Aurel,
"When I was younger so much younger than today" (c), almost every non-Russian Slav was able to understand, at least partially, the Russian language. Regretfully, Russians in their turn have never given a damn to understand anything but Russian. Russian is my mother tongue though I am a Ukrainian by nationality and blood, and though for over 40 years I've been and still am living in the Republic of Belarus and am the bearer of a Belarusian passport.
Belarus has two official languages, Belarusian and Russian.
Thus my full name is:
Мiхаiл Мiхайлавiч Лабко-Лабаноўскi - in Belarusian (given name / parental name / double surname as per my passport)
Михаил Михайлович Лобко-Лобановский - in Russian (same)
Михайло Михайлович Лобко-Лобановський - in Ukrainian (same as per my Ukrainian matriculation card)
Michael Lobko-Lobanovsky - in English (given name / double surname as per my passport for foreign travel)
Mike Lobanovsky - in English (informal diminutive of given name / single surname for casual addressing)
I have never been too intravert or touchy to hide my origin or identification behind artificial nicknames. I have nothing to hide from, or be ashamed of in, people's eyes.
I always wondered what
E and
V initials stand for in Charles' name?