Why did they open a memorial plaque to Mannerheim? The reverse side of the board: who beat Mannerheim. What happened after installing the board
The memorial plaque, which became a stumbling block for the city administration and activists, disappeared from the walls of the Military Engineering and Technical University on the evening of October 13, life.ru writes.
On the evening of October 13, at 22:30, the long-suffering memorial plaque to Karl Mannerheim was removed from the wall of the former barracks of the Cavalier Regiment on Zakharyevskaya Street in St. Petersburg.
Two men climbed through the scaffolding to the height of the second floor of the building, to the level where the board was hanging, below there were people in uniform and several other people.
Photo: © L! FE
The men hooked the plank onto a crane hook, then loosened it and tore it off the wall.
Photo: © L! FE
After that, the memorial sign was loaded onto a crane, which took him away from Zakharyevskaya Street.
Photo: © L! FE
A memorial plaque to Karl Gustav Mannerheim was placed on Zakharyevskaya Street on June 16, 2016. The bas-relief depicting the lieutenant general was solemnly erected on the wall of the Military Engineering and Technical University - in the very center of the city, a stone's throw from the Tauride Garden, the St. Petersburg administration and other significant places - at the initiative of the Russian Military Historical Society.
The opening of the plaque was attended by the head of the Presidential Administration of Russia Sergei Ivanov and Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky. The event took place in an extremely solemn atmosphere: despite all the ambiguity of Mannerheim's personality, it was not without an orchestra and a guard of honor. However, the honors shown to the white general who took part in the blockade of Leningrad, many residents of the city were extremely outraged.
The Internet was stirred up by a wave of negative comments from Petersburgers, amazed by such an act. "The plaque to the executioner of Russians Mannerheim in St. Petersburg is an insult to the memory of the fallen soldiers and residents of Leningrad!", "He was Hitler's accomplice and helped in maintaining the blockade of Leningrad from the northwest. Installing a memorial plaque for him in this city is a mockery of hundreds of thousands of dead blockades!" " - similar statements rained down in the media and in social networks. But the indignation of Petersburgers was not limited to the Internet space alone.
Very soon the memorial plaque was painted red - already on June 19, just three days after the celebrations with the orchestra and Vladimir Medinsky, the bas-relief was poured with scarlet paint. Who took this step for the first time remained a mystery, but the first swallow was by no means the last.
Photo: © L! FE
In early August, the second of August, the red color scheme again changed the image of the lieutenant general and the former president of Finland. However, this time there were organizers of this kind of protest action who were not afraid to take responsibility. They turned out to be representatives of the unregistered National Bolshevik Party "Other Russia". However, despite the fact that the "paint throwers" were caught by law enforcement officers, one might say, on a hot spot, the police did not detain them.
Both the first and the second time, the "bloody" spots were washed off the marshal's face. Then opponents of the idea to perpetuate the memory of Mannerheim decided to use "heavy artillery" - the bas-relief was poured with acid.
While activists and unknown opponents of Carl Gustav were spoiling the plaque along with the walls of the former barracks of the Cavalry Regiment, on which it hung, the rest of the citizens tried to convince the administration to simply remove and remove the apple of discord. But in the course of discussions between the townspeople and representatives of the authorities, it turned out that no one coordinated the opening of the memorial plaque with the relevant authorities at all.
The illegality of the installation of the monument was confirmed by the administration of the Central District of St. Petersburg. Then one of the residents of the city filed a lawsuit against the government of St. Petersburg demanding to dismantle the board. In the summer, the lawsuit was sent to the Smolninsky District Court, which first postponed the consideration of the case until the end of September, and then, on September 27, safely rejected it.
Then the townspeople continued to spoil the general's appearance with improvised means. Already on October 3, round holes appeared on Mannerheim's face, similar to bullet marks. Petersburgers suggested that ill-wishers fired at the memorial plaque from firearms under cover of night, but upon closer examination it became clear that the bullets could not leave such traces. Holes of different diameters with perfectly straight edges most likely appeared after using a drill.
