"We'll have to go to sacrifice"
That was the beginning of 90's. On television, I saw a monument to the Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Kuznetsov removed from a pedestal on the square of the city of Lviv. A thick metal cable clasped his neck, and for a moment the concrete statue swayed in the air. The searchlight grabbed the eye sockets of the monument, and a terrible feeling came over me. Among the cries of a hoot crowd, it suddenly seemed that Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov would be executed as if alive.What can a journalist do against this raging crowd? I decided to find veterans who knew N.I. Kuznetsova, fought with him to help me resurrect the memory of him.
I met with Vladimir Ivanovich Stupin. Before the war, he was a student at the Moscow Architectural Institute. Volunteer joined the detachment of paratroopers, who in July 1942-th flew under Rivne. He said: “At the end of August 1942, squad commander D.N. Medvedev selected a group of paratroopers, warned that we would carry out a particularly important task, about which no one should speak. It turned out, we are going to take a group of parachutists. It was a customary matter, but why the task was surrounded by such strict warnings, we understood only afterwards. We've been waiting for one of the laggards. After landing, the paratrooper lost his boots in the swamp, and so he came to us in one boot. This was Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov. Behind him is a large duffel bag, in which, as we later learned, was a German officer's uniform and all the necessary ammunition. He was to go to the city of Rovno under the guise of German Lieutenant Paul Siebert and conduct reconnaissance there.
The better we learned about Nikolai Kuznetsov, the more we were surprised at how gifted this man was.
He could be an outstanding athlete. He had instant reaction, endurance and strong physical conditioning. He had outstanding linguistic abilities. He not only knew a few German dialects. Before our eyes, he began to speak Ukrainian. The Poles appeared in the detachment. After a while he began to speak with them in their native language. We had international Spaniards. And he showed an interest in Spanish. Kuznetsov had an extraordinary gift. After all, he "played" a German officer so skillfully that no one in the German environment noticed this game. He could become a scientist. His main weapons there was no gun in his pocket - although he shot perfectly. We were impressed by his deep analytical mind. From randomly heard phrases, he built information chains, extracting important strategic information. ”
"He was a mysterious man"
After the war, V.I. Stupin began to collect materials to recreate the biography of his famous fellow soldier. He generously shared these documents with me.
“You know, he seemed to us a mysterious man,” said V.I. Stupin. - Even after years it is difficult for me to describe the expression on his face. He was often sad. I looked at people somehow suspiciously and detachedly. Maybe it was due to what he had to experience in his youth? ”
Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov was born in 1911 year in the village of Zyryanka (now - Sverdlovsk region) in a peasant family. His parents, Ivan Pavlovich and Anna Petrovna, were able to put together a strong farm. In the house they collected a small library. They tried to teach children - there were four of them. Elder Agafya became a teacher. Kohl Kuznetsov went to 1 grade in 1918 year. Teachers drew attention to the boy's rare abilities. He was ahead of his peers in all subjects. But it was especially surprising that he became interested in learning German. Several German families settled in Zyryanka. Kolya Kuznetsov visited them, picked up German words on the fly.
During the years of the Civil War, events occurred that would later "surface" in the fate of Nikolai Kuznetsov. Kolchak troops passed through the village. Yielding to agitation, the father of the family put the children on a cart, loaded the belongings, and they left for the east. Together with the White Guards. On the road, they were not for long. Kolchak's inhabitants were taken away from the Kuznetsky horses, and the family returned to Zyryanka.
After graduating from the seven-year school, Nikolai Kuznetsov entered the forestry college in the regional center Talitsa. Joined the Komsomol. But someone who knew the Kuznetsov family told the technical school how they left the village together with the Kolchak people. Nicholas was only 8 years old, the father of the family was no longer alive. But nobody listened to Nikolay Kuznetsov. At a noisy meeting, he was expelled from the Komsomol and from the technical school. Could the persecutors imagine that the time would come when the monument to Kuznetsov would be erected in the center of Talitsa.
