During the 18th century , Seel 's German-speaking ancestors were among those invited by Catherine the Great ( and her son Paul and grandson Alexander who ruled after her ) to settle the Russian territories . Communist rule was established as a result of the 1917 Russian Revolution , and Joseph Stalin came to power in the late 1920s . In the 1930s , Stalin began his political purges . The secret police would always come at night in a vehicle that was nicknamed the Black Raven . Men became scarce in the villages and it was n't long before Seel himself was arrested — after praying a simple prayer at a funeral
political purges
Great Purge
Under Jakob's Ladder