sentences:  Father, already having a russified name, Ivan Yakovlevich Blank, began his career as an interpreter for the German architects in Saint Petersburg.Eventually, he became an assistant to Russian architect, Pyotr Yeropkin, who was closely associated with then-powerful courtier Artemy Volynsky.In June 1740, Volynsky and Yeropkin lost their heads for the alleged conspiracy against Anna of Russia.