviet leader even touched his lips to opponents from the capitalist world. This was the case with US President Jimmy Carter.

Leonid Brezhnev at the Hungarian agricultural exhibition in Budapest in 1967

Another American, dance teacher Annie Hollman, who was part of the US delegation that visited the USSR in 1973, also experienced Brezhnev’s kiss. Their photo together made her a celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic.

Leonid Brezhnev seeing off a delegation from Bulgaria and its leader Todor Zhivkov in 1969

Not everyone in the Soviet establishment believed tender kisses Brezhnev is a good idea. Yuri Andropov, head of the KGB under Brezhnev and his successor at the helm of the USSR after his death, expressed to one of his subordinates his horror at Brezhnev's kisses. However, in public he always welcomed the warm embrace of the Secretary General.

In addition to his political statements, which later became catchphrases, Brezhnev was known as the undisputed champion of power kissing, despite the fact that kissing is rare in the political sphere.

We have collected interesting details of the most famous kisses of the Secretary General.

It is unlikely that in the 70s there would have been at least one Czech who did not know what a “triple Brezhnev” was (one kiss on both cheeks and the final one on the lips). The kiss of Leonid Ilyich and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia Gustav Husak made such an impression on the residents of the fraternal country that the memories of it historical event are still alive in the hearts of Czechs.

Brezhnev once attempted to kiss the Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu. However, the Romanian was the only one who directly and categorically refused this ritual, as he was extremely squeamish.

In 1971, there was another failed attempt at the “triple Brezhnev”, this time the victim of the Secretary General was supposed to be Margaret Thatcher. However, the Iron Lady managed to tactfully dodge this friendly gesture, which was unacceptable to the prim British.

In 1973, when the Iron Curtain opened, a delegation from the United States came to the USSR. After the Secretary General’s heartfelt speech, a young American woman approached him with flowers, whom the loving Secretary General immediately kissed with his characteristic passion and dedication. The hitherto inconspicuous choreography teacher Annie Hollman overnight became famous throughout the world.

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, was the only American president to receive a kiss from the famous Soviet leader.

Brezhnev's friendly kiss with Josip Broz Tito was so powerful that, according to rumors, it even injured the Yugoslav leader's lip.

In 1968, Yasser Arafat visited the USSR for the first time, where he had a meeting with the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. The Palestinian leader quickly gained the Kremlin's trust, as Brezhnev's famous triple kiss can attest.

The passionate kiss of Leonid Ilyich with Indira Gandhi, captured in the photograph, takes its place in her apartment, turned into a museum, along with other relics associated with the name of this great woman.

In 1974, the Cuban leader, flying to the USSR for the first time, already knew about the Secretary General’s ritual of kissing guests upon meeting, and also knew that he would become a laughing stock in his homeland if he allowed this to happen. But an original solution was found. Fidel Castro ran down the ramp with a huge smoking cigar in his teeth, which did not allow Brezhnev to disgrace the Cuban in front of his compatriots.

Leonid Ilyich's most famous kiss was with Erich Honecker, leader of the GDR, in 1971. This act of friendship between peoples was even depicted on the Berlin Wall by the young but very talented artist Dmitry Vrubel. The "Brotherly Kiss" became a symbol of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The historical kiss is already 33 years old this year. Ten years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, in October 1979, general secretary The CPSU Central Committee Leonid Brezhnev and the General Secretary of the SED Central Committee Erich Honecker cemented the brotherly love between the USSR and the GDR with a long and strong kiss.

Since then, it has become fashionable among leaders of different nations to kiss each other because of the convergence of political courses. Although the idea is not new: already in Ancient Rome the owner gave the guest wine from his own lips, showing that it was not poisoned.

"Lord! Help me survive among this mortal love"

The kiss between Brezhnev and Honecker became famous throughout the world thanks to Dmitry Vrubel's graffiti on the Berlin Wall. The artist copied the “story” from a photograph taken by Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper correspondent Barbara Klemm at the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the GDR. She, a representative of the Western (!) press, would never have been allowed to attend the anniversary, where socialist leaders were kissing, but... a happy accident helped.

Inspired by the preparations for the celebration, the organizers did not specify in which Frankfurt the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper was published, deciding that we were talking about Frankfurt an der Oder. And the irreparable happened: a Western photojournalist from Frankfurt am Main penetrated the holy of holies of the socialist camp. When the mistake was discovered, it was already too late: Barbara Klemm’s photograph instantly became a symbol of the era.

