Seven Long Years

The beloved Russian actor Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin will always be remembered by most viewers as the good-natured hero of comedy films and the brilliant clown of the Moscow Circus. Few can associate his amusing characters in films with that of a senior sergeant who went through the Great Patriotic War. In one episode of The Diamond Arm, Yuri Nikulin's character the clumsy-Gorbunkov casually mentioned: I did not handle combat weapons in the war. However, not many will guess that behind this light-hearted phrase lies the heavy military experience of the artist. After all, Yuri Nikulin has almost 8 years of service and two wars behind him - the Finnish and the Great Patriotic War. Seven long years – these are not the memories of a great actor, but of an ordinary soldier who endured hunger, pneumonia, and war, yet found the strength to laugh even when blood and pain surrounded him.