When the telegram came, nobody knew where we were going. When there were about 50 or 60 kilometres left to the township of Lelyov where our unit was deployed, we stopped. And local residents on the road side started to cross themselves. They brought and gave us water, fruit, vegetables. When they started to cross themselves, we thought there must be something wrong. And then there was an order to put on protective suits and gas masks. And we realized there was something scary, and we were heading towards it.