About four years ago, Eduard Volodarsky gave me the first version of “Rasputin” to read. And I had a conversation with Mars Media producer Ruben Dishdishyan, during which I said: “It’s impossible to start such a movie without an actor. If you manage to get Volodya Mashkov out of America, then you can try.”
While the French film “Rasputin” with Gerard Depardieu was shown at the closing of the Moscow International Film Festival, filming of a Russian television story with the same name continued in St. Petersburg. In the role of Grigory Rasputin, instead of Depardieu, Vladimir Mashkov appears, in the director's chair is a lover of historical material Andrei Malyukov, the script is credited to Eduard Volodarsky and Ilya Tilkin, the producer is Ruben Dishdishyan.
Over the course of eight episodes, investigator Genrikh Nikolaevich Switten (Andrei Smolyakov) conducts interrogations of witnesses in the case of Rasputin’s murder. Those who were familiar with this “illiterate Siberian man with a dark past”, who managed to subordinate the court and royal family(Ingeborga Dapkunaite and Valery Degtyar), there are their own versions regarding his amazing “career”. Some call the elder a wizard and healer, others - a spy, and others - the lover of the empress. Finally, Sweeten is struck by the memories of the main person involved in the case, Felix Yusupov (Vladimir Koshevoy), who claims that the old man had “supernatural power that can be found only once every hundred years.”
The Russian “Rasputin” is being filmed on a grand scale and with reverence. A historical consultant, Pavel Kornakov, is on duty at the site, monitoring everything from the correctness of the costume to the accuracy of etiquette. The script is based on reliable memories of Rasputin’s contemporaries, including the real report of investigator Rudnev, who became the prototype of Switten’s hero. The filming location is currently St. Petersburg. In “Rasputin” you will be able to see the Griboyedov Canal, Palace Square, the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island and the interiors of famous palaces. Then the filmmakers will move to Novgorod and there they will film episodes of Rasputin’s Siberian life. After a break of several months, in January 2014, the process will end with additional winter location photography. “Rasputin” will not appear on television screens earlier than autumn next year.
In an exclusive interview, director Andrei Malyukov explained why filmmakers are so attracted to Rasputin’s personality, how the “great old man” will appear in his film, and how long it took to find an actor for the main role.
Why do you think Lately Has interest in the person of Grigory Rasputin increased so much? First, the French made a film with Gerard Depardieu, now you are with Vladimir Mashkov, and the Americans are coming with Leonardo DiCaprio.
We do not know whether Cagliostro or Count Dracula existed or not. Some say yes, others say it's all fiction. And Grigory Rasputin is a real historical figure. At the same time, everything seemed to be known about him: where he was born, how old he was, how he lived, and how he was killed. But at the same time, nothing is known. It is impossible to prove any postulate that it was exactly like that. Therefore, a lot has to be taken on faith. Do you know how much has been written about Rasputin? Tons! You can’t re-read everything! What’s interesting is that everyone writes about some other person. It is impossible to compare or identify. He is a mystery, and that is why there is such interest in him. Now ask someone outside our country: ““Who is Rasputin?” Yes, of course! There's a restaurant! There’s a store!” A very popular figure. And, by the way, this interest did not appear now. A lot has already been filmed about him, and there will be even more.
At the time, “Agony” shocked me. It leaves a strong aftertaste. This is a powerful, passionate, furious film, amazing acting by Alexei Petrenko. But Elem made the picture in a very specific historical era and could not have made it any other way. How is this revealed? Everything connected with the emperor and his entourage cannot be praised under any circumstances. And Klimov tried, through Rasputin, to compensate for the understatement regarding the emperor. By the way, Alexey Petrenko later publicly repented for playing this role in such a way. In my film, I will try not to lose much of “Agony” out of passion, but at the same time be objective. It is very important with what hands, eyes and heart you take on this topic. It is important not to lose everything that the material provides, but also not to squeeze it in any particular direction.
What kind of heart do you take?
