Troubles. 1919 year. For a short period of time, the fire of the uprising engulfed a huge region and it seemed that Grigoriev would become the master of the central part of Little Russia, the bloody dictator of Ukraine. However, there was neither a general uprising, nor a triumphant campaign against Kiev and Kharkov. Grigoriev's gangs, spoiled by easy victories and permissiveness, showed their essence of robbers and sadists. The seizure of each settlement turned into a pogrom and plunder, when Jews, communists, "bourgeois" and Russians "from the North" were killed. This alienated many from Grigoriev and his hordes.
Peasant war in Little Russia
On May 7, 1919, the 3rd Red Army, which included Grigoriev's division, was ordered to begin an operation to liberate Bessarabia and help Soviet Hungary. Front Commander Antonov-Ovseenko ordered to concentrate the 6th division on the Dniester River, near the Romanian border. The Comfronta himself visited Atman Grigoriev at his "headquarters" in Alexandria. Antonov-Ovseenko again tried to persuade the ataman to start a campaign to Europe, predicted "the glory of Suvorov" for him. The red command offered Grigoriev another plan - to oppose the White Cossacks on the Don Front. Grigoriev again evaded, spoke of the need to give the troops a rest, but in the end he agreed to speak "against the Romanians."
Antonov-Ovseenko, realizing the danger of a radical food policy in areas previously dominated by peasant rebels, flooded with a large number of weapons, informed the government of Soviet Ukraine that the actions of the food detachments provoke the peasants into uprisings and proposed to withdraw the "Moscow" food detachments from Little Russia. However, the government of the Ukrainian SSR could not curtail its food policy without the consent of Moscow. As a result, in May 1919, the indignation of the peasants of Little Russia and Novorossia with the food policy of the Bolsheviks reached its peak. A large number of food detachments from the central regions of Russia arrived in Little Russia. They acted uncontrollably, often took away the latter. And the peasants had already been plundered by the German occupiers and the Hetmanate regime, by the war. The county congresses of Soviets demanded the abolition of such a food policy and the expulsion of visitors from Little Russia, but they were not listened to. In the villages, revolutionary committees and committees of the poor, headed by communists, were planted, which did not enjoy the support of the majority. The Bolsheviks tried to carry out collectivization in the shortest possible time. The peasants did not want to give up the former landowners' lands, for which they had already paid a high price. Thus, a new stage of the peasant war began in Little Russia.
The situation was complicated not only by the fact that, having returned to their native places, the Grigorievites encountered the food detachments and Chekists who were in charge there, but also the soldiers of the 6th division found themselves in the neighborhood of a powerful insurgent movement directed against the Bolsheviks. In April 1919, a wave of uprisings swept through the Kiev, Chernigov and Poltava provinces. So, a major uprising under the leadership of Ataman Zeleny began in March 1919 in the south of the Kiev province, in Tripoli.
Danilo Terpilo (Green is a nickname) had a life path similar to Grigoriev. Member of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party, revolutionary, exiled to the North of Russia for revolutionary activities. Released in 1913, on the occasion of the amnesty for the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. A participant in the First World War, after the revolution, a participant in the Ukrainization of the army, the organizer of the "free Cossacks". He supported the Central Rada, fought against the Hetmanate and the German invaders. In November 1918, he formed the 1st Dnieper Insurgent Division, participated in the uprising against the Skoropadsky regime and in the siege of Kiev. A good orator and organizer, the division commander Terpilo actually became the head of the independent "Dnieper republic", which included several districts of the Kiev region. He comes into conflict with Petliura, not wanting to go to war with the Poles. In January 1919, he raised an uprising against the regime of the Directory, Petliura and went over to the side of the Reds. Forms the 1st Kiev Soviet Division. Then it comes into conflict with the Bolsheviks, when they reorganize and "clean up" the Zelenyi detachments. In March 1919, he raised an uprising in Tripoli. Green's uprising was supported by local peasants, embittered by the policy of "war communism". Green diverted significant forces of the Red Army and was finally defeated only in June 1919.
