I studied with interest the issuance of Yandex for the word "RVIO".
The All-Russian public-state organization "Russian Military Historical Society" is a voluntary self-governing public-state association founded in 2012 by decree of the President of the Russian Federation V. Putin, whose activities, according to the declaration, are aimed at studying and popularizing military history Russia, as well as the preservation of military-historical cultural heritage.
On June 16, 2016, the self-government of the society led to the grand opening of the board to the Finnish Marshall Mannerheim in St. Petersburg, on Zakharyinskaya 22.
The Russian Military Historical Society was formed in accordance with the Decree of the President Russian Federation dated December 29, 2012 No. 1710 and is considered the successor of the Imperial Russian Military Historical Society that existed in 1907-1914.
The Imperial Military Historical Society lasted only seven years and formally ended in 1917, although already in 1914 "everyone went to the front." I believe that the imperial society did not have time to mark the opening of a monument, or some kind of a board, say, Tamemoto Kuroki or Jezairli Gazi Hassan Pasha, and even none of the Napoleonic generals was properly commemorated, as far as I know.
One of the initiators of the creation of the society was the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Historical and Political Sciences Vladimir Medinsky, who was elected on March 14, 2013 to Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow at the founding congress as its chairman. Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Philosophy, became the Chairman of the Society's Board of Trustees.
The company in a voluntary self-governing society crept up white, not to say monarchical. Sooner or later, some trick was bound to happen. In fact, the style was kept for more than three years.
According to the Charter of the Russian Military Historical Society, its activities are aimed at “consolidating the forces of the state and society in the study of the military historical past of Russia, promoting the study of Russian military history, countering attempts to distort it, ensuring the popularization of the achievements of military historical science, educating patriotism, raising prestige military service and preservation of objects of military-historical cultural heritage"
With Mannerheim, it didn’t work out very according to the charter. The consolidation of society was expressed in the unanimous indignation of society in response to the actions of the authorities, pouring green paint over the monument, then red paint.
The study of history, in this situation, is rather forced: thousands of citizens got acquainted with the geometry of the blockade, the history of Finnish concentration camps for the Soviet population, the influence of the Finns on food supplies and their plans for the optimal position of the border when the city ceases to exist.
There is clearly no question here of counteracting distortion and popularization of the achievements of historical science.
You will be told about the upbringing of patriotism by photographs of the guard of honor, which salutes military honor to the murderer of your people.
The board of the company includes Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, head of the FSO Evgeny Murov, head of the Renova Group of Companies Viktor Vekselberg, the main shareholder of AFK Sistema Vladimir Yevtushenkov, one of the founders of Wimm-Bill-Dann David Yakobashvili, Chairman of the Management Board of JSC Transneft Nikolai Tokarev, ex-President of JSC Russian railways» Vladimir Yakunin. The scientific council of the society is headed by the chairman of the CEC of Russia, Vladimir Churov.
RVIO has about 40 branches throughout Russia (40 people work in Moscow alone), one of the most active - Kirov - is headed by the local governor Nikita Belykh. Premises for branches of the military-historical society were sought at the expense of the Ministry of Culture.
In my opinion, everything is clear here. Creamy from the entire post-Soviet beau monde, from Shoigu to Nikita Belykh. I repeat, a major provocation from such a composition was just a matter of time.
Further, a section is of some interest, which lists more than twenty monuments that the RVIO installed in various regions of Russia and France. Actually, this impressive list of made me remember the quote that I put in the title image of the post.
The board with Mannerheim crosses out all the positive achievements of the RVIO over the three years of work. As if crossed out the future ...
It should be noted that the news about the opening of the board was not removed from the RVIO news feeds anywhere (http://rvio.histrf.ru/activities/news/item-2633).
Although on Twitter they preferred to hide behind a scan of the Red Star with the exchange of telegrams between Stalin and Mannerheim after the war.
Indeed, only 140 characters, you never know what they will say in short form respected organizer of twenty monuments, who spat in the face of millions of patriotic compatriots.
