As a young adult, when studying at the technical school, I kept pigeons in the attic. My brother and I loved pigeons. Interestingly, I received a message from the city committee of the Komsomol, inviting me to a meeting of pigeon breeders in Minsk.

Why did the Komsomol deal with pigeons? After the war, there were no pigeons in Minsk, so they were brought from Riga by an athlete who was trained by my father. He was paid some money for bringing wild pigeons from Riga. I had 40 pigeons. My father was very welcoming about my interest in pigeons.