Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin. Novels of Soviet politicians with ballerinas: the most famous

LENINGRAD IN MOURNING

On the day of the rehearsal with the conductor and the philharmonic orchestra, I heard crying and screams, and saw people running. I asked the costume designer Lisa:
- What kind of panic? What's happened?
- Kirov is our father and benefactor, our leader - Sergei Mironovich Kirov was killed by the Nazis! They say that he was killed by German Trotskyist puppets.
How to find out the truth? Who can tell me what to do? Went outside. The city was in a fever. Everyone was in a hurry. The transport was crowded. I called home and the Kirov secretariat - to no avail: no one answered the phone. I tried to call his acquaintances and friends - to no avail.
It seemed as if everyone had died out. I needed to talk to someone, no matter what.
I went to the Moscow station so as not to feel lonely. The station was cordoned off and I was not allowed in. I had to return to the hotel. There was a note waiting for me in the room, asking me to urgently contact the Party Committee. However, they didn’t pick up the phone there either.
On December 2, I wandered around completely empty Leningrad. In the evening I returned to my room and lay down in the cold bed. The hours passed very slowly.
In the morning the city was paralyzed. Somehow I made it to Smolny, where farewell to Kirov was taking place. Together with other privileged people, she went up to the second floor, where the coffin was located. Kirov looked as if he were alive. - tears, mountains of wreaths, armfuls of flowers from institutions, factories, factories, military, schools, theaters, police... In the depths of the hall sat Kirov’s wife and sister with tear-stained, gray faces.
The orchestra played Mozart's Requiem. At the same time, the bells of St. Sophia Cathedral and St. Nicholas Cathedral were ringing.
After the funeral I was arrested again. I could not betray Kirov, even a dead one, and said: “Sergei Mironovich told me about his childhood, about how he became a revolutionary, about the November plenum, about his future work in Moscow. He pronounced the names of Stalin and members of the Politburo with respect.” Stalin was present at the interrogation. He was silent, thoughtful and sad.
Later I noticed one detail: Stalin was in Leningrad from December 1 to 5 and personally supervised the investigation; On December 2, an obituary was published in Pravda, and on December 3, at 5 p.m., he held a press conference at the Bolshoi Theater, where he officially informed the press about Kirov’s murder.
How was he in two places at the same time? And during the interrogation, when Stalin asked me one single question, I got the impression that it was not Stalin, but someone else who talentedly played his role.
Voroshilov told me: “Vera Alexandrovna, you have a ticket to Moscow booked, my car will take you to the station.”
She returned to Moscow on December 6. I had not yet recovered from the experience when the head of Stalin’s personal security presented me with my new security- Bugrova and Arsentiev.

YAGODA AND MASSEUSE NATASHA

On December 19, I sang for the workers of the electric lamp plant. I was terribly tired because I had to encore a lot.
She came out of the entrance and sat down, as always, in the back seat of the car. I was surprised by the curtains in the car.
Suddenly I felt the touch of a cold hand on my knee. She screamed in fright:
- Driver, take it to the police! There are bandits in the car!
In response I heard a quiet laugh:
- Vera Alexandrovna, aren’t you ashamed to be afraid of your friends?
I recognized Yagoda.
- Genrikh Grigorievich, when will you finally stop following me? “And I burst into tears, I was so exhausted.
Yagoda began to unbutton my fur coat:
- Verochka, I love you. Honestly, I love you. And I’m jealous of all these sons of bitches who hang around you, and especially the ones with mustaches. I know everything about you: about all the meetings with Stalin, about Zinoviev’s proposal, about the affair with Tukhachevsky and about the trip to Sestroretsk with the late Kirov. Well, what about me? You are avoiding me, Verochka! Aren't you afraid of Yagoda? Sergei Mironovich Kirov is just the beginning...
- I beg you, stop. I'm very afraid, but I swear to you, nothing happened between us. We were only friends.
Yagoda laughed:
“If you tell anyone a word of what you hear from me, I’ll kill you!” However, no one will believe you. They'll think you've gone crazy. And I will settle accounts with the fat man Malenkov and the big girl Yezhov later. I’ll skin them, make a handbag and give them to you as a souvenir. Verochka, if you stay with me, we will overcome all difficulties!
We drove for about forty minutes. “It seems we have arrived,” Yagoda said cheerfully. Two German Shepherds ran up to the car. Yagoda called them: “Baby Tiger!”
The soldier brought the cold dinner.
- Come here, Bulyga! - Yagoda returned it. A frightened soldier came running. - Rag, who are you going to feed cold food? – The embarrassed soldier blinked his eyes. Yagoda took a metal rod and slowly hit Bulyga. The bloodied soldier muttered something wildly. “Answer,” the sadist yelled, “who did you want to feed with this shit?!”
Next strike! The soldier fell, writhing in pain. When they took him away, I asked:
- Is this performance performed for me?
- How did you guess, madam? Sometimes it's worth demonstrating your base instincts.
A beautiful young woman came in and began setting the table. Yagoda spanked her familiarly. The woman grinned, and I recognized the Kremlin masseuse Natasha.
- Genrikh Grigorievich, tomorrow at eleven I have a very serious rehearsal, which Malenkov and other party leaders should attend.
- Don't worry, you won't be late. Now rest,” he pointed to the door of one of the rooms, “this is your room.”
I was attacked by tetanus, I was unable to move, my legs were stiff.
- Do I have to repeat it?! - Yagoda shouted, hitting the top of his boot with the rod. “They don’t repeat anything twice in this house!”
There was a low ottoman in the room, in the corner - small table with drinks and two chairs nearby.
I cursed my life... Suddenly I saw that a completely naked Natasha entered the room and lay down under the blanket:
- Vera Alexandrovna, take my example. Come on, I'll warm you up.
-Are you mad?
- The boss will come now, and he doesn’t like to wait. Several women were handed over to the soldiers for disobedience and then imprisoned.
Natasha stood up and began to forcefully undress me. I screamed, and then she covered my mouth with her left hand and hit me in the stomach with her right...
Yagoda came in wearing white underpants.
- Well, my beauties, let's play?
Natasha hugged her boss. I felt sick and went to the bathroom. The shower made me feel better, but Natasha came for me and took me to Yagoda, who was sitting naked on the ottoman.
“Now I’ll have fun with Verochka, and you go make some coffee,” he said to Natasha.
I stood there as if pinned down, not moving. Yagoda threw me onto the ottoman with all his might...
Later, Natasha came into the bathroom and said that if I uttered a word, she would strangle me with her own hands.
At breakfast, Yagoda ate meat and drank cognac.
“Verochka,” he said, “I’m happy that you found time to spend the evening with me, I hope not the last!” I would like to invite you to Zagorsk and Pereyaslavl. The three of us will go - you, me and Natasha, and we will invite Mikhail Nikolaevich Tukhachevsky to be the driver. – I choked from surprise. “Do you want to see the photographs,” my tormentor continued sarcastically, “the ones where you are sitting on the lap of this warrior?” If you behave badly, I will send them to Comrade Stalin. He collects documents of this kind.
- Please, stop mocking me. Why are you obsessed with me? We have so many beautiful ballerinas and singers in our theater.
- Thanks for the information, but this moment I need you.
- And Natasha?
- She is my slave. I saved her from the gallows, and even now the rope is in my hands... I can tighten the noose at any moment. I hope you finally understand that you need to be on friendly terms with me?
I forced myself to answer:
- You are right, Genrikh Grigorievich!