Photo: © L! FE
And on October 10, the Other Russia activists, who had already confessed their dislike for Mannerheim, went even further: they attacked a bas-relief with an ax, filming their act of civil will on camera. The leader of the St. Petersburg branch of the party, Andrei Dmitriev, told Life that four people took part in the action: one was chopping, the others were holding the ladder. He also stressed that this is not the first and not the last such action.
In four months, the board was doused with paint three times, once with acid, and shot at it. Now they have chopped up with an ax. We poured paint twice, the rest was done by unknown people, - commented Dmitriev. - They do not want to shoot, which means that this will continue in the future by all available means.
Public people - Natalya Poklonskaya and Eduard Limonov - spoke about the "Mannerheim conflict" on the air of Life.
Natalia Poklonskaya, a former cult prosecutor of Crimea and a newly minted State Duma deputy, said in an interview with Life that, in her opinion, there should not be a "board of discord" in St. Petersburg. However, she would leave it to the residents of the city to solve this issue:
Let the people make the decision about Mannerheim's board. Public hearings. My opinion is that, rather, there should not be a plaque in St. Petersburg. This is a controversial issue, and it is necessary to solve it for the people who live there, historians, politicians, - said Natalya Poklonskaya.
Photo: © L! FE / Vladimir Suvorov
Eduard Limonov spoke out in about the same vein, but much more sharply:
Mannerheim is a disgusting figure. Half of the victims who died in Leningrad from the cold are on his conscience. They held the front from the north, preventing people from getting food and food. I do not know what Russian influential idiot thought of putting this board. This is a slap in the face for all the blockade. Society is beating. Twice they poured paint, these are only ours. People opposed the board, but nobody reacted. Now they are chopping with an ax. It is a great injustice that Mannerheim's board costs. This is a spit on the graves of all the blockade, the people who died there, - the writer said in an interview with Life.
Photo: © L! FE / Vladimir Suvorov
Carl Gustav Mannerheim is a very ambiguous personality in Russian history. Born in Finland to a family of a baron and a countess, at the age of 13, he and his family were abandoned by their father. The ruined Mannerheim Sr. decided to "start life from scratch" in Paris. A year later, Gustav's mother died, and the future marshal went to Russia to build a military career.
Mannerheim devoted more than 30 years to the army of the Russian Empire, starting as a cornet and ending as a lieutenant general. Gustav Karlovich was a member of the Imperial Trotting Society, at the beginning of his career he selected model horses for Serov's paintings and played novels with two Shuvalovs at once - the countess and the artist, which brought the lawful wife to a frenzy (in 1901, the baroness could not stand it and left as a nurse to Dalny East).
Photo: © ru.wikipedia.org
A tired wife left Mannerheim in 1904 - the baroness went with her daughters and documents to the estate in Paris, and left only his gambling debts to her husband. In the same year, Gustav Karlovich celebrated the New Year at a ball with Emperor Nicholas II.
After the declaration of the Russo-Japanese War, Mannerheim decided to go to the front - however, not immediately, but only nine months after its start. Countess Shuvalova, after such news, also went to Vladivostok as a nurse.
During the years of service in the Russian army, Mannerheim received all the state military awards that existed at that time (until 1918). Moreover, the baron at the end of his life turned out to be a man who received awards from both warring parties following the results of two world wars. In total, there were 123 different orders on the ceremonial uniform of the Marshal of Finland.
However, the 1917 revolution turned the lieutenant general away from Russia. Remaining a monarchist to the bone, after the victory of the Bolsheviks, Mannerheim left for Finland, which Vladimir Ilyich had just granted independence by that time.
In Finland, the military career of the Baron did not immediately, but nevertheless went uphill. In 1931 he became president of the Finnish State Defense Committee, and in 1933 he was promoted to field marshal.