Nikolai Kuznetsov tried to get away from his homeland. He found work in the city of Kudymkar. Began to work as a taxator in the forest department of the land administration. And here Kuznetsov overtook unexpected events. A control commission has arrived in Kudymkar. A criminal case was opened against the leaders of the land board, who committed embezzlement. And although Kuznetsov had a modest place in the service chain, he also was among the accused. One of the state security officers, who conducted the case in Kudymkar, drew attention to the record in Kuznetsov’s documents: “Fluent in German”.
More than once it will happen in the life of Nikolai Kuznetsov that his extraordinary abilities, knowledge of the German language will abruptly change fate.
A few months later, Kuznetsov appeared in Sverdlovsk on the construction of Uralmash. He was ordered to perform a special task. A large group of specialists who came from Germany worked at Uralmash. In the spirit of the time when society embraced espionage, Kuznetsov had to identify among the Germans hostile people.
And then again, fate makes an unexpected turn. Nikolay Kuznetsov is transferred to Moscow. He is issued documents in the name of Rudolf Schmidt, Russified German, allegedly working in a defense plant. One of the leaders of the Soviet intelligence PA. Sudoplatov later recalled: “We prepared Kuznetsov to work against the German embassy in Moscow. In conversations with the embassy staff, he allegedly accidentally blurted out information about defense production. The Germans even offered him to draw up documents for moving to Germany. We discussed this option. But then the war began. ”
“Please send me to the front”
Nikolai Kuznetsov writes one report after another with a request to send him to the war. “Endless waiting terribly depresses me. I have the right to demand that I be given the opportunity to benefit my Fatherland in the struggle against the worst enemy, ”he wrote to his leaders.
Kuznetsov scout 2.0.jpg For Kuznetsov, they came up with such a legend. With documents in the name of Lieutenant Paul Siebert, as if, after treatment at the hospital, he will appear in Rovno as the Commissioner for Economic Affairs. Ostensibly, he is from East Prussia. His father served as manager of a wealthy estate. To prepare for the assignment, Nikolai Kuznetsov used photographs to “walk” through the streets of Koenigsberg, memorize street names, read German newspapers, learn popular German songs, memorize the names of football teams and even score matches. You never know what else is useful in a conversation with a German officer. Experienced teachers dealt with him in German. Kuznetsov successfully completed the “practice” under the guise of a German officer in one of the POW camps near Moscow.
Why precisely in the city Exactly should Kuznetsov get? Here, in a quiet town, there was the residence of the governor of Ukraine - Erich Koch, as well as many administrative occupation institutions, headquarters and rear units.
Before leaving Moscow, Nikolai Kuznetsov wrote a letter to his brother Victor, who fought at the front:
“Vitya, you are my beloved brother and comrade, so I want to be frank with you before being sent to perform a combat mission. And I want to tell you that there are very few chances for me to come back alive ... Almost a hundred percent that you will have to make a sacrifice. And I consciously go for it, as I deeply realize that I am giving my life for a holy, just cause. We will destroy fascism, we will save the Fatherland. Keep this memorable letter if I die ... ”
How did you find the rate of Hitler
As it turned out, N.I. Kuznetsov had extraordinary intuition that helped him find strategic information in an enemy lair.
“I remember one operation that we performed under his leadership,” recalled V.I. Stupin. - Squad Commander Medvedev selected the 25 paratroopers. We sat on carts. Each has a policeman’s armband. Let's go to the road. Suddenly, someone shouted: “Germans!” The commander ordered: “To quit!” We saw that Kuznetsov in German uniform jumped off the chaise and approached us. With a rod on the ground he drew a route. We learned about the meaning of the operation later. ” Kuznetsov learned that somewhere near Vinnitsa is one of Hitler’s underground residences. In order to establish the position of this Hitler’s headquarters, he decided to capture the imperial adviser of the communications troops, Lieutenant Colonel Reis. He met his adjutant. He told Kuznetsov that he could not come to him for dinner, because he met his boss. He called the time of arrival and the brand of his car.