Ataman Zelenyi declared himself an "independent Bolshevik", put forward the slogan "Soviets without communists", demanded to curb the omnipotence of the Cheka and local party organizations, abolish surplus appropriation and forced collectivization, create an independent Ukrainian army and an independent Soviet Ukraine. At the same time, the "independent Bolshevik" opposed the local kulaks, which met the interests of the bulk of the peasantry. Zeleny's program was popular, his "army" in April numbered 6 thousand soldiers and threatened to siege Kiev. By May, the number of troops increased even more - up to 8 thousand people, Terpilo was the master of the Tripolye - Obukhov - Rzhishchev - Pereyaslav region. Ataman announced the creation of an army of independent Soviet Ukraine and had the support of other rebel leaders Struk, Satan and Angel.
Zeleny's uprising forced the red command to send significant forces and the Dnieper military flotilla against him. By May 8, 1919, Zeleny's rebel army was defeated and driven out of the base area. His troops were scattered, dividing into small detachments and groups. The Zeleny's uprising was one of the factors that prompted Grigoriev to revolt. Hoping for the support of the "green", Grigoriev hoped to quickly capture the south of the Kiev region, but miscalculated, by the beginning of his offensive the "army" of Zeleny was already scattered.
The beginning of the uprising of the Grigorievites
In early May 1919, the uprising of the Grigorievites began, at first it was spontaneous. On May 1, the Grigorievites fired on Elizavetgrad from the guns of an armored train. Then Grigoriev's fighters staged a Jewish pogrom at the Znamenka station, robbed houses, killed dozens of people. On May 4-6, the Grigorievites committed pogroms in Elizavetgrad, Alexandria, at Dolinskaya stations. The bandits not only robbed and killed Jews, but also attacked communists, Red Army men, Chekists and policemen. The government and the command constantly received reports of robberies and pogroms, the unreliability and suspicion of the chieftain and his army.
However, the authorities and command still hoped that these were only isolated incidents that had nothing to do with the “red” divisional commander Grigoriev. On May 4, the Supreme Military Inspectorate completed its work in the 6th division. She concluded that it was necessary to quickly dismiss Grigoriev and his staff and bring them to justice. Komfront Antonov-Ovseenko preferred to close his eyes to this too. Only on May 7, when the scale of the "outrages" was no longer possible to hide, the commander of the 3rd Ukrainian Soviet Army Khudyakov ordered Grigoriev to restore order in the division in 24 hours. If the divisional commander could not do this, he had to arrive at the army headquarters in Odessa and resign. In case of failure to comply with the order, Grigoriev was declared a rebel. On the same day, the Chekists of the Special Department of the Front tried to arrest Grigoriev. They broke into the chieftain's carriage and declared him arrested, but were immediately rendered harmless by the chieftain's guard and then shot. All the communists were arrested in the Grigorievsk division.
May 8, 1919 Nikifor Grigoriev publishes the Universal (manifesto) "To the people of Ukraine and the soldiers of the Red Ukrainian Army" (apparently, it was prepared by the chief of staff Tyutyunnik), which becomes a call for a general uprising. The document called for a "dictatorship of the working people" and the establishment of "people's power". Grigoriev advocated Soviet power, but without the dictatorship of an individual or a party. The All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets was to form a new government of Ukraine. At the same time, representatives of all nationalities were to enter the Soviets at all levels in proportion to their number in Little Russia: Ukrainians - 80%, Jews - 5%, and for all other nationalities - 15%. That is, nationalism prevailed in Grigoriev's political program. Although there were very few “Ukrainians” in Little Russia at that time, mostly representatives of the intelligentsia, people involved in “politics”. The overwhelming majority of the population of Little Russia (southwestern part of Russia-Russia) were Russians, like 300, 500 or 1000 years ago.
