Lake Seliger
Idrisov was drafted into the Red Army in October 1939 and assigned to the 125th Rifle Division in the Baltic states. He received training as a machine-gunner and saw combat from the first day of the German-Soviet War during the defense against Operation Barbarossa. With the rest of his regiment he retreated Northeast. In July 1941, his Division took up defensive positions on the Pskov-Velikiye Luki line between Lake Ilmen and Lake Seliger. There, they repulsed frequent German attacks against Leningrad; Idrisov was reported to have killed 22 German soldiers with his machine gun, resulting in him being sent for training to become a sniper.