A memorial plaque to Carl Gustav Mannerheim was solemnly opened in St. Petersburg today. At the ceremony, to the dissatisfied cries of supporters of the Anti-Maidan movement, head of the presidential administration Sergei Ivanov and Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky spoke. Mr. Ivanov suggested not to “throw out the words from the song”: after all, before collaborating with Adolf Hitler as President of Finland, Karl Mannerheim was a hero of the Russian tsarist army. Historians urge not to use history for political purposes.
A memorial plaque to Karl Mannerheim is installed today on the building of the Military Academy of Material and Technical Education in St. Petersburg. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the tablet, the head of the Kremlin administration, Sergei Ivanov, urged not to justify the Finnish period of Karl Mannerheim's life, but also not to forget the worthy service of the Russian general. “As they say, you can’t throw out a word from a song. No one is going to whitewash Mannerheim's actions after 1918, but until 1918 he served Russia and, to be completely frank, he lived and served in Russia longer than he served and lived in Finland,” Mr. Ivanov said. The head of the administration also said that he had brought with him two "historical documents". “On January 1, 1918, he (Karl Mannerheim.- "b") wrote a report-application for dismissal from military service and asked for a pension, quite legally, by the way, - Mr. Ivanov clarified. - And the second document is even more amazing: in February 1918, the Soviet government granted Mannerheim a pension in the amount of 3761 rubles. , a lot of money at that time, that is, General Mannerheim was a Soviet military pensioner.
Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky explained that the installation of monuments to the heroes of the First World War, who then ended up on the other side of the barricades, is "an attempt to overcome the tragic split in society." “To those who are now shouting there, I want to remind from us: you don’t have to be holier than the Pope and you don’t have to try to be a greater patriot and communist than Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin,” the minister advised representatives of the Anti-Maidan movement, who accompanied the ceremony with an action protest, shouting: "Shame on the traitors of the motherland!"
Karl Mannerheim was a hero of the tsarist army, participated in Russo-Japanese War, commanded parts of the Russian army in the First world war. After the Bolsheviks came to power, he left for his homeland, in Finland, which proclaimed independence. In 1918, Karl Mannerheim became commander-in-chief of the Finnish army. Under his leadership, in the period from 1933 to 1939, a system of defensive fortifications was built on the Karelian Isthmus along the border with the USSR, which later became known as the "Mannerheim Line". He commanded troops during the Soviet-Finnish war, as well as during World War II on the side Nazi Germany, although he strongly rejected the plan to capture Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). In August 1944, he was elected president of the country and signed a truce with the USSR.
Sergei Ivanov yesterday recalled that during the Russo-Japanese War, Karl Mannerheim was wounded twice and received high state awards. And in 1906-1908 he made a horse trip to China and made a lot of valuable military observations, after which he returned to St. Petersburg and continued his service, went through the entire First World War and participated in the Brusilov breakthrough. And Vladimir Medinsky added that Joseph Stalin "personally defended Mannerheim, ensured his election and the preservation of the post of President of Finland for him and knew how to treat a defeated but worthy opponent with respect."
“It is important to distinguish between politicking, the use of history for political purposes, and simply the study of history,” Vladislav Kononov, executive director of the Russian Military Historical Society (RVIO), told Kommersant. It was the RVIO that initiated the installation of monuments to the heroes Patriotic War 1812, the First World War, as well as the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, the search for unknown heroes of which continues today. “Enough clichés, stop using categorical judgments, we need to better understand our own history,” Mr. Kononov urges. “There is no reassessment of history. If we talk about Karl Mannerheim as a Russian general before 1918, then we must be equal to such heroes.
Ekaterina Grobman
A memorial plaque in memory of the Finnish commander who fought in World War II against the Soviet Union and participated in the blockade of Leningrad was installed in St. Petersburg today, June 16. The reaction of society was not long in coming: politicians, experts and ordinary citizens of St. Petersburg and Russia made condemning statements against the initiators of the installation of the memorial plaque. At this time, the authors of this historic initiative declare that by doing so they tried to "reconcile and unite society," the correspondent reports.
Head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation Sergey Ivanov today took part in the installation ceremony in St. Petersburg Memorial plaque to Finnish Marshal and President Karl Mannerheim on the facade of the building of the Military Academy of Logistics on Zakharyevskaya Street in St. Petersburg. It was decided to open the facility perpetuating an ally of Nazi Germany on Thursday, June 16, as part of the anniversary XX St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, TASS reports.