The Russian-Finnish war of 1939-1940, Field Marshal Mannerheim met with the rank of supreme commander. It was he who led the troops of Finland, who fought with the Red Army.
In St. Petersburg, the plaque was removed to Karl Gustav Mannerheim, installed in June this year. The Finnish Marshal's memorial sign was repeatedly doused with paint, and in October activists chopped him down with an ax
Memorial plaque to Marshal Carl Gustav Mannerheim on the facade of the building of the Military Academy of Logistics after being struck with an ax by the activists of the Other Russia, October 2016 (Photo: Georgy Polyakov / Interpress / TASS)
A memorial plaque to the Finnish Marshal Karl Gustav Mannerheim was removed from the facade of a building on Zakharyevskaya Street in St. Petersburg, TASS reports. The same information is confirmed by Interfax and Fontanka. The latter writes that the board was removed by “unknown persons”. The publication also published photographs from the scene.
“The personality of Mannerheim is hotly debated. But it can be said unambiguously that this is an outstanding person who is related to our history, and his role will be studied by historians for a long time to come, ”- Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the Russian President.
The Minister of Culture of Russia Vladimir Medinsky, who was present at the opening ceremony of the memorial plaque, stressed that the Mannerheim Memorial is being erected in order to preserve the memory. He noted that the erection of monuments to the heroes of the First World War is an attempt to cope with the tragic split in society.
Karl Gustav Mannerheim was born in 1867 in the Grand Duchy of Finland (part of the Russian Empire), from 1887 to 1917 he served in the Russian army, participated in the Russo-Japanese War, commanded several units in the First World War. After the Bolsheviks came to power, Mannerheim left for Finland, which declared independence from Russia, and in 1918 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Finnish army. During the Winter War and World War II, he led the Finnish army in battles against the USSR. On August 4, 1944, Marshal Mannerheim became President of Finland.
A memorial plaque to the Finnish Field Marshal Karl Mannerheim was installed in St. Petersburg. The ceremony was attended by the head of the Kremlin administration Sergei Ivanov.
The figure of Mannerheim is one of the most complex and contradictory in Russia. The fate of this Russian general of Finnish origin, a prominent cavalryman and intelligence officer, an ardent monarchist, changed dramatically after the revolutionary events of 1917. The revolution and the ensuing Civil War split the country: some accepted Bolshevik power, others did not. Among the latter, many retained their hatred of the "soviets" until the end of their lives, others managed to change their attitude during the 1920s and 1940s, and still others devoted themselves to building new states that had formed on the outskirts of the former empire. The latter include Karl Mannerheim.
He is remembered as a politician who in 1944, under pressure from the Soviet government, brought his country out of a state of war with the USSR. From August 1944 he became President of Finland, in March 1946 he retired. He proved to be the largest military leader in the history of this state, skillfully balancing between East and West.
Speaking at the opening of the memorial plaque, which is installed on the facade of the building of the Military Academy of Logistics on Zakharievskaya Street, Sergei Ivanov made it clear that this act should be seen as an attempt to overcome the split in Russian society associated with the October Russian Revolution of 1917 and its various interpretations. "As the saying goes, you can't erase words from a song. Until 1818, Mannerheim served Russia, and to be quite frank, he lived and served in Russia longer than he served and lived in Finland," Ivanov emphasized.
He recalled that the general was wounded twice during the Russo-Japanese war, received high state awards, in 1906-1908 he made a horse trip to China and made a lot of valuable military observations. Then he returned to St. Petersburg and continued his service, went through the entire First World War and participated in the Brusilov breakthrough. However, the political intransigence that arose during the Civil War, tough ideological confrontation, supported by armed violence, made many thousands of extraordinary, energetic people forced emigrants. Their talents have never been able to serve in full force for the good of our country.
