26 (according to the old style - 14) December is an unforgettable date in Russian history. And - an irreparable, mournful loss. The speech of the Decembrists was interpreted as soon as they were. With us they are both heralds of freedom and dangerous rebels. And the heroes who sacrificed themselves - and the rebels who wanted to wash Russia with blood. And the patriots who openly opposed the worship of foreigners - and the cosmopolitans who wished to transfer the practice of the French Jacobins to Russia.

In each of these statements there is a grain of truth, but in general - a mysterious phenomenon. Laconic diagnosis is not amenable to. And only one thing we can say categorically: that day on Senate Square mortally wounded Mikhail Andreevich Miloradovich - a fearless soldier, an outstanding commander, a bright, brilliant person, whose memory should not die out.

His very origin obliged him to military service. Father - General Andrei Stepanovich, ally of Suvorov, a brave and efficient officer, grandson famous Michael Ilyich Miloradovich - a Serb in the Russian service, whom Peter the Great himself trusted. Mother - nee Maria Andreevna Gorlenko, came from the Little Russian nobility, from the Cossack foremen. Miloradovichi played a significant role in the fate of the Zaporizhzhya army and Little Russia as a whole.

Andrey Stepanovich enrolled his nine-year-old son in the guard, in the Izmailovsky regiment. So in November 1780, the service of the future hero of all the Napoleonic wars formally began.

Young, but already at war with the Swedes, Captain Miloradovich (like his idol Suvorov) accepted the military innovations of Emperor Paul without enthusiasm. He even considered resigning. But suddenly he became almost the favorite of the exalted emperor. In less than a year, he is promoted first to colonel, and then to major general.

It was believed that Pavel liked the gallant bearing of a gallant officer. In this rank, at the head of the Apsheron regiment, he found himself in Suvorov's army, which was to conquer Italy from the French. Suvorov immediately discerned the heroic soul. In the very first battles, Miloradovich showed not only personal courage, but also the ability to raise soldiers to a feat.

After the very first battles in Italy, Suvorov reported to the emperor:

"Prince Bagration, as in many cases the most accurate general and worthy higher degrees, I have the greatest duty to plunge into Your Highest Imperial Majesty's goodwill; behind him is Major General Miloradovich, who gives great hope about his merits.

Suvorov did not skimp on enthusiasm, he literally sang of the hero in the reports:

“The courageous Major General Miloradovich, who distinguished himself already at Lecco, seeing the desire - the danger, picking up the banner, struck with bayonets; hit the opposing enemy infantry and cavalry, two horses under him were wounded ... ".

With desperate courage, he managed to avoid injury. Of course, the soldiers attributed this miraculous power: Spellbound General! He rode imposingly under fire - and remained unharmed. Under Basigliano, three horses were killed under him, and he again escaped injury! During the assault on Altdorf, to the delight of Suvorov, Miloradovich crossed a burning bridge in front of the column - and again not a scratch.

Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich - a participant in the campaign of 1799 - brought the hero closer to him. With the filing of Suvorov, Miloradovich earned trust royal family, for the honor of which in December 1825 he would die on Senate Square.

It was hard not to fall under the charm of the wit and the brave. Miloradovich gave the impression of a straightforward man, it was clear that he would not stab in the back, would not betray. And he did not betray Konstantin Pavlovich until last day. Not without reason, when Miloradovich wins the title of count in battle, he will choose the motto: "Directness supports me." And - written on the coat of arms: "Without fear and reproach."

When crossing St. Gotthard, noticing the fluctuations of the troops, Miloradovich exclaimed: “Look how your general will be taken prisoner!” - and rolled off the cliff first. He performed feats in every battle - up to the victorious campaign in France in 1814.

The soldier general soared high: he became the governor-general of St. Petersburg.

Miloradovich was not a supporter of Nikolai Pavlovich. And the late policy of Alexander the First did not quite suit him. True, he engaged in political intrigues not out of lust for power or cunning, but out of boredom. The old soldier was drawn to battle.

Miloradovich's guests noticed that in his house paintings and furniture changed places every now and then. “There is no war, I move furniture - and that amuses me,” the general answered. He liked the theatre, he loved violent practical jokes, and yet he was languishing with boredom.