According to the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky, the board is installed in order to "save memory".
“The plaque in honor of Mannerheim is another of our attempts to overcome the tragic split in our society on the eve of the centenary of the Russian revolution. That is why we erect monuments to the heroes of the First World War throughout the country, who later ended up on opposite sides of the barricades,” he said.
At the opening ceremony, Sergei Ivanov recalled the contribution that Mannerheim made in the Russo-Japanese and World War I.
“As they say, you can’t erase words from a song. No one is going to whitewash Mannerheim’s actions after 1918, but until 1918 he served Russia, and to be completely frank, he lived and served in Russia longer than he served and lived in Finland," Ivanov said at the opening.
At the same time, on the eve of the opening of the memorial tablet, a petition to the President of the Russian Federation with a request " to prevent the installation in St. Petersburg of a memorial plaque to the fascist ally Karl Mannerheim". At the time of publication of the news, the petition was signed by about 830 campaigners.
The text of the petition says:
"We want to change the plans of the Russian military-historical society to install in St. Petersburg a memorial plaque to Karl Mannerheim, an ally of Adolf Hitler."
Supported the petition political figure Daria Mitina. She asked readers on her Facebook page to "sign a petition to prevent the perpetuation of the memory of fascist henchman Mannerheim in St. Petersburg - Leningrad!"
"Carl Gustav Emil von Mannerheim, President of Finland, former general Russian army, really was an ally of Hitler and received awards from his hands. His subsequent surrender this fact doesn't smooth at all. Let commemorative plaques and monuments be erected to him in his homeland, and in St. Petersburg, which suffered from the blockade, arranged, including by the Finns, the commemorative plaque will look like strange at least", - writes in the comments one of the citizens who signed the petition.
In an appeal delivered on June 16 in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, it was noted that Marshal Karl Mannerheim "commanded the Finnish-fascist troops during the blockade of Leningrad, destroy the city named after Lenin, the cradle of the Great October revolution along with its defenders and residents."
"Deputies of the Communist Party faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg strongly condemn plan to install a memorial plaque in honor of Hitler's accomplice, Finnish Marshal Karl Mannerheim and perceive this act as mockery of the blessed memory of the dead into the blockade of Leningraders and the defenders of the city, as an act of desecration of our Great Motherland," the statement emphasizes.
"Attempts to falsify and slander Soviet history and rehabilitation of fascist criminals - Vlasov, Mannerheim, Krasnov and others in Russia, the legal successor of the USSR, which won Nazi Germany, mean only one thing, that ATThe Great Patriotic War, by and large, has not ended even todayI. Followers of Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin continue to wage it against our country, and while they are in power, Russia will not be independent, great and prosperous," the head of the Communist Party faction concluded VladimirDmitriev.
Deputies from the Communist Party recalled that Russian legislation provides for responsibility for the rehabilitation of Nazism- art. 354.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. In particular, the approval of crimes established by the International Military Tribunal is prohibited. According to the communists, the installation of this memorial plaque is aboutapproval of the crimes of the Nazis and their accomplices. In particular, the actual approval of their inhuman actions to destroy the civilian population of the besieged city.
"Installing a memorial plaque is a blasphemous action, disregard for all the blockade, all those who died in besieged Leningrad, those who gave their lives in the fight against fascism. It is especially scary that this is happening on the eve of June 22 - Day of Remembrance and Sorrow.", - said the deputy head of the Communist Party faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Alexey Vorontsov to the Assistant City Attorney Olga Andreeva.
He shared his opinion on perpetuating the memory of the Finnish marshal with On the eve.RU writer, historian, author of books about the Great Patriotic War, resident of St. Petersburg Igor Pykhalov.
"If in the situation with Kadyrov (one of the bridges of St. Petersburg on June 16 was named after Akhmat Kadyrov - note Nakanune.RU) it is still possible to argue, then everything is clear here. Mannerheim is just an ally of Hitler and an accomplice in the blockade of Leningrad, therefore signage is strictly prohibited. A year ago, such an initiative was "beaten off", the board was removed. Now I'm even afraid to predict. But here everything is clear: there should be no Mannerheim boards", - said the expert.