NATALIA MOKROUSOVA

Bugrov, my new security guard, was officially listed as a prop master at the Bolshoi Theater. At the theater buffet he sat down at my table:
- What's happened? You sickly look.
- I urgently need to see “Uncle Kolya”...
I got dressed, and the barman let me out through the service entrance. Bugrov and Arsentiev took me to some basement room of the Central Committee, where “Uncle Kolya” - Yezhov - was waiting for me along with Malenkov and Poskrebyshev.
“Comrade Davydov,” Yezhov asked formally, “did you want to meet with us?”
- Comrades, you are all in danger deadly danger!
The faces of those around them stretched out in surprise.
- After the concert at the electric lamp factory...
“We know that,” interrupted Malenkov, “they replaced your car.” Take your time, tell in detail what happened next.
I told them the beginning of my adventure, explaining who Natasha is.
“Just don’t put her in jail,” she warned, “otherwise she will understand that I let it slip.”
I was ashamed to talk about further events, but they insisted: “Vera Alexandrovna, we are yours.” faithful friends, we are responsible for your safety to Comrade Stalin..."
I was forced to continue:
- Yagoda ordered me to go to his bedroom and said that this was not our last meeting. He threatened that he would settle accounts with everyone and especially with Comrade Stalin. He let it slip that Sergei Mironovich Kirov was killed on his orders. I beg you, save me! You have an army in your hands, and this pygmy is threatening a woman who is dear to Comrade Stalin... If my life is indifferent to you, I would rather poison myself than endure this.
- N-nda... the situation... - Yezhov coughed. - Comrades, what proposals will there be?
Poskrebyshev responded quietly:
- We will transfer Natalya Mokrousova to a new job, say, to a factory. One fine day, while cleaning, she will fall into boiling water due to a violation of safety rules. Then we will “treat” it, the bird will sing...
- I give you three days to complete this operation. Those responsible are Poskrebyshev, Yezhov, Vlasik and Mehlis,” Malenkov ordered.
“Allow me to offer you the following information,” said Poskrebyshev.
- Let’s listen, Alexander Nikolaevich.
- Varvara Petrovna Kiryushkina, aka Natalya Mokrousova, Olga Peyarova, Maria Karpenko, Aleftina Rodimtseva and so on, was born in Nikolaev in 1910. Her mother ran a visiting house. She fled to Turkey and lives in Constantinople. Her father died at Perekop. After school, Natalya worked in a pharmacy, owned by two brothers. I lived with both of them. One day she robbed them and burned down the pharmacy. Then she organized a “raspberry” in Odessa on Debasovskaya, 19. She was engaged in smuggling with Turkey, Yugoslavia, Greece, and Romania. Fluent in German and French. In Vladivostok she was arrested for selling dog meat and ran away. In Omsk, she married a former tsarist officer involved in the fish trade. She killed her husband, chopped up his body and hid it in the basement in a barrel of pickles. She took all the valuables and set the house on fire. The second time she was arrested in Tambov, but she killed one of the guards and escaped. she soon showed up in Leningrad, and then under a different name in Moscow, where she sold drugs. Demyan Bedny became interested in her and recommended her to work in the Kremlin. So she became a masseuse. Soon she was identified and sent to Lubyanka. There her first “significant” meeting with Yagoda took place: the People’s Commissar made her his partner.
“Comrade Stalin should not know anything about this,” said Malenkov. – It is necessary to place round-the-clock security at Vera Alexandrovna’s doors. Yagoda needs to be given a new “fun”.

SEMYON MIKHAILOVICH BUDENNY

Stalin invited me to a New Year's reception on December 31st.
I was introduced to Khrushchev and Sholokhov - an unprepossessing man with bow legs. Yagoda arrived with his ugly wife and, leaving her in the company of Khrushchev, came up to me:
- Vera Alexandrovna, one of these sons of bitches scalded Natasha a couple of weeks ago, she is in great pain. Verochka, when will we see each other again? I really want you.
“After the premiere of “Sadko,” I promised only so that he would fall behind.
- I'll be patient.
Everyone left the reception together. I decided to walk, but a car stopped next to me, and the driver began to honk. Budyonny’s mustache could be seen behind the glass: “Verochka, sit down. Shall we go for a ride?”
I was indifferent to everything, I was disgusted with life, and, unexpectedly for myself, I agreed.
- To Peredelkino! – Budyonny cheerfully ordered the driver and suggested to me: “Shall we celebrate?”
- I agree, anything is possible on New Year’s Eve!
Older soldiers served us. Semyon Mikhailovich explained:
- These are my former sergeants, they don’t want to part with me. Their whole life was spent in the army, they say that for them I am their own father... Verochka, do me something nice: try my pickled cucumbers and mushrooms, here’s caviar, salmon with lemon. Drink vodka, don’t be shy, yesterday I received two boxes from the factory. After dinner we’ll have a hot bath, I’ll rub your back, you’ll rub mine...
Hearing this proposal, I immediately imagined the Kremlin bathhouse, Natasha, sticky Yagoda...
“Thank you,” she answered dryly, “I am clean.”
- Vera Alexandrovna, answer me honestly, without frills: can we talk “man to man”?
- Semyon Mikhailovich, I won’t be angry, you can say whatever you want.
- I have a family, devoted, kind, good wife. She respects me and never argues with me. In Moscow I have big flat. This dacha is also mine. Big pension. I'm already old - I'm over sixty, but when I see you, my blood boils. I'm a simple man, but maybe we can understand each other. I divorce my wife, they will give me another apartment, Voroshilov will help - he respects me. You quit your job, your throat is too tender, you shouldn’t sing anymore for all these dogs who don’t understand a damn thing about art. You will have the most expensive fur coats. I will bring a battalion of soldiers who will fulfill all your wishes. Only one thing is required of you: do not turn away from me in bed.
Budyonny delivered this entire speech in a cheerful, joking tone.
- Thank you for your directness, I understand and respect your feelings, I appreciate your kindness. A woman is always pleased when she knows that she is loved, but I am married, and you know my husband...
Semyon Mikhailovich sighed, but continued in the same tone:
- Okay, we’ll live like this, you’ll become my mistress, you’ll come to me once a week. You won’t regret it, I can thank you... in every way.
- Semyon Mikhailovich, it’s time for me to go home, it’s getting light.
- How many days will you think about it? – Budyonny did not yield.
“Maybe a month, maybe two,” I answered jokingly.
- Parfen! take our famous guest to Moscow. -Can I kiss you? – he asked when I got dressed.
-Only on the cheek.
The dashing cavalryman hugged me with such force that all the buttons of his tunic flew off.
- How sweet you are, my filly! Just let me ride you...” he said, licking his lips, and walked me to the car.
A note from Tukhachevsky was waiting for me at home; he asked me to call urgently.
- Verochka, dear, where have you gone? I was very nervous.
Laughing, she answered:
- You all disappeared somewhere. My husband left with a busty weaver, and I was taken to the dacha by the “chief cavalryman” - Budyonny.
An hour later he was with me, completely confused:
- I’m surprised, why do you need this extravagant mustache?
- Misha, don’t be jealous. This is just another fan in my retinue. You know, Semyon Mikhailovich absolutely seriously proposed marriage to me. Don't be angry, please! I'm already exhausted by this vile life.