“... Kuznetsov on the cart was driving ahead. He told us to sing loudly, ”said V.I. Stupin. - Let us be mistaken for policemen. Suddenly Kuznetsov raised his hand - a passenger car was moving towards him. As it was ordered beforehand, two of our partisans jumped off the carts, and when the car reached us, they threw grenades under its wheels. The car fell to the side. From it we pulled out two frightened German officers, as well as their portfolios full of cards and documents. We put the officers on a cart, covered with straw and sat on our own. We arrived at the farm of the Polish underground. Kuznetsov in the village house carefully studied the captured cards. On one of them was the communication line, which stretched from the inconspicuous village of Stryzhavka to Berlin. When Kuznetsov entered the prisoners, they began to reproach him: “How could he, a German officer, contact the partisans?” Kuznetsov replied that he had come to the conclusion that the war had been lost, and now German blood was being shed in vain.
We learned about the results of the interrogation when we returned to our camp. Nikolai Kuznetsov was able to establish the location of the underground rate of Hitler, built near Vinnitsa. There worked Russian prisoners of war who were shot after the end of construction.
In the squad there were many brave, desperate guys. But the actions and courage of Nikolai Kuznetsov hit us, they went beyond the capabilities of an ordinary person.
So he saved our radio operator Valentina Osmolova. ” This happened in the days of the Battle of Stalingrad. From Rovno, members of the underground sent information about the advance of the German troops to the east to the detachment. But this information became obsolete, since the way to the partisan camp was time consuming. The commander Medvedev decided to send a radio operator Valya Osmolova to Rovno together with Kuznetsov. The underground workers got hold of the carpet, which covered the chaise, brought elegant clothes for Wali. In the villages, the policemen greeted them.
On the outskirts of Rivne, it was necessary to drive a bridge over the river and climb the icy hill. And then the unexpected happened. Suddenly the wagon, in which Kuznetsov and Valya were driving, fell on its side. And at the feet of the guard standing at the bridge, a walkie-talkie, spare batteries and a pistol fell out. As soon as he jumped to his feet, Kuznetsov began shouting to the guards: “Why didn't you clean the road? Turn the cart over! Put the radio in place! I'm taking the arrested partisan for interrogation. Put the road in order! I'll come check it out! ”
In this episode reflected the special properties of Kuznetsov's character. At dangerous moments, he had such courage and instant reaction, which distinguished him from ordinary partisans.
"He saved my brother"
“Nikolai Kuznetsov was a good friend. He was willing to take risks to help out a friend. So he saved my brother, ”his driver Nikolay Strutinsky told me. They were together for months. Strutinsky knew Kuznetsov like no other. He said: “My brother George met in Rovno with two prisoners of war who told him that they were officers of the Red Army. Hinted that they would like to fight. Georges told them that he would come to the same place tomorrow. We were interested in new fighters coming to the squad. Before leaving Georges in Rivne, I had a dream, as if he was walking along a dam and suddenly falls down. The next day, members of the underground reported that Georges was arrested and was taken to prison. I was desperate. He said that I do not want to live anymore. ”
And here Kuznetsov came up with a cunning plan - how to save Georges. The detachment commander summoned one of our partisans, Peter Mamonts. He said that he needed to get a job in guarding the prison. Peter refused, but we convinced him.
Exactly - a small town. There were people who recommended Peter Mamonts to guard the prison. He tried, out of all his strength. Once he said to his boss: “Why do we feed these traitors with a gift? Let's drive them to work. ” And soon the prisoners were declared in prison: “You’ll go to work!” They began to bring those arrested under escort to repair roads and public utilities. Once Peter Mamonets reported through underground workers that he would lead a group of prisoners into the courtyard near the cafe. Georges knew about his plan. At the appointed time, he grabbed his stomach: "I have an upset stomach ..." Peter Mamonets swung his butt on him and with a swearing led Georges to a neighboring yard, allegedly to the toilet. They walked through two courtyards and went outside.
Kuznetsov was already at the exit. He ordered: "Rather!" They got into the car, and we rushed to the exit of the city. Georges was brought to the partisan camp. “I remained grateful to Nicholas Kuznetsov for the rest of my life for saving my brother,” said Nikolai Strutinsky.
“Nikolai Kuznetsov fell in love with the Ukrainian language,” said V.I. Stupin. - Pretty quickly he mastered a considerable vocabulary and he had a clean reprimand. We often had clashes with Ukrainian nationalists. In the villages, they obeyed different atamans. And what we noticed, Nikolai Kuznetsov, in Ukrainian, skillfully conducted negotiations with them. He offered to disperse without shots. He clearly did not want to shed the blood of "deceived peasants," as he said. Unfortunately, they did not spare him when he fell into a trap.
