Volunteer Anna Markisz, born in 1923, no occupation.
I was deported into unconfined exile [to a location other than a forced labor camp or prison] with my parents on 10 February 1940. I [was] taken from the village of Parszukiewicz- Pole [now Markishy, Belarus], Grodno District, post office Jeziory, Białystok Voivodeship, to the Urals, Molotov Oblast [Region], Kirillovsky Raion [District], post office Vilva, Stepanovka settlement.
The work site was in the forest, 18 kilometers from the settlement – an area referred to as the 59th quarter. There were five barracks and the main office building, occupied by desiatniks [overseers, inmates entrusted with measurements and logging documentation]. The barracks were wooden. We were forced to work and [told] to meet the quota. The daily quota was between 4 and 5 cubic meters per person. There were 150 families living in the settlement.
Living conditions were very bad. Work lasted from 7:00 in the morning until 7:00 in the evening. Hygiene was poor. Nationality: Poles and Ukrainians. There was no remuneration. The food was poor. They gave us clothes, but they later deducted that from the salary. [The] culture was average.
The attitude of the NKVD was very harsh; they would always say – “hair won’t grow on the palm of your hand and Poland will never exist again” – one of the NKVD agents, Krylodkov, kept saying these words. He was the commandant of the settlement.
Medical assistance was poor; a great amount [of people] died, but I don’t remember their
names. I only remember these:
Jan Mazur, died in 1940 at the age of 20.
Wiktor Łazarz, died in 1940 at the age of 20.
Communication with the country was possible.