MIKHAIL IVANOVICH KALININ

Once, when I was at the dacha in Kuntsevo, Stalin received a call from the checkpoint.
- Who has arrived?... Kalinin... let me in.
- Should I leave? – I asked.
- Stay, Verochka. The “ass fool” arrived, entangled in dirty affairs due to the fact that he could not miss a single skirt. If you are interested, then I will tell you in more detail the ins and outs of this “celestial being”.
Kalinin entered, greeting Stalin like a soldier. It was obvious that he couldn't see well
- Sit down, Mikhail Ivanovich. What's new? What's the urgency?
- Sorry, Joseph Vissarionovich, but I don’t know this beautiful lady...
- Do you have sclerosis, Mikhail Ivanovich? You don't recognize pride Bolshoi Theater?
“How can you…” Kalinin kissed my hand. - I'm happy to meet you! Please contact me, here is my phone number, I am always at your disposal.
Stalin said reproachfully:
- Either he doesn’t recognize him, or he immediately invites you to visit!
“Iosif Vissarionovich,” the old pretender changed the subject, “today the radio broadcast three times the resolution of the Central Committee on strengthening the fight against child crime.
- In a week, give me the exact numbers of arrested adult relatives of criminals. They need to be imprisoned for a long time so that they learn to work. A child is not born a criminal - his parents are to blame for his crimes. Mobilize the press, radio, cinema. Re-education is the task of our party.
Kalinin left, and Stalin called the waitress:
- Prepare fried trout with potatoes.
- It will be served in ten minutes.
While we were waiting, Stalin said the following.
- One day a woman came from another city with a request to Kalinin. Seeing her daughter in the corridor, Kalinin fulfilled her request and invited them to live in Moscow at the Metropol Hotel. One day, under the pretext of a tour of Moscow, he took his daughter to his dacha and raped her. The mother turned out to be a close relative of the major military leader Yegorov. To hush up the scandal, Kalinin gave this woman a large sum of money. But we taught him a lesson: thirty of his relatives were exiled to Verkhoyansk. Now he is meek as a lamb. This is how the disciples and associates of the great Lenin work!
- Comrade Stalin, thank you for your trust...
“If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t tell this story.”
Later, I learned about another tragedy, the culprit of which was Kalinin.
He really liked ballerinas and often went to the theater. It must be said that the young ballerinas, knowing his power, completely flirted with him. Mikhail Ivanovich gave them chocolate, imported linen, and invited them to dinner. In anticipation of gifts, they did not refuse him small liberties and kisses on the neck.
One day, Kalinin became seriously interested in sixteen-year-old ballerina Bella Uvarova. The director of the ballet school did everything to protect the girl, but Kalinin followed her everywhere.
Bella's father was an engineer, worked in the People's Commissariat, her mother was a translator, she knew several European languages. Bella danced with four years. Then she began to study choreography and staged ballet sketches herself. One day, without telling her parents, she called alone famous ballerina and asked me to look at it. The ballerina really liked Bella and she helped her enter the choreographic school. The Bolshoi Theater pinned its hopes on Uvarova.
Bella Uvarova disappeared two weeks after meeting Kalinin. Only a month later, Bella’s mutilated corpse was found in a forest near Moscow. The girl was buried on Vagankovskoe cemetery. An investigation began, which established that after the performance, on the day of her disappearance, some unknown people forcibly put Bella into a car and drove away. The family saw Bella at Kalinin's dacha, judging by the photograph of the girl they identified...
The management of the Bolshoi Theater turned to Comrade Stalin for help. It was absolutely by chance that the complaint fell directly into his hands. A commission was created consisting of Malenkov, Yezhov, Poskrebyshev, Mehlis. Kalinin was pretty battered, but Stalin needed him, and these saints saved the old rapist: they sent him to long vacation"for treatment."
Soon the Izvestia newspaper published a report about acts of sabotage in industry organized by English spies. Among the “spies” were the parents of the unfortunate Bella.

TUKHACHEVSKY AND STALIN

During a tour in Kyiv, after the performance, I met Tukhachevsky in a restaurant. He came to inspect the Kyiv Military District.
Tukhachevsky managed to get rid of his personal guard and driver, and we went to the village to visit one of his distant relatives. I told him about the arrest of Kamenev and Zinoviev.
- What else is going on?
- Stalin is preparing a decree on conferring marshal ranks.
- When will it be signed?
- Don't know.
- They won’t assign me a marshal. Stalin has been sharpening his grudge against me for a long time.
- Misha, he needs you!
- Do you know something?
- Oh, there are so many rumors going around...
- Vera Alexandrovna, we see each other so rarely!
- But, Misha, you don’t love me! They say that you have mistresses in every city.
- Who told you this? – Tukhachevsky got angry. - Who? I'll take him to clean water! – He took my hand and whispered: “I only need you, I dream about you every night.” What happened in youth is gone...
I asked him why Kirov was killed.
- Sergei Mironovich is not the first and not last victim Stalin,” he said gloomily. – I hope you won’t betray me?
- Don't speak if you're afraid!
- Don’t be angry, Verochka, it’s a terrible time now. I realized a long time ago what Stalin was. This bandy-legged pygmy imagines himself as Napoleon. In his youth, Joseph Dzhugashvili joined a nationalist organization, where he remained until 1917. And then, without a twinge of conscience, he betrayed his comrades-in-arms to Vyacheslav Menzhinsky.
Now I will settle accounts with him! Don't look at me so surprised. Stalin was afraid of Kirov, afraid that he would take his place. Is there a dictator who will give up power on his own? For many years, Kirov supported Lenin. At all meetings, the fearless Kirov sought a ban on repression and a reduction in the number of camps. In 1921, on Lenin's initiative, Kirov was elected secretary of the Central Committee of Azerbaijan. After 5 years, Stalin recommended him for the post of secretary of the Leningrad party organization, in place of his former protégés Zinoviev and Evdokimov. Kirov became the master of Leningrad: he did not take Stalin into account at all and independently solved the most serious problems.
Joseph Vissarionovich seeks only to strengthen his usurper power and uncontrollably leads this huge country. He surpassed even the Roman emperors in immorality; after Lenin’s death, he consistently got rid of his opponents and supported his supporters with all his might. The people's love for him rests on fear. And he constantly invents new methods of strengthening this love.
- And you, Mishenka, who are you? Sorry for the direct question, but do you consider yourself better than Stalin’s hangers-on?
- It’s hard to talk about myself: I also shot people who did not accept the revolution.
- So where are your feelings of mercy, pity, shame?
- In all my actions I was guided, first of all, by civic duty. There is no place for sentimentality in the fight for justice.
- You are a nobleman, an aristocrat, a former white officer, how did you decide to change all this? I’m asking you so directly, without any pretense, because I love you, I love you for the first time in my life.
Tukhachevsky was breathing heavily and unbuttoned his collar. We went out into the garden.
- Verochka, you asked me a terrible question! I will open my whole soul to you. You and I are very close, but life will separate us. You know, this is even better for me. You have to pay for mistakes. What do I have in common with these dark men Voroshilov and Budyonny? They climbed up and pretended to be colonels. I, a highly educated, professional military man, depend on the mood of any stupid people’s commissar. And nothing can be done, the Stalinist bureaucratic apparatus cannot be broken... That's it, the movie is over!
- Misha, what should we do?
- Be patient... and wait for the end.