Failed assassination
Every day, cars and trains with Ukrainian residents, who were taken to hard labor in Germany, went near Rovno. During the years of occupation, the Germans took out more than 2-s millions of Ukrainian citizens. In freight cars, coal, wheat, cows, sheep were brought to Germany, even black soil was exported.
The detachment command developed an operation to destroy the Gauleiter of Ukraine Erich Koch, who led the looting of Ukraine. The act of retribution was to carry out Kuznetsov. He had to get an appointment with the gauleiter. But how to do that? Valentina Dovger, a German national, lived in Rovno. She was declared the bride of German Lieutenant Paul Sieber - Nikolai Kuznetsov. She was associated with underground workers. Valentina Dovger, like her neighbors, received a subpoena, which contained an order - to appear at the mobilization center. Nikolai Kuznetsov decided to take advantage of this. He made an appointment with the gaiter of Koch.
He came to the office of the gauleiter with Valentina Dovger. First called the girl. She asked to leave her in Rivne. After all, their wedding is nearing a German officer. Then Nikolai Kuznetsov entered. He left his gun at the entrance. But there was another gun that he attached with a rubber band to the leg under the leg. In the office, Nikolai Kuznetsov saw a serious guard. Two officers stood behind his chair. Another one stood near the gauleiter. On the carpet - two sheep dogs. Assessing the situation, Kuznetsov realized that he would not have time to get a gun and shoot. It takes a few seconds. During this time, they will have time to grab him, throw him down on the floor.
Nikolai Kuznetsov set forth his request to the gauleiter: “They want to mobilize my bride, like some local ...” There were military awards on Kuznetsov’s chest. Gauleiter asked the military officer where he fought. Kuznetsov instantly invented combat episodes, in which he allegedly took part, said that he wanted to return to the front as soon as possible. And then Kuznetsov heard the words that struck him. Gauleiter suddenly said: “Return to the front soon. Where is your part? Under the Eagle? You can earn new combat rewards. We will arrange Russian Stalingrad! ”
It would seem that nothing concrete was said. But Kuznetsov, as he knew how, joined in one chain every word he heard in the office, the intonation with which the gauleiter spoke about the upcoming battles.
Developing an operation of an attempt on a gauleiter, Kuznetsova was sent to certain death. And he understood that. Left a squad commander a farewell letter.
The brave scout decided to hurry to the detachment in order to quickly convey the information he had heard from Koch.
“This time Nikolay Kuznetsov survived difficult days in the detachment,” recalled V.I. Stupin. - He was accused of not even trying to shoot a gauleiter. Kuznetsov, who daily risked his life, was called a coward. He grieved for the injuries ...
Two months later, the Battle of Kursk began.
Tehran. 1943 year
Back in Moscow, Kuznetsov was provided with such reliable documents that he successfully went through many checks. He used to go to cafes and restaurants, always with money, skillfully make acquaintances. Arranged parties. Among his friends was Officer von Ortel, who in conversations often referred to Otto Skorzeny, famous in Germany, who, on Hitler's orders, was able to take prisoner Mussolini out of prison in a mountain castle. Von Ortel repeated: "A squad of brave guys can sometimes do more than a whole division." For some reason, von Ortel drew attention to Kuznetsov. In conversations, Ortel liked to quote the words of Nietzsche about the superman, whose mighty will can influence the course stories. Kuznetsov said that he was an ordinary infantry officer, and his job was to command the trench soldiers. Kuznetsov drew attention to the fact that von Ortel started a conversation about Iran, about its culture, traditions, and economy. Rivne underground workers reported that Ortel was taking a group of German soldiers to a forest clearing. There are classes. On the glade, the military in turn collect parachutes.
With his fine intuition, Nikolai Kuznetsov linked together von Ortell's conversations about supermen and the secret preparation of some detachment. Soon von Ortel disappeared from Rivne. The sign on his door disappeared: “Dentistry”. Whether the Kuznetsov had anything to do with his sudden disappearance - the partisans did not know. He could not know what important events were being prepared in Tehran. In November 1943, the leaders of the three great powers met in Tehran - I.V. Stalin, F.D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.
