Many people worked on the railway, supervised by a Polish foreman named Grzegorz (the name is fictional). A good guy, tall, green-eyed, about 25 years old. It was with him that Ivan befriended the most. The boys understood each other well, each speaking their own language. And there were no complaints about Ivan; he performed any, even the most difficult task. What else could he do? The lazy didn’t live long.

— Hey, Ivan, I need to talk. Is Bilashchenko Maria your sister? — Grzegorz addressed his subordinate.

— Yes, did something happen to her? — the boy asked in alarm, bracing for the worst.

— She was listed. To Germany. If so, I’ll try to help. If anything goes wrong, you knew nothing. And don’t tell her. It will be safer.

The next morning, Grzegorz had to read out the list of those from his brigade who were to gather and leave for Germany. People stood waiting with a bad feeling.

— Step forward: Lidiya Antonenko, Viktor Andrukhovych, Oleksandr Baranetsky, Yevhenia Vovk… and Tetiana Yarosh. You have 2 hours to pack, you’re leaving in the evening, — he announced, skipping the name Bilashchenko.

Thus, Grzegorz saved the life of an innocent girl, not yet realizing that it wouldn’t be the last time he helped his friend’s family. A month passed, the work was exhausting, food was scarce, and they managed to rest only a few hours a day. The Germans and policemen stood by, forcing them to work even when there was no strength left. Ivan increasingly understood that escape would be his only salvation. But fate had its own plans.

Days went by, monotonous days followed others: railway — bed — railway. Eventually, Grzegorz approached Ivan again and warned him that in the evening he and the other boys would be taken to Germany and killed there. It was too late to escape, as the Germans had already forced the youth to load their valuables and clothes into the wagons. Ivan didn’t hesitate and warned everyone he knew about the occupiers’ intentions.

— Today, the Germans will load us into wagons and take us to their place, and that’s the end. There are many of us, around 30-40. When we leave, I’ll say when, and we’ll all jump out one by one and scatter in the forest in different directions. It’s the only way to save ourselves.

They did as planned. The boys, all young and strong, quickly scattered in different directions, thereby preventing the Germans from catching them. They managed to hide 36in the forest, and then slowly moved towards Dmytrivka. After three days, they reached the village, and the Reds began their offensive, so the occupiers had no time for the escapees.