It is difficult to calculate how many global wars our country has participated in in its history. Moreover, in most cases, Russian troops ended the hostilities in the capitals of the aggressors. At the same time, when asked why Russia won victory in most wars, one can often hear the famous phrase "Russians do not surrender." There is no doubt that this is actually the case, but it is interesting to know which episode of Russian history gave Russia these famous words. Several versions …
Version one: Russian with Caucasian roots
It is officially believed that the famous phrase was first uttered in Ukraine during the Great Patriotic War. On November 8, 1941, on the outskirts of the village of Dyakovo, Voroshilovgrad (Lugansk) region, a fierce battle took place. The forces were unequal. The Nazis threw more and more troops into the fire of the battle. But the Red Army men staunchly held the defense of the village, refusing to concede even a meter of their native land to the enemy. Soon, in the heat of the battle, the company commander was killed, and political instructor Khusen Borezhevich Andrukhaev took command of the unit. A young man from Adygea, who was in his twenty-first year, rose to his full height and, shouting "Listen to my command", was the first to rush to the enemy. A gap formed in the ranks of the advancing Germans, which allowed the main part of the company to get out of the encirclement. Andrukhaev remained to cover the rear of his comrades,but soon he was surrounded and at the proposal of the fascists "Russian, surrender" proudly shouted: "The Russians do not surrender!" He had no cartridges, so the political instructor grabbed a bunch of anti-tank grenades from the ground and blew himself up along with the Wehrmacht soldiers who had surrounded him. A year later, Khusen Borezhevich Andrukhaev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The brave act of the Adyghe was reported to Stalin, who liked the last phrase of the warrior. Since then, it has been widely used in military propaganda and works of Soviet art. The brave act of the Adyghe was reported to Stalin, who liked the last phrase of the warrior. Since then, it has been widely used in military propaganda and works of Soviet art. The brave act of the Adyghe was reported to Stalin, who liked the last phrase of the warrior. Since then, it has been widely used in military propaganda and works of Soviet art.
Version two: attack of the "dead"
Despite the official version of the origin of the phrase "Russians do not give up", it has been heard more than once before, and its history goes back centuries. At the same time, the most characteristic example of courage, firmness and fantastic endurance in battle is the defense of the Osovets fortress, located on the Bobra River (the modern city of Osovets-fortress), during the First World War. The city was located on a strategically important area of defense of the so-called Polish Sack. A railway passed through it, as well as highways connecting the strategically important settlements of Lyk, Graevo and Bialystok. The fortress itself consisted of four forts, connected by a system of trenches and trenches.
In September 1914, selected units of the 8th German Army, which consisted of 40 infantry battalions, approached the city. Having besieged the fortress, German soldiers unsuccessfully tried three times to knock out the Russian garrison from its bastions, which consisted of an infantry regiment, two artillery battalions, a sapper unit and a support unit.
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It would seem that with such a balance of forces, the fortress should have fallen within a few days. However, contrary to logic and military science, its defense lasted almost a year, from September 1914 to August 1915. The indestructible defenders of the fortress have experienced all types of German weapons. During the defense, each of the Russian soldiers had several thousand bombs and shells dropped from aircraft and fired from German guns. Nevertheless, the fortress not only did not surrender, but from time to time its defenders even launched a counteroffensive! The epilogue of the siege of Oso-vts was the gas attack of the Germans, after which, in their opinion, not a single living person should remain in the fortress. Imagine the surprise of the German soldiers and officers, mixed with a fair amount of horror, when the gates of the fortress opened,letting through the remnants of the 13th company of the 226th infantry Zemlyansky regiment. Sixty people, who, according to the logic of things, should have been dead for a long time, choking and choking on their own blood, went on the attack. Seeing the attack of the "dead", the Germans fled.
Subsequently, military historians, admiring the courage of the Russian soldiers, described how several dozen half-dead Russian soldiers put 14 battalions of Germans into stampede. The German units fled, believing that the dead were really advancing on them. The look of the Russian soldiers was so terrible, just like from a horror movie about zombies. Thus, the defense of the fortress, which was never taken by the enemy, ruined the plans of the Germans, pinning down significant military forces and preventing the breakthrough of the German troops into the junction of the two Russian armies. Some researchers are sure that the expression "Russians do not surrender" appeared precisely after the world-famous defense of Osovets.
Version three: the Cossacks are stubborn people
Going deeper into Russian history for another century, you can also find information about the legendary phrase uttered by Russian huntsmen, who were ambushed in the Caucasus in 1803. This story began during one of the many Lezghin uprisings. During the riots, the highlanders robbed one of the local villages, taking all the livestock out of the village. The offended villagers complained to Captain Sekerin, the company commander of the Russian gamekeepers, but warned that chasing the robbers through the mountain forests was deadly and not worth the cows and horses taken away.
However, the young captain did not heed the warnings of the locals. He raised the alarm on his rangers and, at the head of the detachment, dashingly rushed in pursuit. Not surprisingly, the huntsmen were soon ambushed by the vastly outnumbered Lezgins. For every Russian there were up to twenty highlanders. The first attacks of the Lezghins were repelled, but Sekerin made a strategic mistake, ordering to stretch the chain of rangers in order to create a feeling of his alleged numerical superiority. The Lezgins did not believe in the "military cunning" of the captain and, breaking the chain of our soldiers, mortally wounded the brave Sekerin.
The hero died with the words: "Remember, the Russians do not surrender," addressed to Lieutenant Rogulsky, who took over the command of the rangers. The battle continued. The now mortally wounded lieutenant, dying, shouted to his brother. "Remember the words of Sekerin: the Russians do not give up."
In the course of an unequal battle, the entire company died, except for four wounded gamekeepers who miraculously survived, since they were mistaken for corpses. These heroes told their descendants about the legendary battle and the famous phrase of Sekerin.
Version four: the tradition of dying, but not giving up
The most amazing thing is that there are more than one hundred examples of the heroic death of Russian soldiers who preferred death to shameful captivity. Each of them, in one form or another, will contain this famous phrase, which has become the national motto of Russian soldiers. The soldier or officer who uttered it first will most likely not be found, since his name is lost in the depths of Russian history.
In addition to the examples already cited, the authorship of the phrase "Russians do not surrender" was attributed to Peter I and A. V. Suvorov, while the tradition of dying with great courage for the fatherland can be traced in Russia since ancient times. Its echoes can be seen in Russian epics, in "Zadonshchina" - a chronicle describing the legendary Battle of Kulikovo, and in "The Lay of Igor's Regiment." Already at that time, the Slavs had a tradition to fight the enemy until their last breath, and when they ran out of strength, rush to their own swords, just not to be captured! And so it will continue and further, while the Russian land is standing!
Author: Dmitry Sokolov