I apologize for contradicting myself here, but I’m interested in looking at Rasputin from the point of view of the truth. After all, it turned out that during his lifetime they wrote a lot about him! And this happened for one simple reason: it was impossible to express everything that one wanted to the All-Russian Emperor; it was prosecuted criminally. Therefore, what had accumulated, all this blackness and dirt, was poured on Rasputin, because it was possible on him. When you start sorting through the facts like beads, it turns out that there was no trace of anything that was invented about the “great old man.”
IN Russian history The figure with a plus sign is Lomonosov. He came as a guy from somewhere in the north and reached incredible heights. But he was not involved in politics, so they did not touch him. But with Grigory Efimovich it’s different. He also came from Siberia, from the village of Pokrovskoye, from those oil places where the current wealth of our treasury comes from. And he also did not want to engage in politics, his actions were simply attributed to politics. Yes, he had many doubles - people posing as Rasputin. And they did something like that. But nothing like this is known about Rasputin himself. And if you peel off and leave in a pure residue what he really did, it turns out that this was a man who sincerely rooted for Russian Empire, for the Tsar, for the Tsarina, who categorically opposed the war, believing that in Russia there is enough of everything, that it is a great, powerful and huge country. This is his message. And to those who wanted war, to those who hated Russia, did not like the emperor and empress, he seemed like a fiend from hell. And the bottom line is that it was a man with big sign plus. And with such a tragic fate...
In Russian history, the figure with the plus sign is Lomonosov
Does this mean that in your film you want to debunk all the myths that exist about Rasputin?
There were an insane number of myths, and each of them relied on its own evidence base. It will take a lot of time to debunk all of them; our eight episodes will not be enough. Yes, and we do not set such a task for ourselves. Our story splits into two parallel lines - Rasputin and investigator Sweeten, whom Kerensky instructs to look into the murder of the elder and find evidence of all his “sins.” But during the investigation of this criminal crime, Sweeten, from ardent hatred of Grigory Efimovich, comes to the point that he demands that Kerensky bring the killers to justice. He fails to find anything that he could accuse Rasputin of.
Is Investigator Sweeten a fictional character?
Yes, we invented it entirely. More precisely, it was invented by Edik Volodarsky, and when he died, we had to bring the script to the end. But it must be said that Sweeten has a prototype, a real historical person.
What documents did you use when preparing the script? Maybe you managed to find some unique sources?
There are many documents, and they are all known. And there are historians who do this, and we communicate with them. A historical consultant is constantly on our site. There is also a person who advises us from the point of view of Orthodoxy. And this is very important, since the church, or rather its hierarchs, have a difficult attitude towards the figure of Rasputin. Among the individual clergy with whom I have had the opportunity to communicate, he evokes great, deep and sincere sympathy. But this is among the people, but at the official level everything is different. Maybe thanks to our film we will somehow be able to change this situation.
Has your attitude towards the person of Rasputin changed while working on the film?
a conversation took place during which I said: “It’s impossible to start a movie like this without an actor. If you manage to get Volodya Mashkov out of America, then you can try.”. I am always at work, I know our acting fraternity and I understand that there are not many people who could play this. And I immediately thought about Mashkov.
Volodya today and then are two different Mashkovs
The producer managed to drag Volodya to Moscow, and we met again in Ruben’s office. Mashkov became interested in the role, and now he’s just excited about it. I sometimes look at him with caution. He is joking: “The Homesteader in Me”. The energy that comes out of it is great, and fortunately it transfers into the frame. “Rasputin” is already my third film with Volodya, we know each other and, I hope, feel each other. I remember that I was already a seasoned director when I came to the institute and saw him in a student’s work. And I must say that since then he has developed and moved forward a lot. Volodya today and then are two different Mashkovs. He comprehends the profession to the end, scoops it up to the bottom. I can’t swear that we have a conflict-free life. It happens that we argue, quarrel, yell at each other. But then, having broken away, we continue to work harmoniously.
