300 Panfilovites

In Russia, the film "28 Panfilov" directed by Andrei Schalopa was released. It is dedicated to the feat of the heroes of the defense of Moscow in 1941, which was invented by the Red Star newspaper. Nevertheless, the mythologized history of 28 Panfilov heroes is still supported by the Russian authorities: the creation of the film was personally oversaw the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky. And he called all the critics of the film "ended scum." The Kremlin later explained that "the head of the Ministry of Culture applied his excellent ownership of the Russian language to defend historical truth."

Money for the film was collected on the Internet. The script "28 Panfilovtsev" was written in 2009, in May 2013 it was decided to make a teaser of the paintings. After his appearance on the network, three million rubles were donated to continue filming.

The developer of the War Thunder computer online game game ("Blilfly of the War")-Gaijin Entertainment took part in the creation of the film.

"Panfilovtsy"-fighters of the 316th Infantry Division under the command of General Ivan Panfilov. The most fame was 28 people from the personnel of the 4th company of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th Infantry Regiment. According to the official version, on November 16, 1941, when the enemy’s offensive on Moscow began, the fighters of the 4th company, headed by the political instructor Vasily Klochkov in the area of the Dubosekovo departure, destroyed 18 enemy tanks during a four-hour battle. It was reported that all 28 people died. The newspaper "Red Star" wrote about the feat.

Memorial in memory of heroes in Dubosekovo

The fraud opened in 1947, when one of the dead soldiers indicated in the list, Ivan Dobrobabin, was arrested for treason. He confirmed that the battle that was written in the newspaper really was, but he did not perform any feats and voluntarily surrendered to the Germans (and served them as the chief of police in the village of Perekop, Kharkov region). The investigation also established that, in addition to Dobrobabin, four more soldiers survived in the battle near Dubosekov: Illarion Vasiliev, Grigory Shemyakin, Ivan Shadrin and Daniil Kuzhebergenov. The latter (he also visited German captivity) said that he did not participate in that battle at all. And Ivan Natarov, who allegedly told about the feat, was killed two days before legendary battle.

In 1948 and 1988, the official version of the feat was studied by the main military prosecutor's office of the USSR and was recognized as artistic fiction. At the same time, the very fact of heavy battles of the 316th Infantry Division against the 2nd and 11th German tank divisions in the Volokolamsk direction did not dispute. The story of the battle was used as an example of heroism and self -sacrifice of soldiers of the Red Army. The soldiers posthumously awarded the title of heroes of the Soviet Union and erected a monument. The feat is mentioned in the anthem of Moscow and in many literary works. The phrase “Russia is great, and there is nowhere to retreat!”, Which Politruk Klochkov allegedly said before his death, was included in Soviet school and university history textbooks.

March in memory of the heroes-Panfilovs in Alma-Ata, 2015

In July 2015, the State Archive of Russia published a report that the history of the heroes-Panfilov is a fantasy of journalists. Archive employees referred to the certificate-lining of the chief military prosecutor of the USSR Nikolai Afanasyev, prepared back in 1948. After that, Minister Medinsky advised the head of Rosarchiv Sergey Mironenko "to engage in his profession and not give his own assessments to archival documents." Later, Mironenko, who worked as the head of the archive since 1992, was fired from his post. The producers of the film called the debunking of the myth of the feat of the "Panfilov" "weakening of the moral supports of the people."

The historian Boris Sokolov told about why the current Russian authorities are profitable to maintain fictions about the Great Patriotic War:

​

We preserve all Soviet myths, many of which are invented by propagandists

- This is done in order to preserve the mythologized picture of the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War. We preserve almost all Soviet myths and Soviet exploits, many of which are invented by propagandists. And some real feats remain in the shade, because they were not known during the war. It’s just that now the Great Patriotic War and the victory in it have become, from the point of view of power, the basis of Russian national identity. Therefore, a myth has been designed, which has very little in common with the truth and in the sense of those real sacrifices that the Soviet Union, the peoples of the Soviet Union incurred in this struggle, and the roles played in the interior of the Second World War, and the roles of the USSR allies in this war, and many other things.

Historian Boris Sokolov

What the State Archive published was known for a long time. This has been published more than once. Of course, he published facsimile copies of the documents themselves, but for twenty years it has not been any secret, somewhere from the late 80s-early 90s, when these relevant documents about the battles in the area of Dubosekovo’s travel were published. It is clear that there were no 28 heroes-Panfilov. There was one company that was almost completely destroyed. From among the dead fighters, 28 heroes were gained so that they correspond to the legend.

- And since then, the streets in the USSR were called their names, and what was not there ...

The words "great Russia, and nowhere to retreat" was invented by journalist Alexander Krivitsky

- I'm not saying that the streets must be renamed. This is also part of the story. A myth is also part of the story. Maybe the commissioner Klochkov was a brave soldier and honestly died. He simply did not say these words: "Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat. Moscow is behind." This journalist Alexander Krivitsky came up with. But also, in general, I wouldn’t particularly scold him for this. It was for the purpose of propaganda. It was needed. It acted. But more than 70 years after the war, one should already try to restore the real picture of the war, and not cling to some legends and myths existing since then.

- Yes, but at the head of the state committee Sergey Mironenko, who proved that there was no feat, then a flurry of critics fell upon, he was even fired. Why are not only officials, but also ordinary Russians are so painful about debunking myths about the Great Patriotic War?

If you doubt the veracity of information about the role of the USSR in World War II, this will be a tragedy

- Because they are always fed by these myths. Starting from Soviet times, state propaganda inspired that if you try to doubt the veracity of certain information about the role of the USSR in the Second World War, about the course of hostilities, this will be an irreparable tragedy. This was considered something unthinkable. Now this stereotype is simply revived and fixed again additionally.

- Why is the current Russian government not hesitated by distortion of history? The history of "Panfilov", the myth of the greatness of Stalin, which the authorities are supported, albeit not clearly ....

Hitler without Stalin could not unleash this war

- The greatness of Stalin should be understood how? He was great from the point of view of strengthening his own power and its spread to, perhaps, the third part of the world. In this, he was certainly great. But it was paid for the death of a huge number of people. In the war alone, at least 40 million Soviet citizens died, millions of more became victims of collectivization, repression. Nobody talks about this price-neither the authorities, even historians somehow talk about this mainly only in terms of repression. And about what tragedy there was a war for tens of millions of dead Soviet people, for those who survived and suffered incredible suffering ... No one says that Stalin is to blame. All on Hitler are felled. And Hitler without Stalin could not unleash the Second World War. They are just accomplices here. Two bears in one European den could not get along. So they began to fight each other, which is quite natural. But the peoples paid for this with their lives.

- To you as a historian, as one of the specialists in the Great Patriotic War, are the creators of modern films about the war for consultations?

- Sometimes they turn. I try to tell them the truth, although I understand that, for its objective reasons, they simply cannot reflect a significant part of it. Then there are certain installations.

- And the creators of this particular film were addressed to you?

There is nothing bad in the film adaptation of the legend. Cinema creates myths. That 300 Spartans, that 28 Panfilov ...

- No, of course, they did not turn! Medinsky’s attitude towards me is quite known. He oversaw this project. But I, by the way, spoke about this project in one radio broadcast. I said that in itself, that they will film the legend - there is nothing bad in this. In the end, the movie itself creates myths. It can turn to one or another myths - at least 300 Spartans, at least 28 Panfilovites. There is nothing bad about that. We must be judged simply by how artistically it happened. But this can be judged only by watching the film.