How Ukraine was sold for a bottle of schnapps
Field Marshal Hermann von Eichhorn in Kyiv
The abolition of Prohibition and the appearance of the German occupation troops in Kyiv coincided, so a joke appeared at that time: “They sold Ukraine for a bottle of schnapps!” The Germans quickly put the separatists in their place and dispersed the Rada.
Ultimatum
On January 27 (February 9), 1918, the German and Austro-Hungarian delegations signed a separate peace treaty with the delegation of the Central Rada. On January 31 (February 13), the Ukrainian delegation asked for military assistance from the Central Powers against Soviet Russia. The German top military-political leadership decides to intervene in the East from the Baltic to the Carpathians.
On February 9, 1918, Germany and Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to the representatives of Soviet Russia to recognize their agreement with the Rada. In response, on February 10, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Trotsky categorically refused to make concessions. Trotsky was sure that Germany, infected with revolutionary moods, would no longer be able to carry out a powerful offensive on the Russian front. The People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs waited "when the oppressed classes of all countries will take power into their own hands, like the working people of Russia."
There is also an opinion that Trotsky, as a representative of internationalist revolutionaries interested in the further destruction of Russia, provoked the Central Powers. In the new turmoil, he had to consolidate his position by pushing Lenin. This was not the first and not the last large-scale provocation by Trotsky in the conditions of the Russian Troubles.
On February 10, Trotsky from Brest gave a telegram in which Russia refused "to sign the annexationist treaty", and on the other hand, stopped the war with Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey. The demobilization of the army was announced. On the night of February 11, Commander-in-Chief Krylenko received a telegram from Trotsky:
In general, it was a convention. The army itself has already demobilized. There were pitiful remnants. Corps were reduced to divisions, divisions to regiments. But they were enough to keep the main operational areas. Already on February 11, Lenin demanded to stop the demobilization, the army commissars were instructed to delay the telegrams of Trotsky and Krylenko on demobilization. But it was already too late. The soldiers went home.
Trotsky's speech to the Red Army, 1918
Intervention
On February 17, 1917, the German army went on the offensive from the Baltic to Little Russia (the Ottomans began the invasion even earlier). A week later, the Austro-Hungarian army launched an offensive. The old Russian army by this time was already completely ruined and completely demoralized by Trotsky's actions. Simultaneously with the advance of the Germans, many thousands of soldiers of the former Russian army went east, to their homes. The remaining decomposed units were not even suitable for garrison, security and police service. The new Red Army was just beginning to take shape. Therefore, the Germans advanced almost without encountering resistance.
Already on February 18, the Germans occupied Dvinsk (now Daugavpils), on February 19 - Lutsk and Rovno, on February 21 - Minsk and Novograd-Volynsky, on February 24 - Zhitomir. On the 19th, the Soviet government offered Berlin to accept peace on its own terms. But the Germans were in no hurry, they got into the taste of conquest. At the same time, the Council of People's Commissars took measures to strengthen the defense capability of Russia. On February 20, the government issued an appeal "To the working population of all Russia", showing readiness for peace and determination to fight. A Provisional Executive Committee of the Council of People's Commissars was formed, headed by Lenin, authorized to resolve operational issues of defense.
On February 21, the decree of the Council of People's Commissars "The socialist fatherland is in danger!" was published. The Soviets called for "defending every position to the last drop of blood". The evacuation of the rolling stock of the railways was announced, the remaining property was destroyed, the bourgeoisie, workers and peasants were mobilized to prepare fortifications. Emergency measures were taken to establish the rear, military production, and supply troops. They put things in order in the rear: provocateurs, spies, speculators and other enemies of the people were to be shot. Volunteers were recruited in the cities for the Red Army. New red units were hastily transferred to the most dangerous areas near Narva, Revel and Pskov (Petrograd direction).