GEORGE MAKSIMILIANOVICH MALENKOV

Having received an invitation to Malenkov’s birthday, I went to buy him a pair of Ukrainian embroidered shirts as a gift. I hail a taxi, and then he pulls up. He offered to get into the car, and we quickly drove to his dacha in Serebryany Bor. The owner there was his wife Golubtsova, who recently, thanks to the support of the party, received a doctorate in technical sciences - without defending a dissertation - and the leadership of the Moscow Energy Institute. The hero of the occasion himself refused for the sake of party work higher education.
Among the guests were Mikoyan, Voroshilov, Kaganovich, Yezhov, Poskrebyshev, Ordzhonikidze, Andreev, Shvernik.
“Vera Alexandrovna, I’m happy that you came,” Malenkov said.
- Thank you, and I am glad to meet you at home.
“Let’s leave the guests and talk,” he took me by the arm, and we went out onto the terrace. It was a quiet night.
“Vera Alexandrovna,” Malenkov broke the silence, “I’ve been thinking about you for a long time, I’m interested in your life.”
- I don’t understand what you mean?
- In other words, we are talking about a declaration of love.
- Oh, for God's sake, don't... Please! I'm tired of listening to declarations of love, the most sincere, marriage proposals!
Thirty-three-year-old Malenkov resembled a fat tame bear.
“I’ll be honest,” he continued slowly, “I won’t leave you behind, it’s stronger than me.” By the way, Stalin’s latest hobby is the singer Zlatogorova, she has already visited him three times. Sometimes he remembers his old affections: a week ago Valeria Vladimirovna Barsova visited him. You won’t remain faithful to him in such a situation, will you?
- Georgy Maximilianovich, you shock me! Let's return to the guests, and we will continue our conversation another time, with me, especially since I have a lot to tell you.
Malenkov grabbed my hand and didn’t let go for a long time:
- Today is the most joyful day for me, I feel that with you I will be happy!
- During the evening, Yezhov and Poskrebyshev took turns making appointments with me and promising that everything would remain secret.
I sang five romances and Carmen's aria. At dawn, returning home tiredly, I found in my coat pocket an envelope with money and a receipt: “Fees for a government concert: 500 rubles.”

STALIN'S THREATS

All night I read "Quiet Don" by Sholokhov. The Bolshoi Theater was going to stage an opera by Ivan Dzerzhinsky based on this novel, and I got the part of Aksinya. From the first pages of the novel, I was struck by the life of the Don Cossacks: fathers rape their daughters, husbands beat their wives, everyone drinks, criminals write laws, superstitious Cossacks are cut off from the world, do not understand the goals of the wars in which they participate, despise their neighbors - Ukrainian and Russian peasants.
In the morning, Stalin’s chauffeur Alyosha Bugrov came to pick me up. A young maid greeted me: “My name is Valya, Valentina Ivanovna. You will have to wait.”
Stalin knew how to make his guests wait, and I was no exception. Finally he appeared and greeted me with a threatening coldness.
“Valechka, give me some wine and fruit,” he said, sitting down in a chair, and turned to me: “I know about all your affairs.”
Such an introduction did not promise anything good. He looked at me gloomily and smoked his pipe.
- I went to Semyon Budyonny’s dacha, you travel with Tukhachevsky, you sleep with Yagoda, you visited Malenkov... Tell me, Vera Alexandrovna, what should I do with you? What are you, slutty? Should I put you in jail? It won't fix you. I was in prison and, as you can see, I haven’t changed.
I was scared to death.
Snapping his fingers, he continued:
- You’re silent, does that mean it’s true?
- Joseph Vissarionovich, do with me what you want, just leave me alone. I'm tired of making excuses all the time.
Stalin grinned:
“Great, I like that you’re not afraid,” he called and Valechka appeared. “Give us dinner,” he ordered her. I refused. Stalin quipped: “What, even your wonderful appetite has disappeared?” Apparently, you have been really tired lately, we will urgently need to send you to rest.
I was shaking: he could send me to a resort, or he could send me to prison, or to a camp, and no one would help me.
“Verochka, don’t be afraid,” Stalin unexpectedly said affectionately, “you will go to Sukhumi, where my friend Lakoba will take care of you.”
I drank the cognac in one gulp.
- Bravo, Vera Alexandrovna! “He who knows how to drink, knows how to love,” as the Russian philosopher Alexander Ivanovich Herzen said. Well, now, after exchanging pleasantries, let’s go and relax: a surprise awaits you.
In the bedroom, Stalin took out an engraved box.
- Please, this is for your wonderful Lyubava!
- Joseph Vissarionovich, I cannot accept such a valuable gift.
Stalin was offended.
- I was able to take five hundred rubles for three songs, and maybe for something else, from Malenkov...
In order not to quarrel and to please him, I put on a gold watch, a ring and earrings with diamonds, hugged and kissed him.
- Thank you, darling! With or without a gift, you are always the most for me desirable man, my Lord.
- This is the first time I’ve heard this from you, Verochka! I need your caresses, your hands. We haven't seen each other for a long time, and I'm angry and nervous. I will try not to torment you, Verochka.
My fate was in his hands. Time passed, and Stalin became more and more jealous. The information that his hangers-on gave him was often false. I had to act out fiery passion.
Emboldened, I once rushed into the attack.
“Iosif Vissarionovich,” I said dryly, “you constantly lecture me, but you yourself accept women.” They also inform me: you don’t forget Barsova, you made friends with Bronislava Zlatogorova and, if I’m not mistaken, you didn’t ignore the delicious Valechka...
Stalin burst out laughing, demonstrating rotten teeth– I didn’t treat it, I was terrified of the pain.
- Where does such awareness come from? Possessing a woman is natural for a man. There should be as many of them as he wants. Lermontov wrote to Raevsky: “My friend, if not you, then someone else will. It’s better to be first than second.” Verochka, my sunshine, I love you! – and kissed me impulsively. “I’m not calling, I’m trying to forget you.” But I can’t live without a woman, you can’t go against nature. Here's my direct phone number, but don't tell it to anyone and don't call often. You will go on vacation to Sukhumi, relax at Lakoba’s and, if you want, you can also relax in Sochi.
- Joseph Vissarionovich, believe me, I am very touched by your concern, but understand me: I live in constant fear, I am afraid of people from your circle, I could be imprisoned, killed - and there will be no trace left.
Stalin sighed and his gaze became cold.
- Tell me who? I'll talk to each one separately.
- Yagoda – he terrorizes me more than anyone else.
- This scoundrel has been playing with death for a long time. I'll shake the soul out of him!