“We know what happened next, and no one is going to challenge the subsequent Finnish period of history and Mannerheim's actions, no one intends to whitewash this period of history. In general, everything that happened is one more proof of how the October Revolution dramatically changed the lives of many people. , the centenary of which we will celebrate in a year. But at the same time we must not forget the worthy service of General Mannerheim, which he passed in Russia and in the interests of Russia, "said the head of the presidential administration. He recalled that Mannerheim had served in the Russian army for 31 years. And in February 1918, the Soviet government awarded the general a pension of 3,761 rubles - a lot of money at that time. "That is, to call a spade a spade, General Mannerheim was a Soviet military pensioner," Ivanov said.
The Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, who took part in the ceremony, said that the memorial plaque was installed in order to preserve the memory of a worthy citizen of Russia. “For those who are now shouting and opposing, I want to remind you: 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. He personally defended Mannerheim, ensuring his election and keeping him the post of President of Finland, and managed to treat a defeated but worthy enemy with respect, "Medinsky said.
The Minister also agrees that the plaque in honor of Mannerheim is another attempt by the Russian military-historical society to overcome the tragic split in our society on the eve of the centenary of the Russian revolution. “That is why we are erecting monuments to the heroes of the First World War throughout the country, who later found themselves on opposite sides of the barricades,” he concluded.
A memorial plaque in memory of the Finnish military leader who fought in World War II against the Soviet Union and took part 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 make 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 were trying to "reconcile and unite the 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 a memorial plaque to the 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 object perpetuating an ally of Nazi Germany on Thursday, June 16, as part of the 20th 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 are erecting monuments to the heroes of the First World War throughout the country, who later found themselves on opposite sides of the barricades," he said.
At the opening ceremony, Sergei Ivanov recalled the contribution that Mannerheim made to the Russo-Japanese War and the First World War.
"As the saying goes, you can't throw words out of a song. Nobody is going to whitewash Mannerheim's actions after 1918, but until 1918 he served Russia, and to be completely honest, 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 plaque, petition to the President of the Russian Federation with a request " prevent the installation of a memorial plaque in St. Petersburg to the Nazi 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 a memorial plaque in St. Petersburg to Karl Mannerheim, an ally of Adolf Hitler."
The petition was supported by a politician Daria Mitina... She asked readers on her Facebook page to "sign a petition against the perpetuation of memory fascist henchman Mannerheim in St. Petersburg - Leningrad! "
"Karl Gustav Emil von Mannerheim, President of Finland, a former general of the Russian army, was indeed an ally of Hitler and received awards from his hands. His subsequent surrender of this fact does not smooth over... Let memorial plaques and monuments be erected to him at home, and in St. Petersburg, which suffered from the blockade, arranged, among other things, by the Finns, the memorial plaque will look like, at least strange", - writes one of the citizens who signed the petition in the comments.
In an address delivered on June 16 in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, it is noted that Marshal Karl Mannerheim "commanded the Finnish-fascist troops during the blockade of Leningrad, pursuing the goal destroy the city named after Lenin, the cradle of the Great October Revolution together with its defenders and residents. "
"The deputies of the Communist Party faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg resolutely denounce plan to erect a memorial plaque in honor of Hitler's accomplice, Finnish Marshal Karl Mannerheim, and this act is perceived as mockery of the blessed memory of the victims in the blockade of Leningraders and defenders of the city, as an act of desecration of our Great Motherland, "- the statement emphasizes.
"Attempts to falsify and denigrate Soviet history and the rehabilitation of fascist criminals - Vlasov, Mannerheim, Krasnov and others in Russia, the legal successor of the USSR, which defeated Hitler's Germany, mean only one thing that ATthe great Patriotic war, by and large, has not ended and todayi. Followers of Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin continue to lead it against our country, and while they are in power, Russia will not be independent, great and prosperous, "concluded the head of the Communist Party faction VladimirDmitriev.