At the same time, Grigoriev was still cunning, he wanted to deceive the red command in order to gain time for a surprise attack. Ataman telegraphs that he has nothing to do with Universal, and promises to go to war in Romania on May 10. The rebel promises to meet with party leader Kamenev. On May 10, 1919, his troops - 16 thousand soldiers (under other data - 20 thousand people), more than 50 guns, 7 armored trains and about 500 machine guns, launched an offensive. At this time, the entire Ukrainian Soviet Front numbered about 70 thousand people with 14 armored trains, 186 guns and 1050 machine guns. On the same day, Grigoriev told Commander Antonov-Ovseenko that he was starting an uprising and would destroy everyone who came to Ukraine for the purpose of exploitation. The chieftain boastfully promised to take Yekaterinoslav, Kharkov, Kherson and Kiev in two days.
Bloody pogrom
The Grigorievites launched an offensive in several directions at once. Grigoriev hoped to join forces with Zeleny and Father Makhno. A column under the command of the chief of staff of the rebels Tyutyunnik moved to Yekaterinoslav. A column headed by the brigade commander Pavlov was marching towards Kiev. In the first three days of the offensive, these detachments captured: Kremenchug, Chigirin, Zolotonosha, and the local red garrisons joined the rebels. As a result, the rebels seized all available weapons, ammunition, property and valuables.
Separate detachments were sent to Odessa and Poltava. Cossack ataman Uvarov occupied Cherkassy, where the 2nd Soviet regiment joined the Grigorievites. Gorbenko's column under the command of Gorbenko, where the main force was the Verblyuzhsky regiment, captured Elizavetgrad on May 8. The Grigorievites disarmed the red garrison and shot about 30 communists. On May 15, a terrible Jewish pogrom took place in Elizavetgrad. Between 3 and 4 thousand people were killed, including women, children and the elderly. Several hundred "aliens from the North" were also brutally killed. Grigorievites released criminals from prisons, who joined the rebels and took an active part in murders, robberies and pogroms. Also, pogroms swept in all the places occupied by the rebels, thousands of people were brutally killed in Uman, Kremenchug, Novy But, Cherkassy, Alexandria, etc. In Cherkassy, commanders ordered each soldier to kill at least 15 people. They killed not only Jews, but also communists, "newcomers from the North" (newly arrived Russians).
For a short period of time, the fire of the uprising engulfed a huge region and it seemed that Grigoriev would become the master of the central part of Little Russia, the bloody dictator of Ukraine. The rebels on May 10-14 took Uman, Novomirgorod, Korsun, Alexandria, Balta, Ananiev, Krivoy Rog, Kobelyaki, Yagotin, Pyatikhatki, Khrestinovka, Litin, Lipovets and other settlements. Everywhere local garrisons went over to the side of the Grigorievites. In Pavlograd, the soldiers of the 14th regiment of the Red Army raised a mutiny, Kazyatin went over to the side of the ataman Nezhinsky regiment, in Lubny the 1st regiment of the Chervonny Cossacks revolted.
On the Yekaterinoslav direction, on May 11, the garrison of Verkhnedneprovsk joined the rebels. The headquarters of the 2nd Soviet Army fled from Yekaterinoslav. It was not possible to organize the defense of the city. On May 12, in Yekaterinoslav, the Black Sea regiment of the sailor Orlov and the equestrian detachment of the anarchist Maksyuta revolted. They went over to the side of Grigoriev, smashed the prison and staged a pogrom. On May 15, the Red troops of Parkhomenko recaptured Yekaterinoslav. Every tenth rebel was shot, including Maksyuta. On May 16, the captured Grigorievites revolted, united with criminals, smashed the prison and captured the city again.
Thus, the situation was extremely dangerous. There was a threat that other Soviet troops would also go over to Grigoriev's side. Preparations began for the evacuation of Kiev, Poltava and Odessa. It seemed that the rebels were supported by the peasants of the central part of Little Russia, and some of the Red Army men, mainly of local origin.