Once again I ask myself the question: could I - not a heroic, but an ordinary woman - could I change anything? I'm not making excuses for myself, but there were people who did much worse than me.
These lustful men from the government literally attacked me from all sides, I received invitations to breakfasts, lunches, dinners and car rides. Budyonny became more and more insistent, Malenkov called constantly, and the blind Kalinin was annoying. Voroshilov and the hunchbacked dwarf Yezhov reminded us of himself. Even Stalin’s faithful secretary, the pockmarked Poskrebyshev, offered me his “services.” And above this pack is Tukhachevsky. The only man I loved... But at the pinnacle of power was Stalin. In this kaleidoscope, I was forced to maneuver, promise, smile, deceive and play in order to win or survive.
My boat floated without a sail for a long time, and the waves carried me out to the open sea... What will happen next? Don't know. And I don't want to know.

Today he is completely forgotten. But he was once part of Stalin’s inner circle. Under Khrushchev he became Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. Prime Minister. Formally, he is the first person of the state. At least for the West. In the political hierarchy adopted there, “our dear Nikita Sergeevich” only headed the ruling Communist Party in the country. And Bulganin is Churchill’s level. It was not for nothing that in 1955, the American Times magazine dedicated a cover to the new Soviet prime minister. High honor!

The people called Nikolai Alexandrovich Nikolai the Third. By analogy with the last Sovereign of Russia Nicholas II (also Alexandrovich!)

Shadow Man

Among Soviet leaders, Bulganin stood out for one rare quality, says writer Gennady Sokolov. - Satisfied everyone! Even being the first in rank, he remained a supporting figure and always kept in the shadows. “Everyone liked him a little because he didn’t bother anyone,” Molotov said.

Before his Kremlin career, our hero managed to work as security officers and directors, was a Moscow mayor and the main banker of the country. But the real takeoff began in 1947. Then he received a marshal's star. Not for military merit - during the war the apparatchik did not smell gunpowder! And in addition to the post of Minister of the Armed Forces, which was previously held by Stalin himself. The appointment of a civilian was to spite Marshal Zhukov. He rightfully deserved such a high post, but after the war he turned out to be too popular among the people and too influential in the army.

Nikolai Bulganin on the cover of Time magazine, 1955. amateur.media

Stalin did not allow such competitors into his inner circle. And the accommodating Bulganin, incapable of conspiracy or even the slightest intrigue, was convenient for the leader of the people. Although he was clearly not suitable for leading a powerful and influential department.

Who's speaking? - Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov asked the USSR Minister of Defense who called him on HF. - Marshal Bulganin? I don't know such a marshal.

He served as Minister of War for only two years. Already in 1949, Stalin appointed him as his deputy. And soon - first deputy on the Council of Ministers. In this status, Bulganin actually replaced Molotov, who had long been considered the second person in the Soviet state hierarchy. After the death of the leader, he became a key figure in the new configuration of power. Together with Beria, Malenkov and Khrushchev.

Nikita Sergeevich considered him his man since the time they worked together in Moscow in the mid-30s. At that time, Khrushchev led the party organization of the capital, and Bulganin led the Moscow Soviet. Both were on duty at Stalin’s Kuntsevo dacha on the March night of 1953, when the Generalissimo suffered a stroke. Then the couple decided to act together against Beria and support each other in the approaching troubled times.

Bulganin turned out to be faithful this one word at night. It was he who, after Stalin’s death, proposed Nikita Sergeevich to the post of party leader. Supported him in the fight against Malenkov.

Khrushchev managed to remove his main competitor from the post of head of government, and his ally Bulganin became prime minister. Finally, on the final day of the 20th Congress, it was he who gave the floor to the “First” for the famous secret report, to which a good half of the Presidium of the Central Committee objected. The report became the first public exposure of Stalin's personality cult.

The main Soviet balletomane

This faceless apparatchik, however, had one frantic passion! - writer Sokolov continues the story. - Ballet. More precisely, ballerinas.

Apparently, he wanted to live up to his nickname. Nicholas II, before marrying Alexandra Feodorovna, had an affair with the famous ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya.

Galina Vishnevskaya and Mstislav Rostropovich.

The passion began long before the premiership. And she was much more prosaic. In the Kremlin archives I discovered an interesting report from Beria.

January 8, 1948

Secret

Council of Ministers of the USSR

Comrade Stalin I.V.

On the night of January 6-7, 1948, Marshal Bulganin, being in the company of two ballerinas of the Bolshoi Theater in room 348 of the National Hotel, got drunk and ran in his underpants along the corridors of the third and fourth floors of the hotel, waving pistachio pantaloons tied to a mop handle the colors of one of the ballerinas and demanded from everyone he met to shout “Hurray for the Marshal Soviet Union Bulganin, Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR!

Then, going down to the restaurant, N.A. Bulganin, having brought several generals who were dining there to attention, demanded that they “kiss the banner,” that is, the above-mentioned pantaloons. When the generals refused, the Marshal of the Soviet Union ordered the head waiter to call the duty officer of the commandant's office with a platoon of guards and gave the command to the arriving Colonel Sazonov to arrest the generals who refused to carry out the order. The generals were arrested and taken to the Moscow commandant's office. In the morning, Marshal Bulganin canceled his order...

Stalin imposed a resolution on Beria’s report. The adjutant and guarantors of Marshal Bulganin, who failed to prevent Bulganin’s brawl, were demoted to military ranks and sent for further military service to the Order of Lenin Far Eastern Military District. The ballerinas with whom Bulganin enters into contact are to be instructed about their personal responsibility for preventing the drunken Marshal Bulganin from appearing undressed in in public places, with the exception of the hotel room.

However, one day the “balletomania” of our “Nicholas the Third” played a very positive role in international politics. In conditions of the most severe " cold war"helped to break through the "iron curtain" between the West and the East.

How?

1956 Khrushchev and Bulganin arrived on an official visit to London. (I write about this in detail in the book “Death Line. The failure of Operation Claret”). As part of the cultural program, distinguished guests were taken to a ballet at the Royal Opera House (the famous Covent Garden). They were accompanied by Prime Minister Eden and Foreign Minister Reading.

Reading turned out to be a true balletomane. I introduced our prime minister to the primas there. He was delighted. And he asked: “Have you ever watched productions of the Bolshoi Theater?”

Lord Reading could not boast of this. Then Bulganin suggested that he invite the Bolshoi to the UK. They quickly signed an agreement on cultural exchange. The Bolshoi went to London, the prima ballerinas of Covent Garden performed in Moscow and Leningrad. The Old Vic Theater with Laurence Olivier showed his best performances for Soviet viewers. The dance ensemble of Igor Moiseev performed on the London stage...

