"I was afraid that if I said something in Russian, they would kill me!" Larysa Sozaieva revealed her fear about western Ukraine, where she met Viktor Pavlik

Larysa Sozaieva, a dancer and former wife of singer Viktor Pavlik, met her ex-husband in western Ukraine, where her parents were afraid to let her go because of the stereotype of evil "Banderite terrorists." However, despite the fear of her poor knowledge of the Ukrainian language, the woman traveled to the Ternopil region, where she met Pavlik.

As she told in an exclusive interview with OBOZ.UA, she was frightened by her parents' words that a girl could be killed for speaking Russian in western Ukraine. That's why the native of the Poltava region memorized one phrase in Ukrainian so as not to endanger herself.

"My parents told me: where are you going, to the west of Ukraine? There are 'Banderites' there! I didn't even know who they were (laughs). I practically never spoke Ukrainian, although, of course, I learned it at school. When I moved to Ternopil, the Philharmonic employed many people who also spoke Russian, so I wasn't afraid. I memorized a phrase: "Please compost the ticket" in the trolleybus, because I was still worried because of my parents' words that if I said something in Russian, they would kill me here (laughs)," Larysa Sozaieva admitted.

She first saw her future husband at work. Sozaieva noted that before meeting him, Viktor Pavlik did not seem to be the kind of person she would have liked to date. Moreover, he was married and had a family.

"I was born in Myrhorod, Poltava region. After graduating from the College of Culture in Sumy, I wanted to dance in a dance ensemble, I tried out about five times. But since it was 1992, the Philharmonic was also undergoing staff reductions. And I had a friend in the Ternopil Philharmonic, a classmate of mine, so I was hired as a dancer in the "Nadzbruchanka" ensemble, where I met Viktor Pavlik," the woman said.

Larysa Sozaieva noted that the artist spoke Ukrainian, which is why the dancer herself switched to the state language: "But in Ternopil, the Ukrainian language is so beautiful – it's like a song! And, of course, Vitia spoke Ukrainian. I started speaking Ukrainian as well."

She added that at the time she met Viktor Pavlik, they were absolute opposites: the woman was calm and reserved, and the man was "without brakes."

"I met such a cheerful, subversive, empathetic person for the first time in my life. Because of my upbringing, I was very reserved, but Viktor had absolutely no breaks! I was amazed at how he could communicate easily with a stranger, and they became the best of friends! That's why I wanted to communicate with him. Although visually, he was not the kind of person I would like to be with," Sozaieva said.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!