Partly out of boredom, he tried to prepare the coming to power of Konstantin Pavlovich, a comrade-in-arms from the time of Suvorov. He held the threads of the political game in his hands, and negotiated with representatives of secret societies. In his hands in the most formidable battles was the guard, which more than once placed monarchs on the throne.

But Miloradovich's plans were violated by Konstantin himself, who abandoned the struggle for power. Apparently the general did not know that Grand Duke renounced the succession to the throne back in January 1823 (the renunciation was kept secret) or believed that under the pressure of circumstances, Constantine would nevertheless accept the imperial crown.

After the death of Alexander, the army swore allegiance to Constantine, but the Grand Duke twice confirmed his long-standing abdication. On December 13, Nikolai Pavlovich proclaimed himself emperor - and the re-swearing began, which became the formal reason for the December unrest.

Why didn’t they immediately announce the abdication of Constantine and proceed to the oath to Nicholas? Miloradovich insisted: you must first swear allegiance to Konstantin - and then the Grand Duke will decide whether to confirm the secret renunciation of the throne. Nikolai did not like such perseverance of Miloradovich, but he was forced to obey. And the general tried to use any loophole just to bring Konstantin Pavlovich to power.

Constantine's unwillingness to take power depressed the general. Miloradovich stopped in front of the portrait of the Grand Duke and said to Fyodor Glinka: "I hoped for him, but he is ruining Russia." When it became clear that Nikolai would be the new emperor, Miloradovich lost heart. But on the 14th, he performed the duty of a subject and swore the army to Nicholas ...

He entered the rebellious Senate as a winner, as a general whose words decide the fate of thousands of people. Although for the first time that day he appeared there in a sleigh - and the matter ended in an insulting incident. They did not recognize Miloradovich, they threw him out of the wagon, unless they disarmed him. The unruly crowd raged.

He then came to Nikolai on foot, disheveled, unlike a self-confident dandy. What could he report? The situation is dangerous, it is necessary to calm down the rebels, who were incited, misled by the leaders of the uprising.

The basis of the rebels is the Moscow regiment. The duty of the governor-general is to restore order, even at the cost of life. And Miloradovich undertook to explain to them the nuances of succession to the throne in a soldier's language. He hoped to solve everything alone, without raising the guard. If no blood is shed that day, new emperor appreciate the zeal and will of the governor-general. I got a horse - and to the square. Adjutant Alexander Bashutsky hastened to run after him. Perhaps if then, in the confusion, Bashutsky managed to find a horse, he would have saved the life of his commander.

The governor-general did not hide behind anyone, he tried alone to turn the tide. And why should he be afraid of his native army, which carried out his orders unquestioningly, and even with passion? He believed that only rake and boys had gathered in the square.

And here he is among the rebels, on a horse, in front of a troubled sea. He got up in his stirrups and began to explain that Constantine was abdicating the throne, that Nicholas was the rightful emperor. As proof of his commitment to Konstantin, he drew a sword with an engraving: "To my friend Miloradovich" - a gift from the Grand Duke.

He said: I, an adherent of Constantine, urge you to obey the law ... Then it was time to remember the great battles. Which of you was with me at Borodino? Under Kulm, Lutzen, Bautzen? The square was silent. “Thank God, there is not a single old soldier here! Just boys!" A wave of confusion ran through the square.

Prince Obolensky hit the general with a bayonet - it is believed that he tried to drive away his horse. For the first time, Miloradovich was wounded - and from a Russian officer ... And then a shot rang out. A man in civilian clothes - Pyotr Kakhovsky - lowered the smoking pistol. And the hero of Novi, the most powerful commander of the then Russia, fell into the hands of Bashutsky, and then lay on the snow.

“Kakhovsky, as can be seen from many testimonies, finally confirmed by his own confession, fired a pistol and mortally wounded Count Miloradovich, at the very moment when he appeared alone in front of the ranks of the unfortunate deceived soldiers to reason with them and return to duty. Prince Yevgeny Obolensky also wounded him with a bayonet, he allegedly only wanted to hit the horse in order to force him to leave, ”the Investigation Commission claimed.

