Sergey Lazo: biography, history and family

In Soviet times, the name of such a hero as Sergei Lazo was very popular. His biography was an example of devotion to the cause of the establishment of Soviet power. Particularly noteworthy was that Lazo, by birth, was a nobleman from a wealthy family. And about his death they put down a beautiful legend. But what was Sergei Georgievich Lazo really like? The biography presented below is an attempt to answer this question.

In Soviet books and textbooks on the history of the civil war, the version of S. Lazo's death was as follows: the White Guards dropped him into the engine of the locomotive, where he, together with Alexei Lutsk and Vsevolod Sibirtsev, burned for the cause of the revolution (this locomotive is shown in the photo above). Details, however, varied. No one was interested anymore, at the hands of whichever Whiteguards they died, at what station it happened and how they ended up there. But in vain. A careful study of this issue opens up a very interesting story. But first things first.

The origin of Lazo, joining the ranks of the Socialist-Revolutionaries

Sergei Lazo was born in Bessarabia in 1894, and he died at the age of 26 far from his homeland for the idea of communism. Sergei was a descendant of a wealthy family of nobles. Lazo Sergey Georgievich studied at Moscow State University on filizmat, and during the First World War was mobilized. In the rank of ensign in 1916 Lazo came to Krasnoyarsk, where he joined the Socialist-Revolutionaries. Such a choice was not accidental: as contemporaries noted, since childhood Sergey has been distinguished by an increased sense of justice and maximalism, which reached romanticism.

Meeting with Lenin, a revolt in Krasnoyarsk

A 20-year-old romantic in the spring of 1917 arrived in Petrograd as a deputy from the Krasnoyarsk council. Then the only time in his life he saw Lenin alive. Sergei really liked the radicalism of the leader, and he decided to become a Bolshevik. On his return to Krasnoyarsk, Sergei Lazo led a mutiny in October 1917.

Fighting Ataman Semenov

According to the version of Soviet textbooks, in 1918, when the party sent Lazo to Transbaikalia, he successfully defeated Ataman Semyonov there. However, in reality everything was different. Sergei Lazo, a revolutionary romantic, struggled with the ataman for six months, but could not defeat him. Several times he pushed Semenov back to Manchuria, but the ataman again attacked and drove north to Lazo. And in the summer of 1918, Sergei Lazo was trapped in pincers between Czechoslovaks and Semenov. He had to flee from Transbaikalia. Ataman Lazo could not break up in principle, since Semenov was a significant figure in Dauria, enjoyed the support and authority among the population, and no one knew Sergei Georgievich there. In addition, the army of Sergei enjoyed a bad reputation because of its criminal nature. It is known that his detachments were staffed with goalkeepers and criminals, whom the Bolsheviks agreed to release if they supported the revolution. A lot of trouble to Sergey Georgievich was brought by these soldiers who conducted "requisition" from the local population. However, he had to put up with this, because each person was in the account.

Two women commissars

Two women commissars served in the detachment of Lazo. The personality of Nina Lebedeva is especially remarkable. She was the adopted daughter of the former head of Transbaikalia and an adventurer by nature. As a schoolgirl, she joined the ranks of the Socialist-Revolutionaries, took part in left-wing terror, and then turned to anarchists. It was she who commanded in the detachment of Sergei Lazo, who consisted of criminal elements. Her speech, she peppered with such obscene language that even hard-core criminals shook their heads.

Its direct opposite was the second commissar, Olga Grabenko. It was a black-browed beautiful girl, who very much liked Sergey. He started courting her, and soon they got married. In 1919 they had a daughter, Ada Sergeyevna, who later prepared a book about Sergei Lazo "Lazo S. Diaries and Letters."

Environment, flight to Vladivostok

However, the young were not lucky. Sergei's detachment was surrounded the next day after the wedding. Olga and Sergei left the army and tried to hide in Yakutsk. However, in this city there was a "white" coup, so they had to go to Vladivostok.

In the Primorsky Territory there were interventionists and whiteguards, so Lazo arrived in Vladivostok illegally. About this soon learned and for the capture of him promised a large reward. Ataman Semenov gave money for the head of his opponent. When the bloodhounds attacked Sergei's trail, the Bolsheviks sent him deep into Primorye to work in partisan detachments.

Fatal mistake Lazo

In early 1920, after news of the fall of Kolchak in Siberia, the Bolsheviks of Vladivostok decided to overthrow his deputy, General Rozanov. Lazo himself insisted on this. However, later it turned out that this was his fatal mistake.

Storming Vladivostok, at that time filled with Japanese troops, meant nothing more than suicide. However, on January 31, 1920, the partisans occupied the city. Rozanov fled to Japan on a steamer. The interventionists were at first only observers. In the city there were about 20-30 thousand Japanese, and the Bolsheviks - only a few thousand, so you should proceed with caution. Lazo in these circumstances set out to proclaim Soviet power in Vladivostok. Fighters, among whom were criminals, began to execute executions of the "bourgeoisie" (to which all those who did not look like a complete ragman) and confiscation of property. The inhabitants appealed for help to the Japanese garrison.

Japanese speech, arrest of Lazo

The speech of the Japanese took place at night from 4 to 5 April 1920. Almost all the leaders of the Bolsheviks and partisan commanders were arrested. Sergei Lazo was taken in the building of the former counterintelligence of Kolchak, located on the street. Poltava, 6 (now - Lazo, 6). He went there at night to destroy the documents. On April 9, he was taken away together with Lutsk and Sibirtsev in the direction of the Rotten corner. Olga Lazo rushed to the Japanese headquarters, but she was informed that her husband was at the guardhouse on Begovaya. Lazo Olga Andreevna went there. Sergei Lazo, however, disappeared.

The version of death that did not suit the Soviet regime

Only a month later rumors began spreading about the death of Sergei Lazo, Sibirtsev and Lutsk. And in June 1920, they started talking about this as a fact. The first information appeared. Klempasko, the Italian captain, told us that Sergey was shot on Egershejlde and his body was burnt. This message appeared in many newspapers, it was distributed by the world news agencies. However, the Bolsheviks did not accept such a version of Lazo's death, and they decided to come up with a more beautiful one.

Evidence of an "eyewitness"

In September 1921, suddenly appeared a locomotive driver, allegedly seen in May 1920, as the Japanese handed three bags to the Cossacks from the detachment Bochkarev. From the bags they dragged Lazo, Sibirtsev and Lutsky and tried to shove them into the steam locomotive. They resisted, and the barbarians got sick of it. The prisoners were shot and stuck dead in the firebox.

This story was retold many times, while the name of its author was never called. He, apparently, was not. This story does not stand up to any criticism. First of all, Sergei Lazo and his two companions could not get through and fit in the engine of the locomotive threesome. The design of the cars of the 1910s simply did not allow it. In addition, it is not known at which station this event occurred. The driver pointed to Art. Ruzhino, and later in the literature there was art. The Murav'evo-Amurskaya. And why did the Japanese need to transfer Lazo and his friends to the Bochkarevites and take them for miles along the part of the guerrillas? Nobody explained this - the Bolsheviks were not interested in the details.

Memory

In 1968, the biographical film "Sergei Lazo" appeared on the screens. In 1985, a mini-series directed by Vasile Pascar "The Life and Immortality of Sergei Lazo" appeared. It tells about the life of this hero. Many streets and other geographical objects were named after him, several monuments were installed.