The deputies from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation recalled that Russian legislation provides 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 aboutkindness of crimes of fascists and their accomplices... In particular, the actual approval of their inhuman actions to destroy the civilian population of the besieged city.
"The installation of a memorial plaque is a blasphemous act, disregard for all the blockade, all those who died in the besieged Leningrad, those who gave their lives in the fight against fascism. It is especially scary that this happens on the eve of June 22 - the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow", - the deputy head of the Communist Party faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg addressed Alexey Vorontsov to the assistant city prosecutor 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 - approx. Nakanune.RU), you can still argue, then everything is obvious here... Mannerheim is just an ally of Hitler and an accomplice of the blockade of Leningrad, therefore the installation of a sign is categorically unacceptable... A year ago, we managed to "beat off" such an initiative, the board was removed. Now I am even afraid to predict. But here everything is unambiguous: no Mannerheim boards should be", - 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."
"Indeed, Sergei Borisovich Ivanov today participates in the opening of the memorial plaque, and, indeed, still the personality of Mannerheim causes controversy... But we can definitely say that this is an outstanding personality"- said Dmitry Peskov in response to a question about how the Kremlin treats the installation of the plaque to the marshal, who took the side of Germany in World War II and took part in the blockade of Leningrad," RIA Novosti is quoted as saying.
In response to the public reaction, which mainly condemned the decision to install the plaque, Vladimir Medinsky said:
"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 a communist than Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, who personally defended Mannerheim, ensured his election and preservation of the post of President of Finland, and knew how to treat a defeated but worthy enemy with respect, "said the Minister of Culture.
Recall that Mannerheim is the national hero of 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 Dragoon Alexandria Regiment, in the Cavalry Regiment. In 1897-1903, Mannerheim served at the imperial court in St. Petersburg. He participated in the Russian-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 Germany's demands, he refrained from striking 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.
Detailed debriefing after the first court hearing on dismantling the board to Mannerheim. Why are there historical inaccuracies on the board from the RVIO again and why is there no Order of the German Eagle with the Great Golden Cross on the chest of Mannerheim, handed personally by Hitler?
Note. What did the officials of the Government of St. Petersburg do during working hours at the opening ceremony of the memorial plaque, if the Government did not seem to be aware of its installation and did not issue any documents for it? And another question. Who pays for the security of the board by private security officers? Is the Minister of Culture himself out of his own pocket or Mannerheim's relatives?
Original taken from colonelcassad c Because we have freedom of movement
Historian Igor Pykhalov on the first court session on the board to Mannerheim.
Mannerheim's board: next hearing will take place on September 27
A session of the Smolninsky District Court of St. Petersburg has just taken place at the suit of the citizen P.A. Kuznetsov to the city government, I was there as a spectator.
Kuznetsov demands to recognize the actions (or inaction) of Smolny in connection with the appearance of the board to Mannerheim as a violation of the law, as well as to remove the board from the facade of the military academy on Zakharyevskaya Street, 22.
At the beginning of the meeting, a representative of the committee on culture (which was involved as an interested person at the last meeting) asked to postpone the meeting until the special commission created by this committee on the Mannerheim board, which should work until October 6, finishes its work. The court refused.
The representative of the city government expressed the following arguments: no decision to install the board to Mannerheim was taken by the government of St. Petersburg, therefore, there is nothing illegal in the government's actions. And the fact that some members of the St. Petersburg government were present at the installation of the board, they could have done it as private individuals, "because we have freedom of movement."
The position of the judge: the plaintiff must determine who exactly violated his legal rights, then the court can cancel the corresponding illegal decision. From a formal point of view, it seems to be correct, but since none of the power structures is recognized as "authorship", it turns out that there is no one to ask from. As the saying goes, "no, and no trial." As for the dismantling of the board, as it turned out in the court session , the responsibility for dismantling the plaques is assigned to the Committee for Culture. Now the plaintiff must adjust the statement of claim, and it will be considered at the next court session, which will be held on September 27 at 11 o'clock.