“They wanted to take him to his house, but he, saying that he felt that the wound was mortal, ordered that they put him on a soldier's bed in the horse guard barracks. While they carried him past the horse guards regiment, which was already lined up, none of the generals and officers approached the wounded hero, whose name will remain an adornment of our military annals; there were some persons who were called his friends and were daily in his house, and they did not even express the slightest sympathy.

I will complete the description of the meanness of our contemporaries by saying that when, after bringing him to the barracks, they began to undress him, they stole his watch and ring, which the Empress Dowager had given him in a few days, ”said Bashutsky.

This is important: in the last hours he aspired to the barracks, to soldiering. There was a sense of sacredness in his soul - it was a soldier's duty, a soldier's brotherhood, the memory of victories and campaigns. There he died, ignoring the marauders. AT farewell letter asked the emperor to set free all his peasants.

“But if he plunges into a political whirlwind, he will die,” Suvorov wrote about General Bonaparte. It turns out that about General Miloradovich too.

An interesting article about the hero of 1812, General Mikhail Andreevich Miloradovich, from Maxim Petrenchuk, from the site http://vkurse.ru/article/r3101/

The Decembrist uprising could have ended quite differently if the governor-general of St. Petersburg, Mikhail Miloradovich, had finished his speech to the crowd. But the student of Suvorov, who survived in the hell of Borodin and Leipzig, was not allowed to talk to the soldiers. He was killed.

Mikhail Miloradovich

At the time of his death, Mikhail Miloradovich held the post of Governor-General of St. Petersburg, but this important position did not add anything to his glory won on the battlefields. Flawless General Napoleonic Wars, a student of Suvorov, a participant in the Battle of Borodino and the "battle of the peoples" near Leipzig, he was extremely loved by the troops. His influence on the soldiers was colossal: and even just the words addressed by him to the rebel regiments represented serious danger for the Decembrists.

Where did Miloradovich's popularity come from? The fact is that even among the brilliant commanders of the era, the general stood out for special qualities that disposed the common masses to him. During the retreat in 1812, he starved along with the soldiers, not trying to use his rank to create a special position for himself. “The provisions business was put in the Russian army in the days before Borodin and during the retreat from Borodino to Moscow it was very bad,” Academician Tarle wrote. there was no money, they were starving like soldiers. “Our general (Miloradovich) does not have a penny himself, and it often happens that, after hard work, he asks for food. But as most often we have nothing, then he lies down and falls asleep hungry without reproach and without grumbling. So Miloradovich had to starve on the campaign, equal in rank to Barclay de Tolly ... "

Resignedly perceiving the hardships of the march, Miloradovich was bold and even reckless in battle. The writer Fyodor Glinka recalled that in battle the commander looked like “he was dressed for a big feast! Cheerful, talkative... he drove around the killing field as if in his home park; he forced his horse to make lanceades, calmly stuffed his pipe, smoked it even more calmly and talked friendly with the soldiers ... Bullets knocked the sultan off his hat, wounded and beat the horses under him; he was not embarrassed; changed his horse, lit his pipe, straightened his crosses and wrapped an amaranth shawl around his neck, the ends of which fluttered picturesquely in the air. Contempt for death was a kind of hallmark of Miloradovich. Back in Suvorov times, at the battle of Basignano, he led the troops who hesitated to attack, seizing the banner and shouting: "Soldiers, watch how your general dies." And during the Battle of Borodino, Miloradovich decided to outdo the French Marshal Murat, who ordered him to be served champagne right on the battlefield. In response, Mikhail Andreevich had a full meal in the most dangerous place, as if not noticing the nuclei whistling around.

The fatal confluence of circumstances that led to the death of Miloradovich turned out to be possible because of his direct and tough character. At the end of 1825, Tsar Alexander died: he left a will, according to which the throne was to pass not to the second son of Paul I, Konstantin, but to the third Nicholas. Konstantin Pavlovich, at that time the governor in Poland, really did not want to take the throne. But the law required his official resignation in the presence of the heir. And it was precisely on this, having 60,000 faithful bayonets, that Miloradovich insisted, apparently having pretty much frightened the young inexperienced Nikolai.