However, all of our actors in “Rasputin” are excellent: Katya Klimova, who plays Vyrubova (Anna Vyrubova was maid of honor and closest friend of Alexandra Fedorovna and an ardent admirer of Rasputin - Approx. KinoPoisk), Ingeborga Dapkunaite - Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna. Katya also stars in all my films, I carry her around with me like a talisman. I thought about Ingeborg, counted, hoped - and it happened. In "Rasputin" main problem It just turned out that there was a desire to bring all our wonderful actors together on one set. But we managed to do this too.
Question:
Now it is obvious to me how false and illiterate the Soviet-era works about Tsar Nicholas II and his family are (the novel by V. Pikul, the book by M.K. Kasvinov, the film “Agony” by E. Klimov, etc.). False stereotypes have become ingrained in our consciousness. How to get rid of them?
Arkady
Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:
As the number of archival publications and memoirs of people who knew Tsar Nicholas II and his family grows, one is amazed at the purity that they preserved amid the moral troubles of a society in which clear signs of an approaching catastrophe had already appeared.
The royal family suffered a special cross - to endure sophisticated and malicious slander for years. Everyone who harbored hatred for the Church, Orthodoxy and Christian statehood participated in its spread. If we remember that Greek word“devil” (diabolos) is translated as “slanderer, hater,” then the underlying reasons for this struggle will become clear. Therefore, the word of God classifies slander as a grave sin (Rom. 1:30; 2 Tim. 3:3). Lies, due to their demonic nature, have a sophisticated paradoxical logic. She most often tries to be active precisely in the area where a person is most impeccable. The purity and chastity of the life of this unusually friendly family is clearly and fully revealed to us by their letters, documents and memories of people who communicated with them every day. We will never be able to fully know how much moral torment the family endured, about which all the revolutionaries, liberals and generally everyone infected with hatred of Christianity and traditional values claimed that the Court was a nest of debauchery, “the queen lives with Rasputin, Vyrubova lives with Rasputin and at the same time the Tsar’s mistress.” I apologize for touching on this dirty fabrication, but without this it is impossible to show the “technology of lies.”
Already in March 1917, the Provisional Government established a special commission of inquiry to study the life of the imperial court. It included Vladimir Mikhailovich Rudnev. He himself writes in a note the following: “Being a Comrade Prosecutor of the Yekaterinoslav District Court, on March 11, 1917, by order of the Minister of Justice Kerensky, I was sent to Petrograd, and the Extraordinary Investigative Commission to investigate abuses former Ministers, Chief Executive Officers and other senior officials. In Petrograd, while working in this Commission, I received a special assignment to investigate the source of “irresponsible” influences at the Court, and this department of the Commission was given the name: “Investigation of the activities of dark forces" The Commission's sessions continued until last numbers August 1917, when I submitted a report on expulsion due to attempts by the Chairman of the Commission, Pris. pov Muravyov to induce me to take clearly biased actions. I, as a person sent with the rights of a Judicial Investigator, was given the opportunity to carry out seizures, inspections, interrogate witnesses, etc. In order to comprehensively and impartially cover the activities of all persons regarding whom the periodical press and society had an idea as people who had exceptional influence on the direction of internal and foreign policy, I dismantled and examined the archives of the Winter Palace, Tsarskoye Selo and Peterhof Palaces, as well as the personal correspondence of the Sovereign, the Empress, some Grand Dukes, as well as correspondence taken during a search from Bishop Varnava, Countess S. S. Ignatieva, Doctor Badmaev, V.I. Voeikov and other high-ranking officials. During the investigation it was addressed Special attention on the personality and nature of the activities of G. E. Rasputin and A. A. Vyrubova, also on the attitude Royal Family to the German Imperial Family."