PS. Milonov is clearly fighting the wrong homosexuals. Here they are, "free to move", without any gay pride parades.
Plus the article "Passion for Mannerheim" from the editor of the magazine "Spetsnaz of Russia" Filatov on the topic.
Passion for Mannerheim.
Marshal Mannerheim was out of luck. And no luck twice. The first time was during the Great Patriotic War, when his soldiers, the allies of the Nazis, did not enter the besieged Leningrad. The second time is in our time, when a memorial plaque filled with paint, erected in a hurry in St. Petersburg, is inevitably dismantled.
A FLAKE OF DISTRIBUTION
Location: the building of the Military Engineering and Technical University (Zakharyevskaya Street, 22), where the Church of Saints and Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth was located before the revolution. On the same territory were located the barracks and the arena of the Cavalry Regiment, in which Mannerheim served. In general, the situation with the installation of a memorial plaque to Karl Mannerheim was initially scandalous. And what happened is in many ways typical and at the same time atypical for today's Russia. Why typical?
Because officials, former "servants of the people," are not used to listening to people's opinions. They do what they think is necessary, important and necessary. And therefore, life is already making its own adjustments.
In the case of Mannerheim, as in a magnifying glass, this feature was reflected.It would seem that it was our Northern capital that experienced all the horrors of war and blockade, sacrificing up to one and a half million people. As the American political philosopher Michael Walzer notes, "more civilians died in the siege of Leningrad than in the hells of Hamburg, Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined."
Fuehrer of the German Nation Adolf Hitler and General Karl Mannerheim (1867-1951)
The blockade was carried out by German, Finnish and Spanish troops with the participation of volunteers from North Africa. At the same time, in the occupied part of Karelia, the "hot Finnish guys" left such an unkind "glory" about themselves that representatives of the older generation who survived that hard time still remember that time with shudder.
“I was in Finnish camps for Soviet prisoners of war from November 4, 1941 to September 5, 1942,” recalled Ivan Ivanovich Kotov, a native of the village of Plakhtino. - During this time, I visited the Petrozavodsk and Tomitsk POW camps. The living conditions of the Soviet people in these camps are unbearable. The prisoners of war were kept in terrible unsanitary conditions. They almost did not take us to the bathhouse, they did not change our linen. We slept 10 people in a room with an area of \u200b\u200b8 square meters. As a result of these terrible living conditions, the prisoners of war had a lot of lice. Prisoners of war were given 150 grams of poor-quality bread per day. The food was such that the prisoners of war had to catch frogs in the summer secretly from the administration of the camps and thus maintain their lives. People ate grass and garbage from cesspools. However, prisoners of war were severely punished for breaking the grass, catching frogs and collecting garbage from garbage pits. Everyone was expelled to work - both the wounded and sick prisoners of war. Slave labor was introduced in the camps. In winter, the prisoners of war were harnessed to a sledge and carried firewood on them. And when the exhausted people could not pull the cart, the Finnish soldiers mercilessly beat them with sticks and kicked them. I had to experience all this personally in the Petrozavodsk camp, when I worked loading firewood into the wagons.
The Finns also carried water and other weights to prisoners of war. We worked 18 hours a day every day. The prisoners of war in these camps had no rights; whoever wanted from the Finns beat them. Innocent people were shot in the camps without any trial or investigation. Alive, but exhausted, they threw out into the snow.
Naturally, the installation of the board to Mannerheim caused a storm of indignation. And not only among war and labor veterans. People of different generations have rightly written and said (especially on social networks) that this is blasphemy and an insult to the memory of the victims. Dead and alive. Everyone.