However, Konstantin, having confirmed his renunciation in letters to his brother and the State Council, refused to go to Petersburg. The question of succession to the throne was not finally clarified. And the Decembrists took advantage of this, raising an uprising to change the political system.

Miloradovich, who had already sworn allegiance to Nikolai Pavlovich, arrived at Senate Square as soon as he learned about the soldiers' indignation. The sedate general rode out to the crowd, pulled out a golden blade from its scabbard and shouted: “Tell me, which of you was with me near Kulm, Lutzen, Bautzen?” Silence was his answer. “Thank God,” exclaimed Miloradovich, “there is not a single Russian soldier here!”

Most of the troops that came on December 25, 1825 to Senatskaya were deceived: people thought they were supporting the true Tsar Constantine and his wife the Constitution (the meaning of this word was not clear to ordinary guardsmen). Miloradovich, who, like his teacher Suvorov, was excellent at talking to soldiers, could dispel this fable in a matter of minutes. That is why he was not allowed to speak further.

He was struck down by a bullet fired from a revolver by Peter Kakhovsky, one of the five later hanged Decembrists, a poor nobleman who, due to the absence of a family, was appointed regicide. Kakhovsky considered it necessary to "shoot the entire Romanov family" in order to establish a republic. He began with the St. Petersburg governor-general.

After the shot, Lieutenant Yevgeny Obolensky rushed to Miloradovich and hit him with a bayonet. The murder of a war hero in 1812 was the point of no return for the uprising. After him, no reconciliation and explanation of what was happening was no longer possible. The putsch of the Decembrists was suppressed by buckshot, the most zealous were executed, while others, as you know, were exiled to Siberia. Few people remembered at the same time about the deceived soldiers whom the Nikolaev artillery defeated in the first place.

And Count Miloradovich died on the same day from his wounds. He went through 50 battles with the enemy, to eventually fall at the hands of his compatriot. The only thing that consoled the commander, leaving for another world, was that the bullet that killed him was not a rifle. This at least meant that it was not a soldier who killed him, with whom Miloradovich had worthily shared the hardships and hardships of military campaigns all his life.

In memory of the Strastnoy Monastery

Regional social organization"Borodino-2012-2045" turned to Patriarch Kirill with a request for blessing for the construction of the chapel venerable Anthony and Theodosius Pechersky on Strastnaya (Pushkinskaya) Square in Moscow ...

Participated in the Italian and Swiss campaigns; always went on the attack ahead of his regiment, and more than once his example turned out to be decisive for the outcome of the battle. Upon returning to Russia, Miloradovich with his regiment stood in Volhynia. In 1805, as part of the forces of the anti-Napoleonic coalition, he led one of the detachments sent to help the Austrians. For his qualities he received the rank of lieutenant general and other awards. He took part in the battle of Austerlitz. AT Russian-Turkish war 1806-1812 - commander of the corps, which on December 13, 1806 liberated Bucharest from the Turks, in 1807 defeated the Turks at Turbat and Obileshti. On September 29, 1809, for the victory at Rassevat, he was promoted to general of infantry. On August 14, 1812, M. A. Miloradovich, in the campaign against Napoleon Bonaparte, forms a detachment of troops for the army between Kaluga and Volokolamsk and Moscow, and then goes to war with this detachment. In the Battle of Borodino he commanded the right wing of the 1st Army. Then he led the rearguard, held back the French troops, which ensured the withdrawal of the entire Russian army. The main quality that won respect among his soldiers and the enemy was courage, fearlessness, bordering on recklessness.

In 1825, when the Decembrists came to Senate Square, Miloradovich appeared in full dress on the square to convince the troops to stop the uprising. In more than fifty battles, having happily escaped injury, he received two wounds that day, one of which turned out to be fatal, from the revolutionary conspirators. Before his death, he dictated his last will. Among other things, it read: “I ask the Sovereign Emperor, if possible, to release all my people and peasants.” In total, according to the will of Miloradovich, about 1,500 souls were freed from serfdom.