In those days, various sources at the intelligence center in Moscow received information that German saboteurs penetrated into Tehran in order to assassinate the heads of great states. Among other reports, a radiogram from a partisan forest, which Kuznetsov composed, came to Moscow, without missing a detail.
Of course, he did not know anything about the event, which was prepared in Tehran. But his conscientiousness in the work was one of the strings that helped penetrate the plans of the enemy.
The following message was printed in Pravda: “London, December 17 1943. According to Reuters’s Washington correspondent, President Roosevelt reported that he was staying at the Russian embassy in Tehran, and not at the US, because Stalin became aware of the German conspiracy. ”
The form was stroked with an ax ax
Nikolay Kuznetsov was trying to find strategically important information in intelligence. However, I asked my interlocutors about the domestic difficulties with which his unusual life was associated. Almost every week he came to the partisan detachment. And this road, and spending the night among the partisan hut, often became a difficult test.
In Moscow I recorded the memories of B.I. Chernoy: “I was in the group that met Kuznetsov from Rovno and accompanied him,” he said. - Local roads were dangerous. To meet Kuznetsov, we arranged secret strongholds in the thickets, they were called "beacons". Kuznetsov knew these places. Waiting for him to come, we hid under the trees. Both in the snow and in the heat they waited patiently. Sometimes we ran out of food, but we could not quit Nikolai Kuznetsov. I remember from hunger chewing sprigs of coniferous trees. Drinking water from puddles. And surprisingly, no one got sick.
Nikolai Kuznetsov usually came to the cart, which we hid in the courtyard of the underground worker. We often traveled 70 kilometers to the camp. ”
In the camp they lived in huts. If there was an opportunity, a separate dugout was built for Kuznetsov. To make it look neat, it was smoothed with an ax head. Kuznetsov brought cologne from Rivne. Few people in the detachment knew what kind of work he was doing. Only servants of the "lighthouses" saw him in German form. At the ready was a raincoat that Kuznetsov threw at himself and walked through the forest in it. Medvedev warned: "If someone dismisses the language, he will respond under martial law."
B.I. Cherny recalled: “Before Kuznetsov was sitting in the cart, returning to Rovno, we examined, felt him, watched if any leaf or blade of grass caught on his form. Accompanied him with anxiety. Kuznetsov in the squad was simple, friendly. There was nothing arrogant in it. But he always, as they say, kept a distance with us. He was silent, focused.
It was impossible to watch without pain in the soul as he left the forest and sat in the cart. The expression on his face changed rapidly - it became harsh, arrogant. He was already in the role of a German officer. ”
General abduction
Vladimir Strutinsky told me about one of the last operations of Nikolai Kuznetsov. In Rovno, there was the so-called headquarters of the Eastern Forces, to which often Ukrainian men or prisoners of war were recruited by mobilization.
“We decided to capture General Ilgen, who commanded the Eastern troops, and take him to a partisan camp,” N.V. Strutinsky. - He lived in a separate mansion. In his house, Lidia Lisovskaya worked as a housekeeper, with whom we were well acquainted. In her apartment, Nikolai Kuznetsov rented a room. Mrs. Lelya, as we called her, gave us a plan for the house in which Ilgen lived, also called the time when he came to have dinner. We rushed to his house. At the entrance stood a soldier with a rifle. Kuznetsov opened the gate and went to the door. “The general is not at home!” Said the soldier, with an obvious Russian accent. It was one of the soldiers of the Eastern troops. Kuznetsov barked at him and ordered him to enter the house. Kaminsky and Stefansky - the participants in the operation disarmed the guard. Fearfully, he said: “I am a Cossack of Lukomski. I went to serve against my will. I will not let you down. Let me go back to the post. Soon the general will arrive. ” Kuznetsov ordered: “Go to the post! But consider - we will keep you on the fly! Stay silent! ”A minute later another Cossack ran into the room. He was disarmed and put on the floor. At this time, Kuznetsov and other participants in the operation raked documents and maps into briefcases. “I was sitting in a car waiting for the appearance of General Ilgen,” continued I.V. Strutinsky. - When the general arrived at the house, I saw what a big, muscular man he was. With this will not be easy to handle. And I decided to go to the aid of my friends. We were all in German uniform. When I crossed the threshold of the house, Ilgen turned to me and began to shout: “How did you, the soldier, dare to come in!” At that moment Kuznetsov left the room. The general was taken aback: “What is happening here ?!” Kuznetsov announced to him that we were partisans, and the general was captured. We began to tie his hands with a rope. But, apparently, they did it ineptly. When Ilgen was taken to the porch, he released his hand, hit Kuznetsov and shouted: “Help!” We brought Ilgen to the car. And suddenly they saw that four officers were running towards us: “What happened here?” My hair started to stir in surprise.