Thus began the world triumph of the Bolshoi Theater and Soviet ballet. Then there were long tours in the USA...

It turns out that it is thanks to Bulganin that “in the field of ballet we are ahead of the rest”?

Yes. Otherwise, Bolshoi would have been locked up in his homeland for a long time. And then, you see, ballet would become fashionable. Whether Bulganin visited the rooms of the National with the English primas, history is silent...

At the age of 60, Bulganin fell in love with Galina Vishnevskaya. Photo: RIA Novosti

Swan song - prima Vishnevskaya

Something else is known for certain. At the age of 60, Bulganin fell in love with Galina Vishnevskaya, the leading soloist of the Bolshoi Theater, and became her patron. And even tried to recapture young husband, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich in the midst of their honeymoon. Vishnevskaya was half the prime minister’s age.

“Among the clumsy, rude faces of government members, he stood out for his intelligent appearance, soft, pleasant manners,” she writes in the book “Galina. Life story". “There was something in his appearance from an old-regime retired general, and he really wanted to appear in my eyes as an enlightened monarch, a kind of Nicholas III. In all his interactions with me, he always tried to emphasize that I did not need to be afraid to visit him. Of course, accustomed to power, he wanted to get his way at all costs, but perhaps he really loved me... Almost daily invitations - either to his dacha or to his Moscow apartment. And, of course, endless “libations.” Nikolai Alexandrovich drank a lot, forced Slava to drink too much, and even without persuasion he grabbed too much out of anger. It used to happen that both would get drunk, the old man would fix his eyes on me like a bull, and begin:

No, tell me how you love her? Oh boy! Can you really understand what love is? So I love her, this is my swan song... Well, it’s okay, let’s wait, we know how to wait, we’re accustomed to it...”

Returning home after another drinking session at Bulganin’s, a jealous Rostropovich, wearing only his shorts, jumped onto the windowsill to throw himself down. The cellist was stopped from taking the fatal step by Vishnevskaya’s cry: “I’m pregnant!”

Vishnevskaya admits: it is unknown how her fate would have turned out if she had “accepted the courtship of the Soviet monarch in a completely different way and sat as an impostor queen, like Marina Mnishek, “on the throne of the Tsars of Moscow.” Although the fate of impostors has long been known to everyone, the temptation was great.”

Prima acted wisely by rejecting the advances. Soon, the always cautious “Nicholas the Third” got into trouble. More precisely, to the famous “anti-party group of Molotov, Kaganovich, Malenkov, Voroshilov, Bulganin, Pervukhin, Saburov and Shepilov who joined them.” In the summer of 1957 they tried to remove Khrushchev. He, with the help of KGB Chairman Serov, gained the upper hand. The group was defeated. And although Bulganin was not in the first role in the conspiracy, Khrushchev took the position of prime minister from his traitor friend, took away the marshal’s star and sent him into exile in Stavropol. Chairman of the Economic Council. In 1960, Bulganin retired. Died in 1975. He was buried at Novodevichy. Just like Khrushchev.

Nikolai Bulganin at the May Day celebration. nevsedoma.com.ua

There was another case!
How the British stole the Soviet Prime Minister's golden pen

Bulganin's recorder was recently put up for auction in London. The seller claimed that he received it as a gift from the leader of the USSR on April 22, 1956 in Oxford, when he visited the university there with Khrushchev.

In the book by Gennady Sokolov “Death Line. The failure of Operation Claret, however, the story of this fountain pen is told in detail. There was no smell of a gift there. With the consent of the author we present short excerpt from this book.

“People hung from the balconies of old low houses, crowded on the sidewalks near stone walls and along the roads along which the motorcade with the Soviet delegation was supposed to pass. The cobblestone squares and neatly mowed lawns at the entrances to the colleges the guests were to visit were crowded with people. Three of the most desperate students even climbed to the top of the four-meter column that marked the name of the street “Broad Street” in order to get a better bird's eye view of the arriving guests. The poor fellows could barely keep their balance on the narrow platform at the top of the column, barely supporting each other, every minute risking falling to the ground.

As soon as the automobile escort entered the city, the human mass that filled it came to life and began to move, threatening to demolish any obstacles in its path. The police officers responsible for security and order were in despair at their own helplessness. They were unable to stop this chaos.

Khrushchev and Bulganin were delighted with this movement of the masses. In it, for the first time during the days of their visit, they felt the sincere interest of the British in themselves, and therefore in the country they represented.

Khrushchev and Bulganin in London, 1956.

Slender, lean students, gathered in Oxford from all over the planet, like bees in a hive, circling around their portly, well-fed queen, revolved around two elderly fat men from a distant and mysterious Russia. As the prime minister of this mysterious country, Bulganin was especially popular among them. Nikolai Alexandrovich felt like the hero of the day. The rest of the delegation remained in the shadow of his unexpected success.

Young female students held out their notebooks to him, asking for his autograph. A crowd surrounded him on all sides, and Nikolai Alexandrovich smiled shyly, signed autographs and shook outstretched hands. For a moment he became the idol of the youth of all skin tones and all races who studied at Oxford.

Students have always sympathized with left-wing political movements. Bolshevism, Leninism, Trotskyism, Stalinism, Maoism - all these “isms” invariably found fertile soil in the immature student environment, including at Oxford. There were also many admirers of the Soviet Union and fans of communist ideology here. After the prim anti-Soviet London, such a reception in Oxford could not but please the Soviet guests.

Bulganin triumphed most of all.

- What a welcome, friends! - he exclaimed, every now and then turning to his colleagues in the delegation. - What a welcome! - and continued to sign autographs and smiles.

When the motorcade of Soviet guests headed back to London, the euphoria from the enthusiastic reception gradually began to fade from the consciousness of the Soviet leaders. The smile on Bulganin’s face gradually faded. She was replaced by the usual expression of slight fatigue and indifference.

- Damn it! - Nikolai Alexandrovich suddenly broke the silence in the Rolls-Royce salon. − Where did my fountain pen go?

The Prime Minister feverishly searched all the containers of his huge jacket, but could not find the treasured pen.

Khrushchev chuckled sarcastically and said:

- Well, Kolya, did they steal your priceless hand?

- What a pen it was! - Bulganin lamented sadly. - With a golden feather!

“There was no need to sign autographs for hours on end,” Nikita Sergeevich remarked edifyingly. - You, Kolya, have lost your vigilance, and so you’ve lost your pen. It will serve you right.

Bulganin became gloomy from what he heard more than from the loss of his beloved pen, turned his face to the side and stared out the window.

To relieve tension, Oleg Troyanovsky decided to tell Khrushchev and Bulganin a similar story from the historical past of Anglo-Russian relations.

“This curious incident,” he began, “happened with the favorite of Catherine II, the famous Count Grigory Orlov. In 1775 he also visited London. A powerful, stately, handsome man, Orlov made a great impression on the British, but especially on Englishwomen. He willingly flirted with them. His luxurious clothes, gold jewelry and the sparkle of diamonds - all this could not leave the English thieves indifferent.

