It was a crisp winter afternoon, and a thick blanket of snow covers the ground. The air is still and silent, save for the occasional crunch of footsteps of the running children. The sun, a pale disc in the sky, casts a soft, ethereal glow on the world.

Moldova: “Haha! You can't catch me!” Moldova teased, evading his older sister.

Ukraine: “We'll see about that!” Ukraine smiled playfully, chasing after her younger brother.

A flurry of laughter and shouts echoed through the snowy landscape as the 14 young children ( Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan) of the USSR, bundled in their winter coats and scarves, chased each other in the game of tag. But Russia, the oldest, stood apart, his figure against the backdrop of the snow-covered porch. He held a book in his hands while seated on the steps, his eyes focusing on the words.