Here we were saved by Kuznetsov's extraordinary composure. He stepped forward and showed the officers the Gestapo badge, which the partisans had captured in one of the battles. Kuznetsov calmly told the officers who had run up: “Show your documents!”.
And he began to write down their names in a notebook. “We captured an underground worker who dressed in a German uniform,” he said. - Which of you will go to the Gestapo as a witness? What did you see? ”It turned out that they did not see anything. In the Gestapo go desire not expressed. Ilgen was silent then. When they shoved him into a car, I had to hit him hard on the head with a pistol. We put Ilgen in the back seat and covered the carpet. The partisans boarded it. The Cossack asked: “Take me!” Kuznetsov ordered: “Sit down!” The car rushed out of the city.
Last bow to a friend
15 January 1944, the partisans saw Nikolai Kuznetsov off to Lviv. From the east has already reached the cannon. Front approaching. German headquarters and institutions traveled to Lviv. In this city had to act and the brave scout. For the first time, he was leaving far away from partisans and underground fighters who often could come to his aid.
Commander Medvedev tried to hedge Kuznetsov. Behind his car through the forests went a detachment of partisans under the command of Krutikov. They pretended to be Bandera. But the disguise did not help. The detachment was ambushed. In battle, only the radio operator Burlak was killed in the detachment.
Together with Kuznetsov, an underground worker, Jan Kaminsky, and chauffeur Ivan Belov, from former prisoners of war, set off to Lviv. As it was agreed in advance, two partisans from the Krutikova squadron, having reached Lviv, went on odd-numbered hours to the 12 watch to the opera house to meet with Nikolai Kuznetsov. But he did not come to the venue.
The guerrillas bought a local newspaper, which read the message: “9 February 1944 of the year. The vice-governor of Galicia, Dr. Otto Bauer, fell victim to the assassination ... ”While reading the newspaper, the partisans thought that perhaps Nikolai Kuznetsov had made this audacious attempt.
Subsequently, this was confirmed. The brave scout to the last fought with those that came to Ukraine, as punitive.
In the middle of February, 1944, one of the "lighthouses", which was scheduled in advance near Lviv, was unexpectedly visited by Nikolai Kuznetsov and his comrades. Here, on an abandoned farm, two partisans from the defeated detachment of Krutikov were hiding. One of them, Vasily Drozdov, was sick with typhus, the other, Fedor Pristup, was courting him.
Nikolai Kuznetsov said that they had to leave the car. At one of the posts they were detained when they were leaving Lviv, because they did not have the necessary marks in the documents. They opened fire and escaped from Lviv. But the car number was "lit up", besides, they could not refuel with gasoline.
Kuznetsov spent several days at the “lighthouse” together with the partisans. In the twilight, he wrote something. As it turned out later, he compiled a detailed account of his actions behind enemy lines. The partisans persuaded him to stay with them, but Kuznetsov replied that they had decided to reach the front line themselves. Drozdov and Pristupa were the last of the partisans who saw Nikolai Kuznetsov. At night, his group left, as he said, on the road to Brody.
After the liberation of Lviv, the detachment commander D.N. Medvedev, arriving in Lviv, began to study the archives left by the Germans. He came across documents about sabotage agent who acted in the form of a German officer.
And now Medvedev was brought in by a report from the chief of the SD of Galicia, in which he reported the death of an unknown man posing as officer Paul Siebert. He died in a clash with Bandera. In the pocket of the murdered man, a report was found that was intended for the Soviet command.
