23 The city must have been Novgorod, which is situated at the convergence of the Volga and Oka Rivers. At this point along the Trans-Siberian Railway route, Ingelore and her parents had travelled approximately 300 kilometres from Moscow.

24 Special NKVD police units were organized not only in every large oblast but also in nearly every city. Almost all gathering places, including railroad stations and trains, educational institutions, parks, theatres, and even libraries were under constant surveillance by NKVD operatives (Medvedev, Let History Judge, 657).