On May 15, an uprising began in Belaya Tserkov, on May 16, the sailors of Ochakov raised a mutiny. In Kherson, power was seized by the re-elected executive committee of the Soviets, headed by the Left SRs, who supported Grigoriev. They were supported by the local garrison - the 2nd regiment and the regiment to them. Doroshenko. Kherson became an "independent Soviet republic" for two weeks, which fought against the Bolsheviks. On May 20, the rebels occupied Vinnitsa and Bratslav for one day. The fire of the uprising spreads to Podolia, where Grigoriev was supported by local atamans Volynets, Orlik, and Shepel. Soldiers and sailors, led by the Left SRs, also rebelled in Nikolaev. In Aleksandrovsk, the red units, sent to fight Grigoriev, refused to fight, dispersed the Cheka and released the prisoners from prisons. The regiment of the 1st Ukrainian Soviet Army, directed against Grigoriev, rebelled. The rebels defeated the Bolsheviks in Berdichev and Kazyatyn, and threatened Kiev.
The end of the chieftain
However, all this was an appearance of triumph. The foundation of Grigoriev's "army" was shaky. The Grigorievites took up until they had a strong and motivated opponent in front of them. Grigoriev himself was not a great strategist and commander. He could command a regiment or brigade in revolutionary times, this was his ceiling. Nor could he find allies to expand the social base of the uprising. Grigoriev's detachments, spoiled by easy victories and complete power, quickly turned into gangs of criminals, sadists, robbers and murderers, which quickly alienated many peasant rebels and Red Army soldiers. Even a peasant congress, which he himself convened in Alexandria, suggested that Grigoriev's troops "stop the atrocities." A number of the city declared "neutrality". The regiments, which had previously gone over to the side of the rebels, began to return to the rule of the red command.
Another famous chieftain, Makhno, did not support the Grigorievites. Although his relationship with the Bolsheviks was on the verge of breaking. To the proposal of the Soviet government of Ukraine to take part in the fight against the uprising, the dad replied that he was refraining from assessing the actions of Grigoriev and would fight with Denikin's white army. His army (about 25 thousand fighters) at that time fought with the whites who were advancing on Gulyai-Polye. As a result, the dad did not support Grigoriev's uprising. Later, on May 18, representatives of Makhno will visit the area of the uprising and inform the father that the Grigorievites are organizing pogroms and exterminating Jews. After that, Makhno issued an appeal "Who is Grigoriev?" Father himself was a staunch opponent of anti-Semitism and severely punished the rioters in his domain.
The chieftain was unable to plan the operation well. Grigoriev, having moved his main forces in three directions at once (to Yekaterinoslav, Kiev and Odessa), sprayed his army from the Dniester and Podillya to the Dnieper, from the Black Sea region to Kiev. Thousands of rebel peasants, Red Army men and bandits joined his division, but they were poorly organized and had low combat effectiveness. Therefore, Grigoriev's "lightning-fast echelon war" fizzled out within five days after the start. The uprising covered a huge region, but the rebels preferred to sit on the ground, clearing them of the Bolsheviks, or to smash the Jews and "bourgeois". The defeat was inevitable.
The Soviet authorities and the Red Command took emergency measures. The parties of the Ukrainian Left Socialist-Revolutionaries and Ukrainian Social Democrats, which inspired the rebels, were outlawed. The Ukrainian SSR mobilized communists, Soviet workers, workers, and Komsomol members. About 10 thousand people arrived from the central part of Russia. People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR Voroshilov, taking command of the Kharkov district, led the defeat of the rebellion. On May 14, three groups of troops (about 30 thousand people) under the command of Voroshilov and Parkhomenko launched an offensive from Kiev, Poltava and Odessa.