In connection with the public outcry around the memorial plaque to Mannerheim, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation commented on the situation Dmitry Peskov. In his opinion, the Finnish marshal is a person "whose role will be studied by historians for a long time to come."
"Indeed, Sergey Borisovich Ivanov is participating today in the opening of a memorial plaque, and, indeed, Mannerheim's personality is still causes controversy. But one can definitely say that this is a unique personality", - Dmitry Peskov said in response to a question about how the Kremlin treats the installation of the board to the marshal, who took the side of Germany in World War II and participated in the blockade of Leningrad, RIA Novosti quotes.
In response to the public reaction, which mainly condemned the decision to install the tablet, Vladimir Medinsky stated:
"To those who are now shouting there, I want to remind from us: no need to be holier than the pope and one should not try to be a greater patriot and communist than Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, who personally defended Mannerheim, ensured his election and the preservation of the post of President of Finland for him and knew how to treat a defeated but worthy opponent with respect,” said the Minister of Culture.
Recall that Mannerheim is national hero Finland. Of the 83 years of his life, 30 years were associated with Russia. In 1887, he entered the Nikolaev Cavalry School in St. Petersburg, served in the 15th Alexander Dragoon Regiment, in the Cavalier Guard Regiment. In 1897-1903, Mannerheim was in the service of the imperial court in St. Petersburg. Participated in the Russo-Japanese War, commanded various units of the active Russian army in the First World War.
After the Bolsheviks came to power, Mannerheim left for Finland, which in December 1917 declared independence from Russia. In 1918 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Army. In 1941-1944, he led the Finnish armed forces in the war against the USSR, while, contrary to the requirements of Germany, he refrained from attacking Leningrad from the north. Remaining the commander-in-chief of the Finnish armed forces, in August 1944 he was elected president of the country and concluded a truce with the USSR.
As reported, about a year ago in St. Petersburg, then the installation was prevented.
In St. Petersburg, a memorial plaque was erected on the building of the Military Engineering and Technical University with the name of the General of the Russian Army, and later Marshal and President of Finland Karl Mannerheim. The ceremony was attended by the head of the presidential administration, Sergei Ivanov, who said that "no one is going to whitewash Mannerheim's actions after 1918, but until 1918 he served Russia," Interfax reports.
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Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, who was also present at the ceremony, said that the monuments to the heroes of the First World War are an attempt "to cope with the tragic split in society," RBC reports.
Karl Mannerheim served in the Russian army from 1887 to 1917, starting as a cornet and ending with the rank of lieutenant general. He participated in the Russo-Japanese and World War I. Shortly after the October Revolution, he returned to Finland shortly before it declared independence. Later, he headed the Defense Council of Finland and commanded its army during the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939–40, and with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he led the offensive in Karelia on the side of the Axis. In 1944, Mannerheim became president of Finland, replacing the retired Risto Ryti, and signed peace with the USSR.
According to the candidate of historical sciences Kirill Alexandrov, Mannerheim faithfully served in the Russian army until 1917, has 10 officer awards and is one of the symbols of St. Petersburg.
Of course, in Leningrad, a board for Baron Mannerheim would be out of place. But our city has been called Petersburg again for 25 years, in which not only palaces are organic, but also people - in the first place. Mannerheim is an outstanding representative of the Russian guards society and the Russian imperial army late XIX- the beginning of the twentieth century. Our memory is discrete - we remember that the Finnish troops during the Second World War fought against Soviet Union. But the memory of the military, royal, guards Petersburg, Petersburg Great War, as they called the First World War, we do not have - there is no memory of Mannerheim.
Kirill Alexandrov recalls that Mannerheim is a lieutenant general of the Russian imperial army, an officer whose awards include the Order of St. George IV degree and the very prestigious St. George weapon received for bravery. The historian also recalls that contemporaries called the First War the Second Patriotic War, so Carl Gustav Mannerheim can be considered a hero of the Second Patriotic War.
The memorial plaque to Mannerheim on Zakharyevskaya, 22 was installed on the second attempt - a year ago they already tried to install it in another place, on Galernaya Street, but then, due to the ambiguous attitude of the townspeople, the event was postponed.