He was buried in the Spiritual Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, in 1937 his ashes and tombstone were transferred to the Annunciation tomb in St. Petersburg. The inscription on the tombstone reads: "Here lies the ashes of the general from the infantry of all Russian orders and all European powers of the Chevalier Count Mikhail Andreevich Miloradovich. Born 1771 October 1st day. He died from wounds inflicted on him by a bullet and a bayonet on St. Isaac's Square on December 14, 1825 in St. Petersburg.

Russian commander Barclay de Tolly

December 27, 1761 was born Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly (d. 1818), Russian commander, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812.

By blood he was a Scot, by spirit - a Russian hereditary warrior, whose grandfather served as burgomaster in Riga, and his father served under Catherine II in the army. From the age of 15, Barclay also ended up on military service to which he devoted his entire life.

He met the Patriotic War of 1812 as an army commander. He was distinguished by strategic talent, combined with endurance and reasonable courage. After the Battle of Borodino, during which he showed a rare example of selflessness, at the council in Fili, Barclay was the first to vote in favor of retreat without a fight: “It is sad to leave the capital, but if we do not lose courage and are active, then the capture of Moscow will prepare the death of Napoleon.”

After winning in Patriotic War Barclay de Tolly again showed his talent as a commander during the Foreign Campaign in the battles of Kulm and Leipzig, the capture of Paris. He became a full Knight of St. George, Field Marshal General, elevated to princely dignity, awarded the highest awards European states. He was loved by the troops for justice, impartiality, affectionate and meek treatment. But the old wounds made themselves felt, and at the age of 56 he died without leaving the service.

The death of General Miloradovich

Storming of Amin's Palace

On December 27, 1979, Amin's palace in Kabul (Afghanistan) was stormed - a special operation code-named "Storm-333", preceding the entry Soviet troops and the beginning Afghan war 1979-1989

During its course, the special forces of the KGB of the USSR and the Soviet Army in the Taj-bek residence in the Kabul region killed the President of Afghanistan, Hafizullah Amin. years, when the leader of the PDPA N. Taraki was arrested and then killed on the orders of H. Amin, who removed him from power, caused serious concern among the Soviet leadership. It warily followed the activities of Amin at the head of Afghanistan, knowing his ambitions and cruelty in the struggle to achieve personal goals. Under Amin, terror unfolded in the country not only against the Islamists, but also against members of the PDPA who were supporters of Taraki. Repression also affected the army, the main pillar of the PDPA, which led to the fall of its already low morale, caused mass desertion and riots. The Soviet leadership was afraid that further aggravation of the situation in Afghanistan would lead to the fall of the PDPA regime and the coming to power of forces hostile to the USSR. Moreover, information was received through the KGB about Amin's connection with the CIA in the 1960s and about secret contacts of his emissaries with American officials after the assassination of Taraki.

As a result, it was decided to prepare for the removal of Amin and his replacement by a leader more loyal to the USSR. As such, B. Karmal was considered, whose candidacy was supported by the chairman of the KGB, Yu. Andropov.

When developing an operation to overthrow Amin, it was decided to use Amin's own requests for Soviet military assistance (in total, from September to December 1979 there were 7 such requests). In early December 1979, the so-called "Muslim battalion" (detachment special purpose GRU, specially formed in the summer of 1979 from Soviet military personnel of Central Asian origin to protect Taraki and perform special tasks in Afghanistan).

The decision to eliminate Amin and to send Soviet troops into Afghanistan was made at a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU on December 12, 1979.

The change of rulers of Russia rarely passed without bloodshed. When Alexander I suddenly died in the southern city of Taganrog under strange circumstances, anarchy ensued.

The king left no male heirs. In his will, he indicated that his younger brother Nikolai Pavlovich should lead Russia. But his older brother Konstantin Pavlovich did not intend to give up the throne. For this, he used Count Miloradovich and the Decembrists.

Two brothers near the Russian throne

The ambitious brother of Alexander the First Konstantin Pavlovich, married by that time to a Pole, was in Warsaw.

Members of the Senate State Council under pressure from Miloradovich, they insisted on swearing an oath to Konstantin. Among them was Nicholas. He was forced to reconcile himself after he presented his rights to the throne to the military governor-general of St. Petersburg, Mikhail Miloradovich, but received a decisive refusal from him. It was a military coup in its purest form.