What did the investigation show? Anna Vyrubova was a virgin. During her marriage, due to her husband’s illness, she lived in abstinence from carnal relations. In the report of V. M. Rudnev we read: “During the further investigation, these explanations of Mrs. Taneyeva about the illness of her daughter’s husband [A. Vyrubova] were fully confirmed in the data medical examination Mrs. Vyrubova, carried out in May 1917 by order of the Extraordinary Investigative Commission: these data established with complete certainty that Mrs. Vyrubova is a virgin.” This is confirmed by other sources. General A.I. Spiridovich wrote: “It was widely believed that they were in a close intimate relationship. That's what they said all around. And I was even more amazed when life surgeon Fedorov told me that while doing a medical examination of Mrs. Vyrubova with another professor due to a hip fracture, they unexpectedly became convinced that she was a virgin. The patient confirmed this to them and gave some explanations regarding her married life with Vyrubov, from whom she was divorced” (A.I. Spiridovich. Great War and the February Revolution. Book I, chapter 16). The worst thing is that the slander defaming the royal family and Vyrubova was accepted by almost all layers of society. This can be seen from the note of V. M. Rudnev: “My assumptions about the moral qualities of Mrs. Vyrubova, drawn from long conversations with her in Peter and Paul Fortress, in the arrest room, and finally in Winter Palace, where she appeared on my calls, were fully confirmed by her manifestation of purely Christian forgiveness towards those from whom she had to endure a lot within the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress. And here it is necessary to note that I learned about these abuses of Ms. Vyrubova by the serf guards not from her, but from Ms. Taneyeva; Only after this did Mrs. Vyrubova confirm everything her mother had said, with amazing calmness and gentleness, declaring, “they are not to blame, they don’t know what they are doing.” In truth, these sad episodes of abuse of the personality of Vyrubova by prison guards, expressed in the form of spitting in the face, removing her clothes and underwear, accompanied by beating in the face and other parts of the body of a sick woman who could barely move on crutches, and threats to take her life “ concubine of the Sovereign and Gregory,” prompted the Investigative Commission to transfer Ms. Vyrubova to a detention facility at the former Provincial Gendarmerie Directorate.” Commission investigator V.M. Rudnev also came to the conclusion that gossip about G. Rasputin’s intimate adventures in the palace was completely untenable.
It's hard to get rid of false stereotypes. Mountains of lies will be raked slowly. This will take many more decades. IN last years wonderful diaries and letters of the martyr queen were published. They exude the fragrance of true purity. In our time, when the family has been literally crushed by the vices of our sick society, it is very edifying and useful to read and re-read these documents.
From the Empress's notes:
– The meaning of marriage is to bring joy. It is understood that married life is the happiest, fullest, purest, richest life. This is the Lord's decree of perfection.
“The Divine plan, therefore, is for marriage to bring happiness, so that it makes the life of both husband and wife more complete, so that neither of them loses, but both win. If, nevertheless, marriage does not become happiness and does not make life richer and fuller, then the fault is not in the marriage bonds themselves; the fault lies in the people who are connected by them.
– After marriage, the first and most important duties of the husband are towards his wife, and the wife’s are towards her husband. The two of them must live for each other, give their lives for each other. Before, everyone was imperfect. Marriage is the joining of two halves into a single whole. Two lives are bound together in such a close union that they are no longer two lives, but one. Everyone, until the end of his life, bears the sacred responsibility for happiness and greater good another.
– Wedding day should always be remembered and highlighted especially among other important dates in life. This is a day whose light will illuminate all other days for the rest of your life. The joy of marriage is not stormy, but deep and calm. Over the wedding altar, when hands are joined and holy vows are pronounced, angels bow and quietly sing their songs, and then they overshadow happy couple with their wings when their journey together in life begins.
– Great art is to live together, loving each other tenderly. This must start with the parents themselves. Each house is similar to its creators. A refined nature makes a house refined, a rude person makes a house rude.
– There cannot be deep and sincere love where selfishness rules. Perfect love is perfect self-denial.
– The first requirement for a wife is fidelity, fidelity in the broadest sense. Her husband's heart must be trusted to her without fear. Absolute trust is the basis of true love. A shadow of doubt destroys harmony family life. A faithful wife, by her character and behavior, proves that she is worthy of her husband’s trust. He is confident in her love, he knows that her heart is invariably devoted to him. He knows that she has his best interests at heart. It is very important that a husband can trust his faithful wife to handle all household chores, knowing that everything will be in order. The extravagance and extravagance of wives have destroyed the happiness of many married couples.