THE CZAR GENERAL AND THE FINNISH PATRIOT
It would seem ... However, Mr. Medinsky, the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation and the chairman of the Military-Historical Society, had his reasons. He stated that "one should not try to be a greater patriot and communist than Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, who personally defended Mannerheim." Mr. Medinsky was referring to the story in which Joseph Stalin, with the words "Do not touch", crossed out Mannerheim's name from the list of Finnish war criminals drawn up in 1945 by a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Finland and MP Herte Kuusinen. “I want to remind those who are now shouting and opposing, I want to remind you: 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. He personally defended Mannerheim, ensuring his election and preservation of the post of President of Finland, and managed to treat the defeated, but worthy enemy with respect, ”Mr. Medinsky said bluntly.
Yes, Stalin was a pragmatist and statesman. And in this case he did absolutely right: he made yesterday's enemy, Finland, a peace-loving neighbor for the entire subsequent period of the USSR's existence.
But, excuse me, what does this have to do with the memorial plaque? An attempt to call Stalin to defend his position does not stand up to criticism.
On the street of St. Petersburg. 2013 photo
NB! If anyone does not know, the bus with Mannerheim was actively promoted by the separatist group Ingria, which advocates the rejection of Ingermanland from the Russian Federation.
Next point: Mannerheim as a “Russian general”.
Actually, there are no questions to Mannerheim - an honored general, a fighting, honest campaigner. He was wounded twice during the Russo-Japanese War and received high state awards. In 1906-1908 he made a horse trip to China and made a lot of valuable military observations. Then he returned to St. Petersburg and continued his service. He went through the entire First World War and took part in the famous Brusilov Breakthrough.
However, during the collapse of the Russian Empire, Mannerheim made a natural choice for himself: he became a Finnish patriot. And for this no one will blame him. As a Finnish patriot, he sided with Hitler against the USSR.
As a Finnish patriot, Mannerheim brought Finland out of the war in 1944. Upon learning of the protest expressed by the German envoy, he answered harshly: “... He (Hitler) at one time convinced us that with German help we would defeat Russia. That did not happen. Now Russia is strong and Finland is very weak. So let him now take care of the brewed porridge ... "
And again, as the Finnish patriot Mannerheim, who became president, in the fall of 1944 he signed a peace agreement between Finland and the USSR.
Only this is by no means a reason to perpetuate the memory of the one who had a hand in this tragedy in a city that has survived a terrible blockade ...
And further. The assertion that Mannerheim, they say, did not move forward and did not shell the city with heavy weapons because of "nostalgia" for St. Petersburg is generally from the realm of myths and unscientific fantasy.
The Red Army - that's who prevented him from moving forward! She and she alone. And, of course, the indomitable courage of the inhabitants of besieged Leningrad.
Soon after the grand opening, Mannerheim's board was covered with red paint
In addition, Mannerheim was an excellent strategist and military politician. He understood that Hitler's blitzkrieg had failed and that active participation in the blockade of Leningrad would cost Suomi dearly if Germany did not win the war.
In addition to the ideological and moral-ethical aspects of the "passion for Mannerheim" there are factual inaccuracies. The board indicates the period in which the "lieutenant general of the Russian army Karl Gustav Mannerheim" served, namely "from 1887 to 1918."
But what, to the devil, 1918? .. In February 1917, a conspiracy won out in Petrograd, a coup d'etat took place, which was presented as a revolution.
In the fall, Russia was proclaimed a republic.
In October of the same seventeenth year, the Bolsheviks and Left SRs took power, overthrowing the Provisional Government of Alexander Kerensky, composed of liberals, moderate socialists and social democrats.
In January 1918, they, the Bolsheviks and the Left Social Revolutionaries, dispersed the Constituent Assembly, which had been elected during a popular vote in the fall of 1917.
The question is: how could Mannerheim, who returned to his native Finland, have continued to be, as the authors of the memorial plaque assure us, a “general of the Russian army” during all this troubled and turbulent time?
One more point.
Customers made inaccuracies in the reproduction of orders. It is clear that the choice of orders precisely during Mannerheim's service in the Russian Empire was due to the reluctance to display the awards of Nazi Germany, in particular, the Order of the German Eagle with a large golden cross presented to Mannerheim by Hitler personally. A trifle ... But knowledgeable people paid attention to it.
