Personal recollections, notes made by comrades in the partisan underground, documentary materials on lives and struggle of people on the territory which was occupied by the German and Rumanian invaders form the core of the essay. For nearly 3 years of harsh occupational regime a big underground and partisan organization that existed in vicinity of Balta town, Odessa region, delivered blows to enemy’s rear area. Unknown hitherto facts about heroic and sometimes tragic events of that time, about defeats and victories of partisans and underground fighters are narrated.

The author considers principal stages and complicated problems of restoration of Russia’s relations with its East European former allies and negative phenomena Russia encounters along this way, as well as new circumstances emerging in connection with NATO the European Union expansion in the course of the East European countries' joining the Western integration blocks. Analysis of all these cardinal international changes occurred during the past decade and a half provides an opportunity not just to take into account lessons of the recent past but also (and that is particular important) to project ways of exit from the acute aggravation of international situation caused by the Ukrainian crisis. This crisis brought about «sanctions» of unpredictable consequences against Russia undertaken by the US and the EU countries including the East European «young Europeans» that follow the US.