One day, leaving Covent Garden after a performance, Orlov discovered that his favorite golden snuffbox studded with precious stones had disappeared from his pocket. As it turned out, she was kidnapped by the famous thief throughout London, George Barrington, nicknamed the “king of pickpockets.”

Orlov was a no-nonsense man, and immediately caught the thief in the crowd. True, it was not possible to put him behind bars. During the commotion, the trickster managed to put the stolen snuffbox back into Orlov’s jacket pocket.

Book by G.E. Sokolov Death Line Failure of Operation Claret.

They say,” Troyanovsky finished his story, “this story greatly amused the empress. Catherine laughed for a long time and said: “I knew that in England they would do justice to Prince Orlov.”

Bulganin attempted to smile in response, but apart from a grimace on his face, “First”’s joke did not cause anything.

Here's the story...

However, there was an interesting comrade - Nikolai Aleksandrovich Bulganin.

Powerful "lovers" of ballet

Nicholas II. In my youth I had whirlwind romance with Matilda Kshesinskaya, official prima ballerina imperial theaters. He even wanted to marry her. But because unequal marriage could no longer lay claim to the throne. He chose the throne and a wife of royal blood. Later, Matilda was the mistress of the Grand Dukes Sergei Mikhailovich and Andrei Vladimirovich Romanov. With Andrey Vladimirovich, grandson Alexander II, in She got married in Cannes in 1921.

Joseph Stalin. According to rumors, he patronized the Bolshoi Theater prima Olga Lepeshinskaya. Memoirist Gronsky wrote that in the mid-30s, the leader of the peoples often returned from one ballerina to the Kremlin in the dead of night. Lepeshinskaya herself argued that “Stalin did a lot for the Bolshoi Theater, under him the theater turned into a single whole. First-class musicians appeared, and the orchestra itself became a workshop like ballet and opera.” The leader’s favorite ballerina received as many as 4 Stalin Prizes (the highest in the Union at that time!), the title People's Artist USSR, orders...

Mikhail Kalinin. Permanent Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR ( supreme body state power, later renamed the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR) “patronized” young ballerinas of the Bolshoi for many years. The “All-Union Headman” was known as a great reveler. He often visited the theater, dropped in on rehearsals, looked behind the scenes, not considering it shameful for himself to communicate with ordinary dancers. And then the girl they liked was called for a conversation with the chairman of the Central Election Commission. The all-Union elder generously rewarded the young beauties for their understanding and accommodating behavior.

Stalin knew about his faithful servant's weakness for ballet. On his instructions, the GPU, and then the NKVD, carried out appropriate work with the dancers. Masters from Lubyanka used these “campaigns to the left” as dirt on Kalinin. They were told to write detailed reports. But Kalinin did not allow himself any political deviations. Therefore, the “father of nations” turned a blind eye to Kalinin’s love affairs, appreciating him for his selfless devotion. And for his sexual exploits he dubbed him “the all-Union goat,” often adding another biting word to this nickname - “lustful.”

The artists of the Bolshoi Theater, however, were quite satisfied with the patronage of the All-Union headman. After all, he included them among the select few who were allowed to use the services of the Kremlin’s medical and sanatorium administration. Ballet dancers were allowed to create their own housing cooperative, allocated finances without a queue and Construction Materials. They began to supply food rations. They began to increase wages twice a year. This suited everyone.

Together with the head of the Central Executive Committee, famous party “walkers”, Secretary of the Central Executive Committee Avel ENUKIDZE and member of the Central Executive Committee, Deputy People’s Commissar of Foreign Affairs of the USSR Lev KARAKHAN, were carried away by the dancers of the famous theater. Both “walkers” were shot in 1937. Yenukidze was officially accused of systematically molesting young girls. And it was true.

Sergey Kirov. Member of the Politburo, secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, leader of the Leningrad communists. He had many mistresses both at the Bolshoi Theater and at the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater, which after his death received the name of Kirov, wrote NKVD General Sudoplatov, citing KGB sources who oversaw culture. When the handsome Bolshevik began an affair with Milda Kraule, an employee of the Leningrad Regional Committee, a number of his ballet lovers began to slander their rival. And they ended up in camps for “slander and anti-Soviet agitation.” Killed Kirov jealous husband Milda Nikolaev.

Lavrenty Beria, Mikhail Tukhachevsky were also “ballet walkers”.

Gennady Evgenievich Sokolov, 65 years old. Graduated from MGIMO University of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Worked in Great Britain, Denmark, Switzerland. Was sent to more than 30 countries around the world. Author of books on the history of the confrontation between Russian and British intelligence services, published in Russia and abroad: “The Naked Spy”, “Bomb” for the Prime Minister. Russian spy in London”, “Death Line. The failure of Operation Claret”, “Shah of the House of Windsor. The Hunt for royal porn", "Spy number one". Co-author of Russian and foreign documentaries on the history of intelligence.

November 19 marked the 135th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Kalinin. This handsome old man with glasses, long years headed Central executive committee, and then the presidium Supreme Council Joseph Stalin called the USSR “the all-Union goat.” To this nickname he often added another biting word - “lustful”, hinting at Mikhail Ivanovich’s weakness in the female department. However, the almighty “father of nations” turned a blind eye to Kalinin’s adventures, appreciating him for his selfless devotion.

In the first years of the Soviet authorities The Bolshoi Theater did not experience much favor from the authorities. Its luxurious premises were used for various kinds of party events, and ballerinas were forced to perform in large numbers, and for free, at concerts. The salary they paid was small and they did not indulge in rations or other privileges. But as soon as Kalinin became chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, everything changed almost overnight. Theater artists were included among the select few who were allowed to use the services of the Kremlin’s medical and sanatorium administration. The ballet students were allowed to create their own housing cooperative and were provided with finance and construction materials without a queue. The dancers began to be provided with food rations. They began to increase their salaries twice a year.

Kalinin’s close attention to the needs of the Bolshoi Theater was explained not so much by a change in government politicians in the field of art, as much as the personal preferences of the “all-Union elder”. No, he was not at all a fine connoisseur of ballet. And he could hardly distinguish a pas de deux from a fouetté. But he really liked young ballerinas. He shared his passion with Avel Enukidze, secretary of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. Two party leaders often visited the theater. Mikhail Ivanovich dropped by at rehearsals and looked behind the scenes after performances.