In the very first real battles, the Grigorievites were completely defeated. The thugs were unable to stand under the fire of cannons and machine guns. The army of the chieftain crumbled. The insurgent regiments immediately "came to their senses" and returned to the Red Army. Others were captured or simply fled. On May 19, 1919, Egorov's group occupied Kremenchug, and the Dnieper military flotilla - Cherkasy. Parts of Dybenko and Parkhomenko were advancing from the south, joining with Yegorov's group, they occupied Krivoy Rog. On May 21, the rebels were defeated near Kiev, on May 22, the Reds occupied the “capital” of the rebels, Alexandria, and on May 23, Znamenka. At the end of May, the Reds regained control of Nikolaev, Ochakov and Kherson. The ataman's closest associates, Gorbenko and Masenko, were captured and shot. The remnants of the Grigorievites are hiding in distant steppe villages and are switching to the tactics of partisan warfare. Chief of Staff Tyutyunnik with 2 thousand soldiers makes a thousand-kilometer raid across the Right-Bank Ukraine and goes over to the side of Petliura.
The powerful uprising was over in two weeks! The bandits, accustomed to the fact that everyone was afraid of them and everyone was running in front of them, proud of their "victory" over the Entente, fled at the very first skirmishes with regular Soviet units. They broke up into detachments and groups that acted and escaped on their own. The beginning of the offensive of Denikin's army and the uprising of Makhno saved the Grigorievites from complete annihilation in May. The most combat-ready forces of the Reds were thrown into the fight against the White Guards and Makhnovists. The remaining red units underwent decay and could not suppress the uprising. As a result, for some time the Grigorievites could rampage, raid cities, trains that went from the Crimea and the Black Sea region to the north, again seized a lot of various property and goods.
In July 1919, Grigoriev and Makhno entered into a military alliance against the Whites and Reds. However, the contradictions between them were too strong. The old man did not approve of the anti-Jewish pogroms and the political orientation of Pan Atman. Grigoriev, apparently, was ready to change the "color" again. He began negotiations with the Denikinites, noting their correct policy and the idea of convening a Constituent Assembly. Grigorievites at that time fought with the Reds, but avoided fighting with the Whites, which irritated the dad. Makhno was the decisive enemy of the Whites. Most of Makhno's commanders were against the alliance with Grigoriev, condemning him for the pogroms. In addition, Makhno, apparently, could want to eliminate a competitor, remove the chieftain, whose presence could complicate the situation of the father himself.
Therefore, the union of the Makhnovists and Grigorievites lasted only three weeks. As a result, the Makhnovists decided to put an end to the bandit chieftain. July 27, 1919in the premises of the village council of the village of Sentovo, ataman Grigoriev was killed by the Makhnovists, who accused him of relations with the White Guards and pogroms. Grigoriev's guards were dispersed with machine-gun fire (the Makhnovists had prepared the carts in advance). Grigoriev's body was thrown into a ditch outside the village, it became the prey of feral dogs. Members of the headquarters and bodyguards of Grigoriev were eliminated, ordinary soldiers were disarmed, most of them soon joined the army of the father.
This is how the adventurer and "winner of the Entente", the "head ataman" of Ukraine, Grigoriev, perished. The bloody finale was natural: from the Russian imperial army to the Central Rada, from Hetman Skoropadsky to the Directory, from Petliura to the Reds, from the Bolsheviks to free atamans. Grigoriev's adventure drowned in blood.
The uprising of Grigoriev showed the instability of the position of the Bolsheviks and the Red Army in Little Russia, the fallacy of the course towards Ukrainization, including the stake on the Ukrainian Soviet units. Therefore, some independence of the Ukrainian SSR army was eliminated. In June 1919, the Ukrainian Soviet Military Commissariat (ministry) and the Ukrainian Front were disbanded. A "purge" of the red command was carried out, for serious miscalculations the commander of the front commander Antonov-Ovseenko and a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the front Shchadenko, the commanders of the three Ukrainian Soviet armies Matsilevsky, Skachko and Khudyakov were removed. The Ukrainian Soviet armies were reorganized into three conventional rifle divisions. The command staff was also "cleaned up". The struggle against the Makhnovshchina began.
