Ivan's Capture

In 1937, Ivan made the thousand mile pilgrimage to Leningrad from Belaya Glina to study art.

While attending the Art Academy (1937-41), there were many times he went without shoes or overcoats. Soup and an occasional piece of bread were his meals, and more times than not, he went completely without food. Housing was shared with 6-8 other students in one room, with most of them sleeping on the floor.

Upon completion of Ivan’s studies at the Repin Academy in the late spring of 1941, Ivan took a job as interior decorator in the resort city of Petrozavodsk, located a few miles northeast of Leningrad. Unknown to him, his stay there was to be extremely short-lived.

On June 22, 1941, Adolf Hitler’s armies invaded the Soviet Union and the siege of Leningrad ensued. Along with hundreds of thousands of other Slavic people, Ivan Garikow was taken prisoner. Along with many others,he was considered to be an “untermench” (sub-human). These people were designated to be exterminated as undesirables by the Nazi regime.