There is no doubt - Nikolai Kuznetsov died. Before that, knowing his resourcefulness, the partisans hoped that he would get out of the most dangerous situations and would soon make itself felt.
Now it was necessary to fulfill the last duty - to achieve recognition of his feat. In November 1944, the following message appeared in the central newspapers: “November 5, 1944, by decree of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously)”.
“There were years after the war, but we still didn’t know where Nikolay Kuznetsov died and how,” said N.V. Strutinsky. - Together with my brother George, we decided to find eyewitnesses. We did not know Saturdays or Sundays. We drove through the villages, asked residents. But it was not possible to find out anything. Then one day we were unexpectedly lucky. In the evening we caught some fish, made a fire. An old man came to us. And we started this conversation with him: “What did not happen in the war - there was a clash with a German officer, and he turned out to be Russian.” And suddenly the old man said: “We also had such a case. They killed the German, and then they said, like Russian. " “Where was it?” “In the village of Boratin.” They tried to question the old man. But he quickly got ready and left.
We went to this village. They said that we work as procurers. And, by the way, started a conversation about a strange German. Residents pointed to the house of the peasant Golubovich. Drove up to him. And it seems our car has died down. I shouted at my brother: “Why didn’t you prepare the car?” A tarpaulin was spread out around the house, we got fat, vegetables and a bottle of vodka. I went to the gate, calling the owner: "Sit with us!" Golubovich came out. And after asking about where to prepare vegetables, we started the same usual conversation: “How much incomprehensible happened in the war. It used to be that the Russians also presented themselves as Germans. ” And Golubovich said: “My family has experienced a lot. There was a fight in the hut. And then people said they killed a Russian in German uniform. ” He told how it all happened. “At night they knocked on the window. Two men entered in German uniform. The third remained at the door. The strangers got money and asked for potatoes, milk and bread. The one who was in the officer’s uniform choked on coughing. No sooner had his wife brought milk, the door flew open, and Bandera crowded into the hut. There were guard posts around the village, and someone noticed that strangers appeared. They demanded documents from the officer. He told them: "We are at war together." He took out cigarettes, bent over a kerosene lamp to light it. Appeared local chieftain. He shouted: “Grab him guys! The Germans are looking for some kind of saboteur! Let them figure it out! ”The one who was in the form of an officer broke the lamp, and in the dark threw a grenade in the direction of the door. Apparently, I wanted to make my way. Bandera also opened fire. When the lights were lit again, the officer was already dead. ” The second German - apparently it was Kaminsky, jumped out of the window in the confusion. He was killed on the road.
Golubovich showed the place where they buried "that German." But Strutinsky and other partisans wanted to make sure that they found the place of the death of a brave scout. They achieved exhumation. Appealed to the famous sculptor-anthropologist M.M. Gerasimov, who on the skull restored the appearance of a person. When in a month MM Gerasimov invited partisans to himself, and they, shocked, saw in the workshop an image of Nikolai Kuznetsov.
N.V. Strutinsky showed me photos. Hundreds of people - war veterans, residents of the city followed the gun carriage on which the coffin with the remains of N.I. Kuznetsova. He was buried in Lviv.
They erected a majestic monument, which became a landmark of the city ... However, in the early nineties, tragic events occurred. The frantic crowd surrounded the monument, drove a crane, an iron cable was thrown on the monument.
Nikolay Strutinsky, shocked by the barbarity of the angry crowd, decided to try to save the monument. In that situation in Lviv, his deed can only be called asceticism. He called the administration of the village Talitsa. I found there people who took the wreck of the monument to heart. In Talitsa raised the necessary funds. The countrymen of the hero decided to redeem the monument. Strutinsky worked a lot to put the monument on the platform and send it to Talitsa. S N.I. Kuznetsov, they often covered each other in battle. Now Strutinsky saved the memory of his brave comrade.
Strutinsky in Lviv had to endure many threats. He went to Talitsa and settled near the monument. He brought home valuable materials to the hero's homeland. He wrote articles in defense of the name of the scout.
The famous scientist Joliot-Curie wrote about N.I. Kuznetsov: “If I were asked who I consider to be the strongest and most attractive person among the pleiad of fighters against fascism, I would call Nikolai Kuznetsov without hesitation.”
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