“It is necessary that the husband’s hands, inspired by love, be able to do everything.” It is necessary that everyone loving husband had a big heart. Many suffering people must find help in a real family. Every husband of a Christian wife should unite with her in the love of Christ. Out of love for her, he will go through tests of faith. Sharing her life, filled with faith and prayers, he will connect his life with Heaven. United on earth by a common faith in Christ, refining their mutual love into love for God, they will be eternally united in Heaven.
Exactly 90 years ago, Empress Alexandra and the entire Royal Family were sent a great test, which they met with holy Christian humility. Her pure maternal heart foresaw this. While still a queen, she wrote in her diary: “Oh, may God help every mother to understand the greatness and glory of the work ahead of her, when she holds at her breast a baby whom she needs to nurse and raise. As for children, the duty of parents is to prepare them for life, for any trials that God sends them.”
At first Russo-Japanese War The news of the feat of the Russian cruiser "Varyag" spread throughout the world. Having withstood an unequal battle with the Japanese squadron and not lowering the flag in front of the enemy, the Russian sailors themselves sank their ship, deprived of the opportunity to continue the battle, but did not surrender to the enemy. The cruiser was commanded by Captain 1st Rank V.F. Rudnev, an experienced naval officer.
Coming from the nobility of the Tula province, Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev was born on August 19, 1855, when his father, captain 2nd rank Fyodor Nikolaevich Rudnev, was the commander of the Riga fire guard.
Since 1616, the Rudnevs' ancestors owned a small estate near the village of Yatskaya, Yasenets camp, Venevsky district, Tula province. Vsevolod Fedorovich's ancestor, ordinary sailor Semyon Rudnev, distinguished himself in 1696 in the battle of Azov and received the rank of officer by decree of Peter I for his bravery.
Vsevolod Fedorovich's father Fedor Nikolaevich Rudnev was a hero Russian-Turkish war 1828-1829, participated in battles on the Black, Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, in the blockade of the Dardanelles and Constantinople. In 1857, he retired with the rank of captain of the 1st rank and lived in retirement with his family in the village of Yatskaya, Tula province, in a small outbuilding.
V.F. Rudnev's father died in 1864, and his mother, Alexandra Petrovna, moved with the children to the city of Lyuban, St. Petersburg province, where she enrolled her son in the local gymnasium.
On September 15, 1872, having successfully passed the exams, V. F. Rudnev entered the Naval School in St. Petersburg, the only one in Russia at that time educational institution, which trained officers Navy. By order of the head of the Naval Ministry, Vsevolod Rudnev was accepted into government support in honor of the military merits of his father, the late captain 1st rank F.N. Rudnev.
On May 1, 1873, V. F. Rudnev was enrolled in active service and in the summer months of 1873-1875 he was on training voyages along Baltic Sea. On May 1, 1876, he was promoted to senior non-commissioned officer. Having brilliantly passed the final exams and received the Nakhimov Prize, V.F. Rudnev was promoted to midshipman on May 1, 1876. Having been assigned to the training frigate "Petropavlovsk", he was on a training voyage abroad from May 18, 1876 to August 25, 1877. This was the first long-distance voyage, during which it was necessary to perform the duties of an ordinary sailor, carry out an officer's watch, and practically master seamanship.
The commander of the Petropavlovsk gave the midshipman an excellent certification, and on August 30, 1877, V. F. Rudnev received the first officer rank of midshipman, and in September he was appointed to a one-year course in a naval rifle company, where the best young officers were sent.
On April 16, 1880, by order of the chief commander of the Kronstadt port, midshipman V.F. Rudnev was assigned to a new overseas voyage on the cruiser "Africa", heading to the Far East, and then circumnavigating the world.
On October 6, 1880, V. F. Rudnev became commander of the 7th company of the cruiser’s crew, and then was appointed senior artillery officer of the ship, with promotion to lieutenant on January 1, 1882. Upon returning from the voyage, he was thanked and awarded the order.