On February 23, the Central Powers put forward a new ultimatum: Russia was to completely clear the Baltic states (Latvia and Estonia), withdraw troops from Finland and Ukraine, recognize the Ukrainian government, leave the Caucasian regions occupied during the war. They demanded to disperse the army, to disarm the fleet. They were given two days to respond. Meanwhile, the enemy advance continued. On February 24, the Turks occupied Trebizond; on the 25th, Revel and Pskov were taken by the Germans. The Baltic Fleet was evacuated from Revel to Helsingfors in difficult winter conditions, and from there to Kronstadt. The sailors saved their ships from being captured by the enemy (Ice trip).
On March 1, Kyiv and Gomel fell, on March 5, Mogilev. On February 25, the Austrians crossed the border rivers Zbruch and Dniester, immediately occupied the cities of Kamenets-Podolsky and Khotyn. The Austro-Hungarian army advanced in the direction of Odessa along the Lvov railway, quickly occupied Podolia. On March 13, the Austrians were in Odessa. Soviet institutions were evacuated to Sevastopol.
The Soviet state, which had barely begun to form new armed forces, could not resist the invasion of the Central Powers. On February 23, the Council of People's Commissars (7 members of the Central Committee voted in favor, 4 members voted against and 112 abstained) and the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (86 votes in favor, 25 against with XNUMX abstentions) accepted the German ultimatum. Lenin literally pushed through this difficult decision.
On February 24, the Soviet leader declared:
On February 28, the Soviet delegation headed by Sokolnikov arrived in Brest-Litovsk. On March 1, negotiations resumed, and on March 3, the “obscene” Brest peace was signed.
"Trotsky learns to write." German caricature of L. D. Trotsky, who signed the peace treaty in Brest-Litovsk. 1918
Ukrainian front
In the Ukrainian direction, the Bolsheviks were unable to organize a serious defense. Komfront Antonov-Ovseenko noted:
The small units of the Red Army, which were at the stage of formation, the Red Guards and Red Cossacks, who had an irregular, partisan character, could not resist the mass regular Austro-German army. There was no one and nothing to defend. The Reds retreated to the east. On February 28, units of the Southern Front left Kyiv, all Soviet institutions moved to Poltava.
Together with the German and Austrian troops, there were small detachments of the UNR headed by Petlyura - Haidamaks, Sich Riflemen and Cossacks (about 3 thousand people). They were completely dependent on German supplies and military support. The Germans controlled the actions of the Petliurists. So, the Austro-German contingent in the Russian Ukraine totaled about 450 thousand bayonets.
On March 1, 1918, the Gaidamaks and German units entered Kyiv. The administration of the occupied regions of Little Russia was headed by the German Field Marshal Hermann von Eichhorn. Volhynia, Podolia, Kherson, Yekaterinoslav and Odessa were controlled by the Austrians.
Austrian troops parade along Nikolaevsky Boulevard, Odessa. 1918
"Second Paris"
Following the Germans, members of the Rada returned to Kyiv. They hoped that the German army would secure the borders with the "Muscovites", and that the Haidamaks, with the support of the Austrians, would restore order in the Ukraine.
The Germans had their own plans: to restore order and immediate requisition of food. Bread, cattle were confiscated, and gold, jewelry and other goods were not forgotten. The robbery began, and well-organized, methodical.
This was also acknowledged by Ukrainian leaders.
Eichhorn, seeing what kind of garbage the “mother of Russian cities” had been turned into by revolutionaries of all stripes, immediately declared:
The city quickly brought order and cleanliness. The beggars and vagabonds, who bred during the turmoil, announced a uniform round-up, loaded into trains and taken out of Kyiv. Then the Germans did away with gangs and criminals. Caught thieves were shot without trial or investigation. All Kievans could admire these demonstration events: they were invited with the help of pre-pasted posters.
Therefore, the prosperous city public remembered the German occupation with sympathy. The city was orderly, clean and safe. There were bakeries and electricity. All theaters and cinemas, horse races operated. Kyiv ladies flirted with German officers. The dry law was abolished. Many townspeople sat on cocaine (it was then a legal drug, sold in pharmacies as a medicine), you could buy a juvenile prostitute in the market. In general - a typical "enlightened" West, a "second Paris".
- Alexander Samsonov
- https://ru.wikipedia.org/
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