Background
Ivan Mavrodi was born in the largely Bulgarian village of Katarzhino (Катаржино), later Stalino, now Krasnoznamenka (Краснознаменка), Odessa Oblast, Ukraine, to a family of Bulgarian resettlers to the Russian Empire.
Ivan Mavrodi was born in the largely Bulgarian village of Katarzhino (Катаржино), later Stalino, now Krasnoznamenka (Краснознаменка), Odessa Oblast, Ukraine, to a family of Bulgarian resettlers to the Russian Empire.
In 1935 he graduated from Odessa Pedagogical Institute and worked as teacher in rural schools.
During the Great Patriotic War he joined the active service in the Soviet Army. His first publications are dated by 1932.