Johanna Rannula

Dreams and deportation

River Yenisey is an axis of Krasnoyarsk Krai in Siberia where many settled in 19th century and others were deported to during and after the II WW.

Maria Miller and her husband are from the Estonian village Upper Soetuk which was established in 1850 in Krasnoyarsk Krai. Now they live in Katyushkino and still talk to each other in Estonian despite never having been to the country of their ancestors.

Many Estonians were loaded off the cattle cars in Sonskoe railway station and had to walk 30 km on this route to the village of Son with all their belongings.

After more than 6 decades, Marje returned to the village of Son where she spent 8 years of her childhood. She was exhilarated to find her childhood home still standing.

Heino was deported to Balahta area when he was 19 years old. There he found a Volga German wife and when his younger siblings and the rest of deported Estonians returned to their homeland in 1956, Heino decided to stay behind.

Adriha village.

Diana spends her summer holidays at her Volga German grandmother Maria at the village of Adriha. Her family was preparing to move to Germany in early 90s but the plans fell through. Now they live in the city of Abakan 140 away.

Katarina travelled from Estonia to Siberia to find the village Lugavskaya where her grandmother was deported to in 1949, but it was no longer there. Vladimir, a local tour guide, explained that due to the construction of the hydroelectric station on Yenisey river in the 1970s, around 120 settlements were flooded or relocated.

River Yenisey down the stream from the hydroelectric dam.

Alexandr is visiting his childhood home in village Son during his holidays. While he is now based in regional hub Krasnoyarsk, many of his peers and relatives of Volga German descent moved to Germany in the 90s.

Village Son.

Krasnoyarsk.

Olga shows off a blanket that was made in Estonia from Siberian wool. Her mother was deported to Siberia in 1949, but did not return with her family to their homeland in 1957, because she had two little daughters by that time. They kept ties.

Chistoe Pole village.

Karin (right) was born in Siberia to a Volga German father and Estonian mother, both deported to Chistoe Pole in 1940s. Her mother took Karin to their homeland in late 50s and Karin knew little of her father. In 2010 she went to Siberia to look for his traces and found that she had 5 half-sisters. In 2017 she returned to also see their fathers grave.

Krasnoyarsk.

Leili and Leida are twins who were deported to the village of Son in 1949. Their mother took them back to Estonia in late 1950s to find out that they were no longer welcome and still considered "public enemies". Only after 6 month, they returned to Siberia and stayed.

Museum at Krasnoyarsk.

Village Son.

Külli looks down on the village of Son where she spent 8 years of her childhood. She was deported there at age 4 with her sister and mother. After more that 6 decades the realised her life-long dream to come back to her childhood memories once again.