V. F. Rudnev later spoke about this instructive and difficult voyage in his book " Trip around the world cruiser "Africa" in 1880-1883" (St. Petersburg, 1909).
In 1884 and 1885, V.F. Rudnev was on voyages in the Baltic Sea, in 1886 - on voyages abroad, and in 1887 - again in the Baltic. In 1888, V.F. Rudnev was appointed commander of the steam military transport "Peter the Great", built for Russia in France, accepted him and brought him to Kronstadt.
In the same year, V.F. Rudnev married Maria Nikolaevna Shwan, the daughter of the hero of the defense of Sevastopol, captain 1st rank N.K. Shwan.
On August 1, 1889, he again sailed abroad on the cruiser "Admiral Kornilov", in January 1890 he participated in the maneuvers of the Pacific Fleet, became the ship's senior officer and on December 4, 1890 returned to Kronstadt. In 1891, V.F. Rudnev commanded the destroyer Kotlin, the port steamer Rabotnik, and then was appointed senior officer of the battleship Gap-gut.
On March 28, 1893, V. F. Rudnev received the rank of captain of the 2nd rank, and in December he was appointed senior officer of the squadron battleship "Emperor Nicholas I", which was heading to join a detachment of Russian ships in Greece. On the battleship "Emperor Nicholas I" Rear Admiral S. O. Makarov, commander of the Mediterranean squadron, held his flag. The battleship, having spent almost a year in the waters of Greece, then went on a voyage around the world, from January 1 to December 9, 1895. Upon arrival in Kronstadt, V.F. Rudnev received an order appointing him commander of the coastal defense battleship Admiral Greig, and later of the destroyer Vyborg.
In December 1897, V.F. Rudnev was appointed commander of the gunboat "Gremyashchiy", which on March 1, 1898 set out on a circumnavigation of the world, which lasted until May 15, 1899. This was Rudnev's first independent voyage around the world on a relatively small ship, and he carried it out successfully. On August 31, 1899, V.F. Rudnev was appointed commander of the coastal defense battleship "Enchantress". At the beginning of June 1900, he accepted in the city of Elbipge (Germany) built for Russia destroyer"Scat" and, despite bad weather and a faulty compass, brought him safely to Kronstadt.
In 1900, V.F. Rudnev became senior assistant to the port commander in Port Arthur, where the 1st Pacific Squadron, which formed the main forces of the Russian fleet on Far East. And although Rudnev did not like the appointment, he energetically got involved in the work. At this time, the dry dock in Port Arthur was rebuilt and expanded, dredging work was carried out in the internal roadstead, the port was fully electrified, and coastal defense was strengthened. In December 1901, V.F. Rudnev was promoted to captain of the 1st rank.
In the spring of 1902, during the cholera epidemic, Rudnev, as a member of the city sanitary commission and sanitary trustee of the department of the maritime department, took energetic measures, as a result of which the epidemic was quickly eliminated. Since July 1902, Rudnev concurrently acted as assistant director of the sailing directions and lighthouses of the Yellow Sea and actively participated in hydrographic research, as a result of which amendments were made to the sailing directions and maps.
In December 1902, by order of the Naval Ministry, V.F. Rudnev was appointed commander of the cruiser "Varyag". By this time he had acquired great experience naval service, served on seventeen ships, of which he commanded nine, visited circumnavigation of the world and long hikes.
The cruiser "Varyag" at that time was considered one of the best ships of the Russian fleet. Built at the American plant of the company "W. Kramp and Co." in Philadelphia by order of the Russian Admiralty, it was launched in 1899, entered service with the Russian fleet in 1901 and arrived in Kronstadt.
It was a four-pipe, two-masted, armored cruiser of the 1st rank with a displacement of 6,500 tons. The cruiser's main caliber artillery consisted of twelve 152-millimeter (six-inch) guns. In addition, the ship was equipped with twelve 75-mm guns, eight 47-mm rapid-fire cannons, two 37-mm cannons, and two 64-mm Baranovsky cannons on wheeled carriages for arming naval assault forces. The cruiser had six torpedo tubes. It could reach speeds of up to 23 knots. The ship's crew consisted of 550 sailors, non-commissioned officers, conductors and 20 officers. Operating as part of a squadron, the cruiser was supposed to play the role of a fast and powerful reconnaissance aircraft, capable of independently fighting.
