‘I Want Everybody to Live in Peace’ : Voices of Grief, Pride, Hope

“We came here to pay a last tribute to the heroes of the nation. I was here at the White House for two nights. Now I know what a ‘combat situation’ is. And I do not want my child and future children ever to know what it is. I want everybody to live in peace. We must remember these guys to our last days. Yes, I have explained who they are to my daughter already.”

--Ivan Teplov, 27, elevator mechanic, attending the march with his wife, Olga, 23, a maternity nurse, and daughter Alexandra, 4.

‘It Could Have Been Me’

“We had a lot of our guys here those days. It looks like a lot of time has passed but it was only yesterday! These three guys died. . . . It could have been me or some of my friends. I saw how this happened. I don’t want it to happen again. The sooner (Russian Federation leader Boris N.) Yeltsin issues his revolutionary decrees leaving no base for the Communists the better.”

--Fedor Antipov, 18, sophomore at Moscow State University.

‘Symbol of Resistance’

“I came here because I think this is virtually the most important, the turning point in my understanding of reality. Look how many people came here. It is a sea of people. This means it is important not only for me. This is an event of national importance. I don’t even know who those guys were. For me they are a symbol of resistance, resistance to the dark forces of the past.”

--Natasha Andreyeva, 22, clothes designer.

‘They All Must Go’

“I was in the army and I know what that is. We were like slaves or serfs there. We did what we were ordered to do. You just can’t say ‘no’ in the army. And I do not want any cruel revenge for the guys who were in the tank. They committed a crime--they killed people--but they were fulfilling orders. If they refused, it would be just another crime. Those responsible for the murders are not soldiers, but the generals. They all must go, we have too many of them anyway.”

--Pavel Ovchinnikov, 25, driver.

‘To Kill or Not to Kill’

“I was also in the army and I also know what it is. Non-fulfillment of orders is a crime. But not all Germans became fascists, there were those who resisted, though very few. One has to decide for himself--to kill or not to kill. You can sabotage and say something is wrong with the tank or machine gun.”

--Vadim Ortman, 30, computer analyst, arguing with Paul Ovchinnikov.

‘Period of Purification’

“We are living through a period of purification. I taught my students what I had to teach them according to the officially approved state programs. In history, this means I was lying to my students. I cannot forgive myself for this. I met my students here two nights ago. We talked and talked. This September I will come to the classroom a different teacher. Let them fire me if they want. I will start reading (Alexander) Solzhenitsyn to my students. The guys are heroes. I cannot find a different word for them. They made me free in my thoughts and actions. I am very grateful for this.”

--Semyon Dedykh, 38, history teacher.