An epic stretching for four months with the installation of a commemorative plaque in St. Petersburg Marshal Carl Gustav Mannerheim, completed.
On the evening of October 13, workers using special equipment dismantled a memorial sign from the wall of the Military Academy of Logistics of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on Zakharyevskaya Street, after which they took it away in an unknown direction.
Since there was no information about the purpose of what was happening, there was an assumption that the board was sent for restoration after numerous attacks on it.
However, then a message appeared on the website of the Russian Military Historical Society, from which it follows that the dismantling of the sign is final.
“Memorial sign to Karl Mannerheim, previously located in St. Petersburg on the building of the Military Academy of Logistics named after General of the Army A.V. Khrulev, transferred by the Russian Military Historical Society to the Tsarskoe Selo Museum-Reserve. Now,” the post reads.
Gustav Mannerheim in 1918. Photo: Public Domain
Homage to the organizer of the blockade
As emphasized in the statement, the sign will be kept in its current form, without restoration - "as a symbol of historical disputes in modern Russian society."
Carl Gustav Mannerheim, a former commander of the Russian army, after Finland gained independence, actively participated in civil war in this country, culminating in the victory of the local "whites". A short but bloody conflict ended in mass terror against the "Reds", to which Mannerheim had a direct relationship.
During the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, and then during the Great Patriotic War, Mannerheim was the commander in chief Finnish army. In this capacity, he took part in the blockade of Leningrad, the victims of which were hundreds of thousands of civilians. In Karelia, occupied by Mannerheim's troops, concentration camps were organized for the Karelian and Russian population.
It was these circumstances that caused a wave of protests against the opening of a memorial plaque to Mannerheim in the city on the Neva.
Gustav Mannerheim in 1942. Photo: Public Domain
Ax as a discussion tool
The first attempt to install the board was made in 2015. She was supposed to take a place on the facade of house number 31 on Galernaya Street, where military intelligence was located before the October Revolution. Russian Empire. However, literally on the eve of the planned ceremony, all events were canceled.
As a result, the board was opened on June 16, 2016 on the facade of house No. 22 on Zakharyevskaya Street, where the building of the Military Engineering and Technical University is located. Until 1948, this place was the church of the Saints and Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment in which Mannerheim served.
Participated in the opening ceremony Minister of Culture of Russia Vladimir Medinsky and then Head of the Presidential Administration of Russia Sergei Ivanov.
Almost from the first day of its existence, the memorial sign to Mannerheim was attacked. He was doused several times with paint, feces, acid, attacked with an ax.
"No one's" memorial
At the same time, a lawsuit was filed with the court demanding the dismantling of the commemorative sign.
The Council for Memorial Plaques under the Government of St. Petersburg refused to recognize this commemorative sign as a memorial plaque due to several violations. The St. Petersburg Committee for Culture cited technical errors, incorrect data, and the lack of permits.
At the same time, the authorities stated that they could not dismantle the board, as they did not know who it belonged to.
There was a truly unique situation - a memorial sign was solemnly opened, which, according to the authorities of St. Petersburg, belonged to no one knows who and no one knows on whose initiative it was installed at all.
Surrender
The apotheosis of this theater of the absurd was the decision of the Smolninsky District Court, which rejected the claim of the city dweller Pavel Kuznetsov to the authorities on the recognition of the illegal installation of a memorial plaque to the first president of Finland, Carl Gustav Mannerheim, and its dismantling.
The reasoning for the judge's decision was as follows: since the city authorities say they did not install the board, it means that there were no illegal actions. Consequently, there is no reason to demand that the administration of St. Petersburg remove the plaque.
The miracles of jurisprudence, however, did not confuse the opponents of honoring the memory of Mannerheim. On October 13, it became known that Kuibyshevsky district court accepted a new lawsuit for dismantling, this time from the blockade Flora Gerashchenko.
On the same day, a group of activists tried to hang an “alternative” sign next to the memorial, with the inscription “In memory of the most cowardly governor of St. Petersburg.” The protesters were arrested and taken to the police station. They explained that they wanted to protest against the position of the city authorities, who refuse to interfere in the situation with the scandalous sign.
It became obvious that the expectation that passions would subside over time did not work. And, finally, on the evening of October 13, the memorial sign left St. Petersburg.