From the outside it looked very touching: so tall official, and does not consider it shameful to communicate with ordinary dancers and ask them about their needs. And soon the girl she liked was called for a personal conversation with the chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. For their understanding and compliance, the all-Union headman and his secretary presented the young beauties with foreign cosmetics, rings and expensive beautiful lingerie. But not all young dancers agreed that providing intimate services to high-ranking statesmen- It is an honor. 16-year-old Bella Uvarova did not reciprocate Mikhail Ivanovich’s feelings. He hoped that the young charmer would come to her senses, and renewed his attempts several times. But having received a firm refusal, he was beside himself with anger. After another call to the “all-Union elder”, the girl did not return home. Parents raised a fuss and contacted the police. The mutilated body of a young ballerina was found in a forest near Moscow. A special commission was created to investigate the incident. Stalin himself intervened in the matter. By a strange coincidence of circumstances, the victim’s parents were declared foreign spies, her father served as a consultant in the British mission, and were soon shot. Kalinin was urgently sent on vacation. As soon as the noise died down, Mikhail Ivanovich again began to frequent the Bolshoi Theater. The dancers were no longer capricious. True, a little later Moscow quietly whispered about one incident that happened at the Bolshoi. They said that famous ballerina Ekaterina Geltser threw a statuette of Mephistopheles at Mikhail Ivanovich. One of the young students cried to her, telling her how kind uncle Kalinin had dishonored her.

Stalin knew about his faithful servant's weakness for ballet. On his instructions, the GPU, and then the NKVD, carried out the corresponding work with the dancers. They were ordered to write detailed reports about what the sensualist was talking to them about. But Kalinin did not allow himself any political deviations. True, one day Stalin nevertheless suspected him of loyalty to some representatives of the opposition. And then Demyan Bedny’s feuilleton “About how our headman Kalinich recaptured Tatyana Bakh from Averbakh” appeared in the Izvestia newspaper. Kalinin just at that time had a period of passion for operetta. And he started an affair with the young singer Tatyana Bakh. The girl immediately turned from a second-rate singer into a prima. The Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee was understanding. After the appearance of the feuilleton, he stopped welcoming draft dodgers who were disliked by Stalin and continued to carry out orders with the same zeal and sign decrees on executions. But the love fervor did not cool down.
His wife Ekaterina Ivanovna endured her husband’s affairs on the side for a long time. But her situation became completely unbearable when Mikhail Ivanovich took a mistress to own home. It became theirs housekeeper Alexandra Gorchakova. Feeling the power of her influence, she began to command Catherine, taking her place. The unfortunate woman could not stand the humiliation and, leaving five children - three of her own and two adopted ones, she left for Altai. Kalinin came up with a plausible excuse. They say that the wife was yearning for propaganda work, because she was one of the old Bolsheviks. Later, Catherine returned, hoping that her husband would come to his senses. But where is it?

In 1938 chapter The All-Russian Central Executive Committee raped a 17-year-old girl at a state dacha. The poor thing turned out to be a relative of the prominent military leader Alexander Egorov. This time Mikhail Ivanovich was very afraid. The scandal reached Stalin. But the leader brought down his anger on Kalinin’s wife: they say that it was her fault that her husband became mired in debauchery. Ekaterina Ivanovna was accused of having connections with Trotskyists and was sent to camps for 15 years. She was pardoned seven years later. Returning after serving time in March 1946, she lived with her daughter, not wanting to communicate with Kalinin. And soon Mikhail Ivanovich died.

The most active “walkers” in terms of ballerinas are called the Secretary of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the USSR Avel Enukidze and the “All-Union Head” Mikhail Kalinin. Since 1922, they were the “curators” of the Bolshoi Theater, after which this Soviet center of culture was showered with various kinds of preferences in the form of increasing the salaries of artists, assigning them to the Kremlin hospital, improving living conditions, etc.
They claim that as gratitude for all these benefits, the ballerinas invited “to the office” danced naked for Enukidze and Kalinin, receiving imported lingerie, cosmetics and trinkets as gifts. These stories still remain at the level of rumors, since they are not documented. Just like the sensational story with the Bolshoi Theater ballerina, sixteen-year-old Bella Uvarova, who allegedly died because she refused Kalinin intimacy.
In the memoirs of the famous Soviet opera singer Vera Davydova, published in 1993 under the loud title “Kremlin goats. Confession of Stalin’s Mistress,” tells how Kalinin pursued Uvarova, she was brought to his home. And then, two weeks after meeting the “all-Union headman,” the ballerina disappeared. Only a month later, the mutilated corpse of a girl was found in a forest near Moscow. Davydova writes that the investigation into this case was personally supervised by Stalin, he averted the threat from Kalinin, who he needed at that moment, and Bella’s parents were soon repressed on trumped-up charges.

Enukidze was the godfather of Stalin's second wife Nadezhda Alliluyeva. The wife of the brother of the first wife of the “Father of Nations” Maria Svanidze (repressed and shot in 1942) characterized in her diaries (they have been preserved) Enukidze as a libertine and a sensualist who went so far as to seduce 9-11 year old girls. He was the only Soviet politician of this level to be charged with pedophilia. Therefore, Enukidze’s romances with ballerinas, if they actually happened, look like an innocent flirtation against such a background.

For the first time in 45 years, the city authorities of Kaliningrad repaired the monument to the “All-Union Elder” of the USSR, political criminal Mikhail Kalinin, which is installed on Pobeda Avenue. In conditions economic crisis in the city budget in very short time money was found to reconstruct a bust of an elderly pedophile, whom even Stalin called a “lustful goat.”.

The press service of the mayor's office is proud to announce that " appearance The monument was restored, while repairing the pedestal, technologies were used to preserve the objects in a particularly aggressive environment." Even NATO aggression is no longer afraid of the signer of the execution lists and the old-timer of the Politburo of the CC of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, not to mention the hatred of workers who remember the "law of five ears of corn" ", one of the authors of which was Kalinin.

The restoration of the Kalinin monument can be considered a response to the Polish government's decision to dismantle hundreds of communist monuments throughout the country. Another spiritual bond on Pobeda Avenue in Kaliningrad should remind the Poles of the 15 thousand Polish officers executed in 1940, because the decision to execute the Polish army was made, among others, by Mikhail Kalinin.

Kalinin shot not only foreigners: his signature is on thousands of documents of Soviet terror, including Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the Central Executive Committee of the USSR dated April 7, 1935 No. 3/598 “On measures to combat juvenile delinquency.” Kalinin is guilty of the murder of tens of thousands of Russian children, forced from hunger and homelessness to steal.

All-Union grandfather Kalinin loved the younger generation. He was especially interested in underage girls. There are numerous known cases of sexual abuse of children committed by Kalinin. Here's one of them.

Sixteen-year-old aspiring ballerina Bella Uvarova captivated Mikhail Ivanovich with her beauty, but did not reciprocate the high patron’s feelings. This is what brought upon herself the wrath of the sensualist. After another call to the Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the girl disappeared. And soon her disfigured body was found in a forest near Moscow.

Stalin ordered the creation of a special commission to investigate the incident. Kalinin was urgently sent on leave to “get medical treatment.” And then another “spy” process began in Moscow, where the names of the parents of the missing artist appeared. They were repressed, and Kalinin returned to his duties and continued his sodomistic “patronage” over the Bolshoi Theater, where young girls were afraid to refuse the political terrorist.

Russia is sliding into the abyss. Particularly disgusting pictures of this phenomenon are revealed here, in the center of Europe - in Koenigsberg, a city of contrasts, where the civilizational border between the free West and the totalitarian East is especially visible.

Alexander Orshulevich,