Translated material
Inappropriate allies
In Yekaterinburg, the photo exhibition "Triumph and the tragedy: allies in the Second World War" was canceled. The museum, which gave the site for the exposition, is closed, and the journalist who wrote this in a local newspaper is dismissed
Meeting the winners in Berlin. From right to left: Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, British feldmarshal Bernard Montgomery and Marshal Georgy Zhukov. The fourth in the front row, apparently, translator, Berlin, July 1945
In Yekaterinburg, unlike many regions of Russia, several foreign consulates are located. In previous years, the regional authorities were proud of this, but in an atmosphere of disclaimed xenophobia and anti -Western rhetoric, any activity of Western representative offices began to be perceived by the authorities as a good reason to demonstrate their patriotic zeal. And in the preparation of photo exhibitions for the anniversary of the victory, the US consulates and the UK - countries that, together with the Soviet Union fought fascism during the Second World War, participated as sin.
Five notes of an exhaustive idea of how the scandal flared up, you can make several newspaper notes. Here is the first of them-quite innocent, it was published in the AiF-Ural newspaper on April 6:
“In Yekaterinburg, 150 unique pictures of photographers of the Second World War will be exhibited. The exhibition was prepared jointly with the Consulate General of the United States and the Consulate General of Great Britain. <...> Battle of Britain, battles in North Africa and the Pacific, as well as the landing of allies in Normandy and hostilities in France, will appear before the eyes of the visitors of the “House of Methenkov”. As they say, nothing foreshadowed trouble. The opening of the exhibition was scheduled for April 10, which was notified by personal invitations sent by the organizers.
However, already in the evening of April 9, the situation has changed dramatically. At 18.51, news was released on the website of the Regional Gazeta:
“In Yekaterinburg, the“ Metenkov House ”was closed for an indefinite period. This was reported to the "regional newspaper" by the head of the institution Raisa Zorina. “The museum is closed indefinitely for technical reasons,” said Raisa Zorina. The head of the museum did not clarify the reason for the closure. "OG" will monitor the situation. " Indeed, the "regional newspaper" continued. The next morning, April 10, on her site at 11.31 a third note appeared - all the same Ekaterina Kholkina. It was called the Museum of Methenkov in Yekaterinburg closed the FSB, "and in it, citing its own sources, it was reported:
“In Yekaterinburg, the photographic museum“ Metenkov’s House ”was closed by order of the FSB, the decree came from Moscow. About this "OG" told its own source in the museum environment. The reason for the closure was the new exhibition “Triumph and the tragedy: allies in the Second World War”, which the museum employees prepared with the American consulate. ” 
But this did not save Catherine Kholkin itself: the next day, April 11, she was rapidly fired. “Yes, I no longer work in“ OG ”. It has not been a very pleasant situation, so I do not give comments on this subject, ”she said to one of the city Internet portals.
Not limited to the dismissal of a guilty journalist, the “regional newspaper” published a confused article signed by Yana Belotserkovskaya, head of the culture and sports sector. The article is placed in the section “Opinions”, which seems to be allowed not to consider this the position of the newspaper whose founders are the governor, the government and the legislative assembly of the region. Nevertheless, many had the feeling that this is the point of view of the authorities of the region.
The beginning of the article is strange: “The museum itself first commented that the museum will be overhaul, then limited to the wording -“ the museum is closed for technical reasons for an indefinite period. ” Technical reasons are a breakthrough of communications, an unscheduled repair, leakage of the roof, after all. But we were in the museum - everything is in order there: the pipes do not flow, the water does not drip from the roof. At the moment, there are no official and confirmed comments about the reasons for the closure. But whatever the reason, we believe that this is the right decision. ”
Think about it: the official media reports that there are no technical obstacles to the museum, but the decision to close the exhibition is still correct. What out of here can there be a conclusion? Apparently, there is only one: if a serious site hastily and for no apparent reason refuses to hold a carefully prepared event, the organizers of which were the consulate of the United States and Great Britain, then really influential forces intervened. And the version that the order came from Moscow is quite believable.
Winston Churchill watches the rise of the British bomber Short Stirling. Photo: Captain Horton, June 6, 1941
Why all this? Question: From what reasons was the exhibition with military photographs banned? For the answer, we turn to the same article in the “regional newspaper”: in the center of Russia, its author develops the topic, “for the money of Western sponsors” is an exhibition that plays into the hands of those who believe that “they won the war without us”. And further: "Not a single picture dedicated to our soldiers, our victories, was not supposed."
The American Marine Corporal Theodor Miller after two days of fighting for the Enivetok at all. Photo: Ray Parter, February 1944
The thesis that everything made with the money of the West is harmful to the Russian person is familiar to the current political mainstream, and it is boring to dispute it. But the assertion that the exposition does not have a single picture dedicated to participation in the USSR war - frank lies: even with a cursory inspection of photographs posted on the Internet, we at least see Marshals Zhukov and Rokossovsky there at least there.
Anton Dostler's Wehrmach General of the Wehrmacht is tied to a pillar in front of the execution. Photo: Unknown photographer of the US Army, Italy, December 1, 1945
Well, most importantly: the exhibition itself explicitly states that its goal is that its goal is to show the war through the eyes of the allies. There are no complaints about all -leature here. And if someone in our power offices wanted foreign consulates to arrange an exhibition of Soviet photographs-this is an completely ridiculous idea. Meanwhile, it was precisely her to convey to the readers the “regional newspaper”: “There would still be near the pictures of our photojournalists - and, by the way, there are much more, and they are much more powerful in terms of emotional influence. Moreover, they are much more appropriate on the eve of victory ... "
Three -year -old Eileen Dunn in a children's hospital after a wound received during air raid. Photo: Cecil Baton, London, September 1940
A special piquancy of the situation is given by the fact that from April 13 to 15 in Yekaterinburg, the US Ambassador to the Russian Federation John Tefft was an official visit. The Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region Yevgeny Kuyvashev defiantly refused to meet him. But the mayor of Yekaterinburg, Yevgeny Roizman, told Teffna that a new platform is already looking for a forbidden exhibition. This information in a conversation with NT was confirmed by the curator of the exhibition Artem Berkovich. “This is an absolutely humanistic exhibition, and we still want to hold it elsewhere,” he said. “Now the fate of the exposition is being engaged in consulates in the USA and Great Britain.”
Perhaps Yekaterinburgers will still see forbidden military photographs. But only this is not easier. The respected museum suffered, the memory of those who once fought with us was offended against Hitler ... And the fact that this happened on the eve of our general victory is quite appropriate for someone.
Photos provided by the Metenkov Museum