However, the "Varyag" had a number of serious disadvantages: its vehicles often broke down, the support bearings of the propeller shafts overheated, the steam boilers were very difficult to operate, the actual speed was significantly lower than the design speed, especially during long journeys, there was no protection for the gun personnel from shell fragments. Essentially, it was an experimental ship with a number of untested technical innovations. These shortcomings affected during the transition from Kronstadt to Port Arthur, and then during the battle at Chemulpo.
On February 25, 1902, "Varyag" became part of the Port Arthur squadron. V. F. Rudnev took command of the cruiser on March 1, 1903. And there was already a smell of thunder in the air!
The situation in the Pacific Ocean was tense. Japan, fueled by the imperialists of the United States and England, was intensively preparing for war with Russia, creating a significant superiority in forces here. The Russian command was unable to unravel the plans of the Japanese, believing until the very last moment that Japan would not dare to attack first. And that's exactly what happened.
By the beginning of the war, the main forces of the Russian Pacific Fleet were in Port Arthur. It was the 1st Pacific Squadron under the command of Vice Admiral O.V. Stark, consisting of seven squadron battleships, nine cruisers, four gunboats, 27 mine cruisers and destroyers.
On the 13th night of January 27, 1904, ten Japanese destroyers suddenly attacked the Russian squadron in the outer roadstead of Port Arthur and damaged two battleships and one cruiser. In the morning, the main forces of the Japanese fleet under the command of Admiral Togo (six battleships, five armored cruisers and four cruisers) approached Port Arthur, trying to destroy the weakened Russian squadron, but were driven away by the fire of coastal batteries. At the same time another Japanese squadron attacked Russian ships in the Korean port of Chemulpo (now Incheon).
A month before the start of the war, the Tsar's governor in the Far East, Admiral General E.I. Alekseev, sent the cruiser "Paryat" from Port Arthur to the neutral Korean port of Chemulpo to guard the Russian mission in Korea and perform the duties of a senior stationary on the roadstead.
On January 26, 1904, a Japanese squadron of six cruisers and eight destroyers approached Chemulpo Bay and stopped at the outer roadstead. In the internal roadstead at that time there were Russian ships - the cruiser "Varyag", the seaworthy gunboat "Koreets" and the cargo and passenger steamer "Sungari", as well as foreign warships - the English cruiser "Talbot", the Italian cruiser "Elba", the French cruiser "Pascal" and the American gunboat "Vicksburg".
Early in the morning of January 27, 1904, V.F. Rudnev received an ultimatum from Japanese Rear Admiral Uriu demanding that he leave Chemulpo before noon, otherwise the Japanese threatened to open fire on Russian ships in a neutral port. This was a gross violation of international law.
10 hours 30 minutes. The teams of "Varyag" and "Korean" had lunch, the signal sounded: "Everyone up to the formation!"
11 o'clock. The entire crew of the Varyag is built on the upper deck. Rudnev announced to the crew that Japan had begun military operations against Russia: “Of course,” he said, “we are going for a breakthrough and will engage in battle with the squadron, no matter how strong it is. There can be no question of surrender. We will not surrender even ships, nor ourselves, and we will fight to the last opportunity and to the last drop of blood. Perform your duties accurately, calmly, without haste, especially gunners, remembering that every shell must harm the enemy..." In response, a friendly triple "Hurray" thundered ", everyone took their fighting places.
11 hours 20 minutes. The cruiser weighed anchor and headed towards the exit from the roadstead. The gunboat "Korean" followed in its wake.
