Republic of the USSR

As is known the Soviet Union consisted of 15 Soviet republics. After the collapse of all they went through different paths of development, someone behind, and someone on the contrary went forward. The past can not be returned, and probably do not need, but remember it is always possible. In my country, in Ulyanovsk, Russian and Tatars live together for centuries. We are friends. Russian marry Tatars and Tatars marry Russian. We are no different. While there, some hang on the windshield of the cars cross the other - the words of the Prophet. Here, perhaps, and all.

In the late 70's we the class went on a trip to the capital of Soviet Moscow. And there I first saw the huge number of people in different national costumes. Kazansky Station was gay fluffy fur cap and colorful skullcaps. The Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Tajiks. All of them were well-dressed. All of them came to his capital. They have no one looked askance, the police did not stick to them, but rather respectfully pointed the road ...

In Red Square, I saw a picturesque Turkmen family. There were eight people. They, like us, were standing in line at the Mausoleum. Central to this large family was grandfather elder. He wore a white felt hat, the national coat and boots with upturned noses. From grandfather emanated wisdom. Caught my eye, my grandpa bowed. I was taken aback, and bowed to him in return. I do not know why I did it. In Russian it is not accepted to bow, but I bowed. I did not know my grandfather, but respected. I was taught at school: all men - brothers.

In the early 80s I was drafted into the army and sent to the middle of nowhere - in the Far East. Together with me "to the middle of nowhere" sent a few Russian, German, two Azerbaijanis, Tajiks and Ossetians. Side by side with us were the guys from the other calls - Armenian, Korean, Moldavian, Ukrainian and Chechen. Here's a International. I still remember that time.

I like to eat Korean food in the Far East and sheep's head in Mongolia. I breathlessly eating sugar melon in Samarkand and manta rays in Kazakhstan. In Chechnya, I was treated to cheese and in Dagestan - meat soup, which I was prepared to eat with a plate. And I smiled.

And then people started shooting at each other. I do not know, maybe in all of this, and there is some higher meaning, but I do not see any reason for the killings. Yes, we are all different, but at the same time, we are all the same.

Vladimir VOLZhSKIJj