Miloradovich's trail

Serb by origin, Count Mikhail Miloradovich was a combat veteran. He served under the command of Alexander Suvorov and Mikhail Kutuzov, participated in several wars: the Russian-Swedish war of 1788, the Russian-Turkish war of 1806, the Great Patriotic War of 1812. After all the wars, having received a high appointment, he began to reorganize the urban economy. And he was very successful in this. Miloradovich acted like a military man quickly and decisively. He knew about the will of Alexander the First, but took the side of Konstantin Pavlovich. It was he who went to the Senate and persuaded its members to swear allegiance to Constantine.

Even a coin with the image of the new emperor is issued - one ruble.
Moreover, Miloradovich and Konstantin Pavlovich in 1799, together with Alexander Suvorov, participated in the Italian campaign and the famous Swiss crossing. They became friends. Konstantin Pavlovich repeatedly wrote letters to Miloradovich expressing gratitude for his diligent service. In 1812 they again fought together against the French. The combat officers helped each other very well. Especially when it comes to power.
In 1825, Nikolai was 29 years old, Konstantin Pavlovich - 46 years old. He has unlimited influence on the cavalry and guards, being the inspector general and commander of the Guards Corps. Nikolai only inspects the engineering units and commands one guard division.

King for 16 days and nights

These days, the courier knocked off their feet, plying between Warsaw and Moscow with royal letters. For three weeks, all government officials asked Constantine to come home and pick up the scepter. What Konstantin answered is not known for certain. Allegedly, he said that they would strangle him like a priest. According to the official version, he twice abdicates the throne.

Sixteen days Konstantin Pavlovich ruled Russia. It was the shortest reign in the history of the country.

Miloradovich did not comply with the second order

At the suggestion of Miloradovich, the Decembrists knew what was going on between the two brothers.

Finally, Nicholas decides to take power into his own hands. Part of the troops had already sworn allegiance to Nicholas. But the Guard has not yet done so. The swearing-in for her is scheduled for December 14th. On this day, the Decembrists decided on an open speech in order to defend the legitimate interests of Konstantin Pavlovich. Nikolai, having learned about this, orders Miloradovich to immediately arrest the rioters. But the combat general did not fulfill the order again.

The fate of Miloradovichia is tragic. He did not receive a single wound in numerous wars. And on Senate Square, during negotiations with soldiers who had already begun to lean towards him, retired lieutenant Pyotr Kakhovsky shot him - a bullet hit his lung, cornet Yevgeny Obolensky stabbed him with a bayonet. By the way, even before the uprising, Kakhovsky wrote many letters addressed to Emperor Alexander the First about the reorganization of Russia.

Guard - ahead

It was the Life Guards that lined up on Senate Square in the December days of 1825. The square under the leadership of Alexander Bestuzhev included 671 people of the Life Guards of the Moscow Regiment. Bestuzhev was also able to bring about 1000 people from the Guards naval crew. About 1250 soldiers from five companies of the Life Guards of the Grenadier Regiment were led by lieutenants Alexander Sutgoft and Nikolai Panov, who arrived at 11 o'clock in the morning. Sergei Muravyov-Apostol was able to raise about 1,000 soldiers of the Chernigov regiment to revolt.

At the time of the uprising, Sutgoft was 24 years old, Panov - 22 years old, Muravyov-Apostol - 29 years old, Bestuzhev - 28 years old, Pavel Pestel - 32 years old.

Masonic trace

Kondraty Ryleev was a member of the Flaming Star Masonic lodge. Sergey Trubetskoy (35 years old) first joined the Three Virtues Masonic Lodge, and then, together with his brothers Alexander and Nikita Muravyov, founded their own lodge called the Union of Salvation. Pavel Pestel was one of the main founders of the "Union of Welfare" Masonic lodge, and then headed it.
Most of the officers of the Marine Guards were also Freemasonry.

In December it gets dark quickly. And especially in St. Petersburg - the dank northern capital. Cold new capital, expressed in everything, was opposed to temperamental and more ardent southern lands Russian Empire. Coldness is a multifaceted, abstract concept, and in relation to human nature sometimes means prudence. And prudence is not always consistent with the stated goals.