11 hours 25 minutes. They sounded the combat alarm. Rudnev once again confirmed his order to strictly implement the clause of the Naval Regulations drawn up by Peter the Great: “Russian ships must not lower their flag to anyone.” At the exit from the bay, abeam the island of Iodolmi, the Japanese squadron, superior to the Varyag in artillery weapons by more than five times and torpedoes by seven times, blocked the Russian cruiser’s path to the open sea. Six first-class Japanese cruisers Asama, Panina, Takachiho, Niitaka, Akashi and Chiyoda took up their starting positions. Eight destroyers loomed behind the cruisers. The Japanese invited the Russian ships to surrender. Rudnev ordered that this signal be left unanswered.
11 hours 45 minutes. The first shot is fired from the armored cruiser Asama, and after it the entire enemy squadron opens fire. "Varyag" does not respond - it moves closer. And only when the distance was reduced to a sure shot, Rudnev ordered to open fire. The fight was brutal. The Japanese concentrated all the force of their fire on the Varyag. A large shell from the Japanese cruiser Asama destroyed the bridge on the Varyag, caused a fire in the chart room, and disabled rangefinder post No. 1. The sea boiled with explosions, showering the deck with shrapnel and cascades of water. Every now and then fires broke out and holes opened. Under hurricane fire from the enemy, sailors and officers, showing miracles of courage, fired at the enemy, applied plaster, sealed holes, and put out fires. V.F. Rudnev, wounded in the head and shell-shocked, continued to lead the battle.
Accurate fire from the Varyag brought results: the Japanese cruisers Asama and Chiyoda were seriously damaged, and the cruiser Takachiho was so seriously damaged that it soon sank. When Japanese destroyers rushed towards the Varyag to launch a torpedo attack, the Russian cruiser concentrated its fire on them and sank one destroyer.
12 hours 45 minutes. The wounded but not defeated "Varyag" returned to the port to make necessary repairs and again go for a breakthrough. However, the cruiser tilted to the side, the vehicles were out of order, and most of the guns were broken. Rudnev makes a decision: remove the crews from the ships, sink the cruiser, and blow up the gunboat so that they do not fall to the enemy. The council of officers supported the commander. The kingstons open, foaming water gushes out, and the cruiser begins to plunge into the sea.
15 hours 55 minutes. The commander of the "Varyag" V.F. Rudnev is the last to leave the board of his ship, which is dying, but has not surrendered to the enemy. The sailors of the "Varyag" and "Koreyets" returned to their homeland in several echelons, where they were enthusiastically greeted by the Russian people. In the port of Odessa, the heroic sailors were awarded St. George's crosses. V. F. Rudnev was awarded the Order of George, 4th degree. A medal “For the battle” of “Varyag” and “Korean” was established. The Tula land received the heroes of “Varyag” with great cordiality. According to the testimony of V.F. Rudnev’s eldest son, Nikolai Vsevolodovich, at the Skuratovo station the cruiser commander was presented with bread and salt on a silver platter. Among the names engraved on it were: “Tolstoy, Tolstaya, Tolstoy.” The sailors were warmly greeted by the residents of Tula, who filled the station square late at night. The Tula residents presented Rudnev with a model of a naval rapid-fire cannon with the inscription: “To the hero-countryman V.F. Rudnev from the workers of the Tula arms factory.”
On June 10, 1904, V.F. Rudnev was appointed commander of the 14th naval crew and the squadron battleship "Andrei Pervozvanny" being built in St. Petersburg. In November 1905, for refusing to take repressive measures against the revolutionary sailors of his crew, V.F. Rudnev was dismissed with the rank of rear admiral. After some time, he left for the Tula province and settled in a small estate near the village of Myshenki, Alexisk district, three miles from the Tarusskaya station. On July 7, 1913, V.F. Rudnev died. His grave is located in the village of Savino, Zaoksky district, Tula region. By decision of the Soviet government, on September 30, 1956, a monument to the commander of the cruiser Varyag, V. F. Rudnev, was erected in Tula.
And as part of our country’s Red Banner Pacific Fleet, a guards missile cruiser bearing the proud name “Varyag” is now serving. Many young Tula residents serve on this modern ship, the heir to the glorious military traditions of the Varyag.