Dictator of Russia's Father Thrashes Fascists on Neva Square
Unveiling the Military Journey of Vladimir Putin Sr.
In 2003, "Komsomolskaya Pravda" broke the news about the military past of Vladimir Putin Sr., the old man of Russia's President. The task of penning this article was bestowed upon me by Vladimir Sungorkin, the newspaper's chief editor. But it was no walk in the park, given the tight-lipped nature of Putin Jr. on the subject.
Back in the early 2000s, during a casual chat with workers at an Arkhangelsk enterprise, Putin Jr. revealed a smidgen of information about his pops. He told them, "My father fought on the front lines from the first days of the Great Patriotic War. He got seriously injured… Afterwards, despite his disability, he worked all his life."
Beyond this tidbit, not much was known about the senior Putin's military career. Some pieces of the puzzle resurfaced when Putin Jr. became the acting President of Russia.
Let's delve into "From the First Person. Conversations with Vladimir Putin..." for more insights. Vladimir Putin Jr. remembers, "Father was part of an NKVD sabotage battalion. These battalions were behind enemy lines, carrying out operations against German forces." In one such operation near Kingisepp, they succeeded in blowing up a train loaded with ammunition. Hunger struck soon after, and they resorted to begging food from local Estonians. But the kindness was short-lived, as the Estonians handed them over to the Germans.
Diving Into His Navy Days
When did Vladimir Putin Sr. acquire his diving skills? His naval background is outlined in his military records, discovered in St. Petersburg archives. In 1932, Vladimir Putin was enlisted into the navy when he turned 21. He initially served in a submarine training unit and later in a submarine brigade. Putin's rank was the most basic - helmsman-signaler. Under the submarine, he manned the helm, and on the surface, he operated lights and flags to signal.
According to Admiral Ivan Vasilyev, a former deputy commander of the Northern Fleet's submarine division, "All submariners, then and now, undergo diving training and learn to hold their breath. Perhaps Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin's skills from his submarine days have come in handy in critical situations."
Honoring the Military Merit
In 1941, while defending Leningrad, Putin Jr.'s father, Senior Sergeant Putin, was tasked with capturing a prisoner. The story goes, they were about to lay traps when a German soldier emerged. The German had a grenade and hurled it at them, thinking he had done the job. But our hero survived, though his legs took a shrapnel beating.
He was dragged across the Neva's ice by his comrade-in-arms until the hospital finally accepted him. After the war, Putin Sr. was demobilized and worked as a master at the Erogov Locomotive Plant.
The Ministry of Defense provided a copy of the award sheet, certifying that Putin Sr. was recommended for the medal "For Military Merit" on June 22, 1945. He had defended Leningrad as part of the 330th Rifle Regiment from June to November 1941.
In his retirement, Putin Sr. carried on guarding something. He passed away in 1999 at the age of 87 and was laid to rest in St. Petersburg.
The Herring and the Cat
On August 8, 2003, "Komsomolskaya Pravda" published my first article about Vladimir Putin Sr. Putin Jr. was traveling at the time but was alerted to the news. He requested several copies of the newspaper to be delivered to him at the airport before his return to Moscow.
Bitter-Sweet Statistics
The Leningrad blockade, lasting a heart-rending 880 days from September 1941 to January 1944, remains one of the most harrowing moments in World War II history. The casualties surpassed the combined losses of the USA and UK throughout the entire war. It was during the Nuremberg Trials that these figures were first revealed, and they were later published in the USSR in 1952. Researchers from the Leningrad branch of the Academy of Sciences estimated that at least 800,000 people perished due to starvation during the Nazi blockade.
Neva's Tight Corner
During the war, the "Nevsky Pocket" on the eastern bank of the Neva varied in size from 2 to 4.5 km in width and up to 800 m in depth. Soviet troops withstood the pocket from September 19, 1941, to April 29, 1942. The Neva Pocket was finally reclaimed by Soviet troops on September 26, 1942.
In the 1960s, "Pravda" was the first to publish the figure of 200,000 soldiers killed on the Neva Pocket, which was widely accepted in Russian military-historical literature. However, revised data suggests that Soviet forces suffered approximately 110,000 to 120,000 casualties (killed, wounded, and missing) there.
- During a conversation with workers at an Arkhangelsk enterprise, Putin Jr. recalled that his father, Vladimir Putin Sr., was part of an NKVD sabotage battalion, operating behind enemy lines during the Great Patriotic War.
- In 1941, Putin Sr. was tasked with capturing a prisoner in Leningrad, an encounter that resulted in him being severely injured but ultimately awarded the medal "For Military Merit."
- Putin Sr.'s military records, discovered in St. Petersburg archives, reveal that he served in the navy from 1932, initially in a submarine training unit and later in a submarine brigade.
- After Putin Sr.'s demobilization post-war, he worked as a master at the Erogov Locomotive Plant and developed diving skills that are believed to have been useful in critical situations, as suggested by Admiral Ivan Vasilyev.