Graffiti for memory

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, when Brezhnev was no longer among the living, and the Honecker regime was ordered to live a long time, the artist Dmitry Vrubel began creating his most famous creation - “Brotherly Kiss”. This wall “canvas”, framed by the inscription “Lord! Help me survive among this mortal love,” can still be admired in the German capital. A piece of the wall stands in its old place, within the city, so to speak, as a good memory of the vicissitudes of political fate.

On the eve of the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, we decided to capture people kissing against the backdrop of Vrubel’s famous work. Two couples, having kissed a lot against the backdrop of socialist brotherhood, agreed to tell us their love stories.

Anetta Rakhmanko (Russia) and Mikkel Sommerfeld (Denmark)

“We met at a concert of The Maccabees in 2009 in Berlin,” says Anetta. “I was doing an internship in Germany at the time and was hastily writing a thesis for my St. Petersburg university, and for the night I decided to get away from all my problems. He came from Denmark for the concert, just for one evening."

“We began to correspond, and two weeks later I bought a ticket to Copenhagen with my last money, without even thinking that he was studying in another city. And I sent him (as if by chance) a message that, supposedly, if he had time for a cup tea, then I’ll be glad. I was traveling without money, without any acquaintances and without prospects of finding housing. I almost slept through the plane because I was dreaming and preening all night,” recalls Anetta. “He met me and brought me to some place.” then a friend who left him an apartment for the weekend. At first it was awkward. In principle, I already understood that I was in love like a mouse! We walked around summer Copenhagen all day, and I became more and more aware of how different he was from other Danes, bearded and blond. And when we kissed for the first time, it started! As he saw me off to the plane, he said that if he had a choice of never seeing me again or marrying me and having children with me, he would marry without hesitation... I was scared.

Context

Then there were parties, hitchhiking together to Paris. Soon my visa expired, and meetings began once a month in “saving” countries of the world, where I, a Russian, did not need a visa. Mikkel arrived at one of these meetings wearing a T-shirt on which “Be my wife” was written in Russian. This couldn’t go on for long, so we made up our minds. I went to university in Berlin, left my friends, my job, and my beloved city. He left his design school in Denmark. We found an apartment on the canal and brought our things: one suitcase and one backpack. The first months we slept on the floor. We had two spoons and one saucepan. But it was summer. And terrible romance!

Soon my dad planned to fly from Siberia to Berlin to visit us, and then Mikkel asked me more persistently about the wedding. We dreamed of children. Marriage was not the goal. But somehow everything worked out, we submitted an application in Copenhagen. We had two months to prepare. At the same time, I did an internship in the Bundestag, and there was nothing to do. I bought the dress by chance on Ebay; they found a suit made in the GDR for him in a second-hand store. They called those closest to us and found a wonderful punk chef.

There were some adventures. My passport was at the British Embassy with a visa application at the time and it was delayed for four months. I went to the wedding as an illegal immigrant on a bus, begging the drivers to take me. This is still the happiest day of my life! After honeymoon we constantly had to separate again. But since March of this year we have been constantly living in Berlin and are waiting for a very long-awaited addition. I don’t know where we will end up next. Mikkel is diligently learning Russian and dreams of living in Russia, and I “gnaw” Danish so that I can understand what my husband with my huge belly is talking about.”

Fanny Dietel (Germany) and Mikhail Akkent (Russia)

“We are studying psychology at the Humboldt University,” says Mikhail. “Until our second year, we didn’t pay attention to each other, but one day we ended up in the library together. When we were leaving, Fanny (Fanny Dietel) called me by name and offered to drink coffee. Why she decided to do this, she still cannot explain. There are some moments when it’s not us who decide what to do, but something from the outside.”

“Instead of the planned fifteen minutes, we sat for coffee for two hours. And now we’ve been together for three years,” Mikhail continues the story. “She didn’t know that I was Russian, although now this plays an important role, because Fanny’s parents studied in Tver for five years to doctors, and when she was little, sometimes the family switched to Russian.

I was born in the ancient city of Belozersk, in the Vologda region. Only at the age of nine did I find out that my mother was German. She, of course, speaks perfect Russian, and family history was rarely mentioned in conversations. Our ancestors moved to Russia with Catherine II. What’s most amazing is that when we emigrated to Germany in 1998, we were settled in the same city of Zerbst, where Catherine had left at the age of 16 to marry the future Emperor Peter III. I found this out later, discovering the family history. So we have international families, and I, for example, feel that I carry both cultures within me.

We moved to Germany when I was 10 years old. Of course, at first I felt out of place. An adult can adapt to the situation; it is more difficult for a child to feel like a “stranger.” This was a good incentive to learn the language perfectly. When I speak German today, people rarely guess where I'm from. I kept my native language by the will of my mother. It was not difficult, since in the family we only spoke Russian."