Editing Pyotr Masherov (section)

== Family and personal life ==
Masherov was known for his welcoming demeanour and willingness to help others; western diplomats who had met him described him as "urbane and intelligent".<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|title=Pyotr Masherov, 62, Leader of Byelorussian Communists|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/10/06/pyotr-masherov-62-leader-of-byelorussian-communists/4a906f06-f7e7-414a-8b7a-bc2bdb9e36f7/|access-date=24 July 2021|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]}}</ref> He enjoyed ballet and theatre, and often visited performances.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ioffe|first=E. G.|title=From Myasnikov to Malofeyev: the Rulers of the BSSR|year=2008|pages=142}}</ref> He also enjoyed reading,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Babosov|first=E. M.|title=Comprehension of the Truth|pages=201}}</ref> [[Banya (sauna)|banya]], and [[association football]]; he interrupted his vacation on the [[Black Sea]] to watch the [[1980 Summer Olympics]]' qualifying matches for football, which were held in Minsk.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Manak|first=Nikolai|title=I Trust You|pages=290–294}}</ref> Masherov was known to visit [[Białowieża Forest]] frequently,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Manak|first=Nikolai|title=I Trust You|pages=297–298}}</ref> and was fond of flying; he flew 104 times in 1978 alone. Flights with Masherov began very early in the morning, typically around 4:00, and would last the entire day with many stops.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Yarosh|first=N. N.|title=Created on Earth and Sky|pages=488–490}}</ref>

During the late 1970s, Masherov needed to have a kidney removed. It was originally desired that the operation be carried out in Minsk, but at the insistence of his wife it was carried out in Moscow instead, as she felt that it would be safer there. According to his personal physician, Nikolai Manak, Masherov did not drink, but smoked often, and suffered from high blood pressure due to stress.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Manak|first=Nikolai|title=I Trust You|pages=286–289}}</ref>

Masherov's older brother Pavel became a major general during the Second World War and was part of the Soviet occupation force during the [[Allied-occupied Austria|Allied occupation of Austria]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Most Secret of Relatives|publisher=OLMA-PRESS|year=2005|pages=512}}</ref> Masherov's eldest daughter {{ill|Natalia Masherova|be|Наталля Пятроўна Машэрава}} later entered politics in an independent Belarus, serving as a member of the [[House of Representatives (Belarus)|House of Representatives]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Masherova, Natalia|url=http://old.house.gov.by/index.php/,2312,4827,,,1,,,0.html|access-date=24 July 2021|website=[[National Assembly of Belarus]]|archive-date=25 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725025656/http://old.house.gov.by/index.php/,2312,4827,,,1,,,0.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> She also ran in the [[2001 Belarusian presidential election]] and placed well in polls, but withdrew following a tirade against her by incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko, saying that she did not intend for her campaign to become "confrontational".<ref>{{Cite news|title=Murders and Elections|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2001/07/15/murders-and-elections/35adb760-b866-4c49-947f-9c31e571ef13/|access-date=24 July 2021|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]}}</ref>