As emphasized, the act of opening the board should be viewed as an attempt to overcome the split in Russian society, but everything turned out exactly the opposite. And even on the eve of the elections to the State Duma! It was difficult to find a better excuse to stir up Petersburgers and Leningraders. It is not surprising that the board was immediately covered with red paint - so thoroughly that it had to be covered with cloth and resorted to restoration.
On September 1, 2016, the administration of the Central District of St. Petersburg confirmed the illegality of the installation of the memorial plaque ... Exactly so!
“Now, in addition to the letter to the district administration, there is a parallel story with the court. A resident of St. Petersburg filed a lawsuit against the city government in connection with the installation of the plaque, and the first meeting has already passed ... Of course, the authorities in the matter of dismantling the plaque to Mannerheim will be guided by the court's decision, ”said the source of one of the news agencies.
That is, it turns out that when installing the board, the organizers of this action contrived to violate everything that could be violated: both the law and historical facts, as well as ideological and moral and ethical "moments" associated with the Great Patriotic War and the memory of the dead, military and civilians. Everyone!
How could this possibly have happened? The question, of course, is rhetorical ...
At the very beginning, I wrote that this story is typical for today's Russia. And at the same time - atypical.
Why?
Because before our eyes, the "quantity" of public indignation turns into "quality" - and the plaque to the former tsarist general and Finnish patriot Karl Mannerheim will be dismantled. I have no doubt about that.
And let the "passions for Mannerheim" serve as a good lesson for those officials who are used to not giving the opinion of people a penny in pursuit of their administrative, commercial or other interests. Life will still put everything in its place. Some will enter it as creators, others - as complex, contradictory figures, but, ultimately, taking the right path and deserving the respect of people, and still others ... as the authors of the board for Mannerheim. Doused with paint. Dismantled.
FILATOV Alexey Alekseevich, was born in Moscow.
Vice President of the International Association of Veterans of the Alpha Anti-Terror Unit. Head of the Economic Council of the Veteran Community of Group A of the KGB-FSB.
He graduated from the Oryol Military Command School of Communications named after M. I. Kalinin, the Russian State Academy of Physical Culture and Sports, postgraduate studies at the Academy of the FSB.
Chief editor of the newspaper "Spetsnaz of Russia". Chief editor of the website Alphagroup.ru. President of the group of companies "Alfa-Pravo-Consulting".
PhD in Psychology.
Plus material on the security of the board.
How is Mannerheim's board guarded?
It is from behind this door, which is located opposite the house with the Mannerheim board, that the board is being guided.
These characters are in charge. Under the red arrow, the commander (let's call him RED), under the blue arrow, the junior commander (let's call him BLUE), under the green arrow, the assistant to the junior commander (let's call him GREEN)
Red rarely appears from behind the doors, commands from the premises. Blue and Green are in command of the Chopovtsy in the field and (which surprised me a lot) give orders to the police.
Actually, they are guarded around the clock by private security companies in two cars, replacing each other. There are two people in each car.
These here are disguised, stuck a famous sticker
This is the second car. 
In the event of an emergency situation at the board of PSCs (let's call them yellow), they run out of the car and call Blue and Green 
Here is another yellow one, seeing that a man approached a single picket, immediately got out of the car.
Yellow if single opponents of the board are standing, behave like a greyhound. 
If several opponents of the yellow board gather, summon Blue and Green. Blue and Green, assessing the situation, command yellow where to stand and what to do 
Blue and green personally wring the hands of opponents of the board and hand them over to the police 
Blue and Green have full contact with the police. 
How everything works in this video, the yellow ones identify the danger, report the Blue one with the Green one
wringing his hands and handing over to the police. Tellingly, listen at 7 seconds. Blue commands the police officer "Take"