Just as swiftly as the heavenly body, one day in December 1825, the life of St. Petersburg Governor-General Mikhail Andreevich Miloradovich came to its end. This man had a truly excellent and magnificent military career. Having begun his service in 1787 with the rank of ensign, he quickly rose through the ranks. career ladder, so that by 1811 he became the governor-general of Kyiv. He participates in the wars with Napoleon, where he repeatedly shows his skill and courage, for which he receives the monogram of Alexander I on epaulettes as a reward. Further, Miloradovich receives an appointment as governor-general in St. Petersburg.

December 14, 1825, Mikhail Andreevich Miloradovich was wounded by a shot in the back on Senate Square, and died in the evening of the same day. This treacherous vile blow was inflicted by Kakhovsky, at the moment when Obolensky poked Miloradovich, who was trying to calm the crowd, with a bayonet.

Pyotr Grigoryevich Kakhovsky came from impoverished nobles. He served as a cadet in Europe, but was demoted to a private for debauchery. In 1824 he returned to Russia, planning to then go to Greece to fight for its independence. These modest features already outline the silhouette of the killer's character. Impulsive, desperate, his views do not always correlate with reality. He believes that the monarchy should be abolished. Cold northern society accepts him into their ranks. Relying on a young rebel, completely alone, and who, as the boats of society believed, had nothing to lose, the assassination of the emperor becomes possible. You just need to give this responsible mission to Kakhovsky, a rebel and rowdy. He is going to liberate distant Greece, but will he resist the temptation to liberate his native state? It won't last, of course...

Early morning of the fourteenth of December. Kakhovsky sneaks along the corridors of the imperial palace in order to fulfill the most important mission entrusted to him by the newly-minted brothers in spirit. But something at the last moment prevents him from doing so. Isn't it cowardice? Were not all this ardor and disobedience in the army ostentatious? Perhaps they were. Kakhovsky leaves for the square. The guilt of the unfulfilled duty must have eaten away at him. Such a blow to his image of a fearless freedom-loving rebel! A failed killer is looking for an excuse in front of his brothers. And he finds him as soon as Obolensky comes into conflict with Miloradovich. He shoots the governor general in the back. And after a while, he wounds Colonel Stürler. So Kakhovsky eloquently stated that he was not at all afraid to kill the emperor, and did not do this for some other reason. But in fact, he was driven by feelings of guilt towards the other conspirators and a sense of his own weakness and insignificance.

Still, Kakhovsky was really not afraid to kill, but people, not the emperor. The assassination of the emperor for him was clearly "too tough." As for the Northern Society, it is worth noting that their desire was not so strong. It was quite obvious at once that such an eccentric personality as Kakhovsky could not be trusted with such responsible affairs. Most likely, everything was planned in the Northern Society exactly as it happened, because the main conspirators did not appear, the emperor was not killed, the deaths of Miloradovich and Stüler were not so great victims, but justified, Pestel, who constantly heated up the situation and interfered, in As a result, he ended up on the gallows. It seems that this was the best scenario for the northerners to get out of the game that they were fed up with.

Meanwhile, Miloradovich, who died because of his refusal to withdraw his oath to the emperor, before his death expressed a desire to release all his peasants, granting freedom to almost 1,500 people. He did this because he was initially in solidarity with the Decembrists or dying only agreed with them so that his death would not be in vain - the question is different, the fact itself is important: an adherent of the hated slave autocracy freed 1,500 people, and the Northern Society - the Decembrists, fighters for freedom, became his killers, without giving freedom to anyone, but provoking the death of many participants December uprising. Miloradovich turned out to be more of a Decembrist than the most zealous of them. This makes you think about how serious the Decembrists were in general? And about how weak the immunity of public opinion was in those days, when only a few people could spread their, often erroneous, thoughts in a certain circle and provoke its participants to radical actions.

So it turned out that the Decembrists obeyed the thoughts of the “dreamers” Muravyov and Pestel, offended by something, which led to the deaths of many citizens. And the "faithful dog of the autocracy" Miloradovich granted freedom to more than a thousand serfs and servants. All this is a consequence of the confusion of the Russian public consciousness and the situation around the murder of Miloradovich clearly demonstrated this.