Published on: 2026-05-05
Source: Saint Petersburg State Architectural and Construction University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
By Victory Day, the Saint Petersburg State Architectural and Construction University remembers the fates of its students and graduates whose lives were forever changed by the Great Patriotic War. HistoryGennady Ivanovich Kravets— one of the students of the pre-military LISI — is not only a glimpse into front-line roads, but also a deep testimony to human resilience, compassion, and choice.
Foreboding and the beginning of the war
Family memory contains a remarkable episode: on the eve of the war, grandmotherAntonina YakovlevnaI saw an anxious dream — a looming black cloud from which it is impossible to hide. Only a prayer stopped the disaster. Later, this dream was perceived as a symbol of upcoming trials.
SamGennady IvanovichEncountered the news about the start of the war without realizing its scale. Recent military conflicts seemed somewhat familiar. But with the fall of major cities it became clear: ahead is a catastrophe.
Siege and fight for life
The war found him a student of the architectural faculty of LISI (now SPBGASU). Despite being exempted from military service due to health reasons, he remained in the besieged city.
In conditions of rapid disappearance of food products, oil saved lives. Once he bought linen and walnut oil in an art supply store — not edible, but intended for painting. These supplies helped survive the first, most difficult winter.
Students helped teachers, repaired broken windows, patrolled the city, and extinguished incendiary bombs. During one of the watchesGennady Ivanovichreceived a concussion — the first of many.
Hunger pushed people to desperate measures. They boiled wallpaper, ate carpenter’s glue, experimented with food substitutes. One of these experiments was the lifeline for his comrade. These tragic episodes became part of the daily life of the besieged city.
“…The father recalled,” how they covered up the broken windows of his apartment, as one of the professors did. There was nothing suitable for this purpose at his place, so they had to use folders with his works, manuscripts, and expertises. It was clear that these materials were very dear to him as memories, but what could be done, the dwelling had to be urgently insulated…” (from the memoirs of N. G. Kravets – son of Gennady Ivanovich).
Frontline roads
After evacuation and brief work in the UralsGennady IvanovichVoluntarily went to the front. Since 1942, he served as a signalman in the 32nd Guards Rifle Division.
His combat path went through the North Caucasus, Kuban, Crimea, Sevastopol, the Baltics, and East Prussia. The radio operator’s work required constant risk: he restored communication lines under fire, on which the control of the battle depended.
He was awarded the medal “For Combat Merit” and the Orders of Glory II and III degrees for courage. The award document notes that he repaired dozens of cable damages under continuous shelling, often risking his life.
“…Before the assault on Sapun Mountain, very powerful artillery preparation took place. G.I. recalls: ‘the ground underfoot was soaked with blood…’, but those ascending to the attack kept running into working machine gun nests that could not be suppressed. At this most difficult moment, a group of scouts managed to sneak onto the crest of Sapun Mountain and raise the red flag there. The officer said that as soon as they saw the red flag on the crest, some kind of transformation happened: everyone moved forward together, machine gun positions were suppressed, the Germans were knocked out of the trenches, and this, it seemed, impregnable line was taken…” (from the memoirs of N. G.)Kravec – son of Gennady Ivanovich.
Between life and death
Memories of a frontline soldier are fragmentary, but not lifeless—the living fabric of war. These are terrifying scenes of bombings, tragic accidents, and rare moments of respite.
He survived severe injuries, including during the assault on Königsberg, where he insisted on undergoing the operation without anesthesia in order to save his leg. He suffered concussions and worked through pain and fatigue.
But even in war there was still room for humanity: a random mouse warmed by the night in a dugout, the music of the waltz “Autumn Dream,” suddenly reminding of peaceful life, drawings he created for his comrades.
“…For two years, people on the front got used to the war, trying somehow to distract themselves from it with trifles… Father was a wonderful artist and, having found a sheet of thick paper in one of the houses, drew a self-portrait. The drawing was liked by comrades-in-arms, so he had to depict each of them. The portraits were sent home, perhaps they reached the families of the veterans – comrades of the father…” (from the memoirs of N. G. Kravets – son of Gennady Ivanovich).
Victory and return
After treatment in Krantse (now Zelenogradsk, Kaliningrad region)Gennady IvanovichReturned to Leningrad and completed the education at the institute that was interrupted by the war.
His fate is an example of a generation that went through inhuman trials and managed to preserve in itself dignity, humanity, and the aspiration for creation.
Memory that unites generations
HistoryGennady Ivanovich Kravets– is just one of many, but it is precisely from such personal testimonies that the living memory of the university about the war is formed. Students and teachers of LISIT contributed both to the defense of Leningrad and to the subsequent restoration of the country.
Today, SPBGASU continues to honor this memory by passing it on to new generations. Because Victory is not only a military triumph, but also the feat of those who managed to return to peaceful life and rebuild the country anew.
And this is precisely the special mission of the engineering university: to connect the memory of the past with responsibility for the future.
Other materials of the “Scientific Regiment” project
Our graduate built the Road of Life
Advanced architect Aleksandra Nikolskaya
A scientist who developed science in besieged Leningrad
Battles of student KlinovEngineer of the 3rd Belarusian Front
The path of a volunteer: from front-line roads to space developments
Ivan Solomin: “The most memorable fight is for this Devil’s Peak!”
The Fiery Dnieper of Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Prygunov
Front of Fyodor Komal: from the first minutes of the war until victory
Junior political officer Boris Gubanov: “Shells whistled, and the ground nearby was taking off”
Viktor Kvyatkovskiy – radio operator-intelligence officer of the Baltic Fleet
How chief architect Nikolay Baranov “hid” Leningrad from the enemy
Architect Nikolai Khomutetsky: Four years at the forefront
Semyon Shifrin disrupted the fascists’ plans to leave Leningrad without water
Seventeen-year-old machine gunner assaulted Berlin
Abdulla Mangushev: four years on the front and a lifetime in science
Architects of Zazerski built and defended the city on the Neva
LISI graduate Mikhail Zherbin is a design engineer and composer
Passed the path from technician-lieutenant to a galaxy of mathematicians
Konstantin Sansnovsky: from a cadet of the Russian Empire to an academician of the USSR
Military architect of the front edge of defense and engineering reconnaissance
A scientist with a worldwide reputation, an outstanding engineer and champion of the country
An outstanding urban planner who lived and worked in besieged Leningrad
Architect Alexander Sokolov preserved and restored cultural heritage
Please note; this information is raw content, obtained directly from the information source. It represents an exact report of what the source asserts and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.