The world of pop music has never been distinguished by strong morality and unshakable moral principles. An infrequent exception was the great Russian singer Lydia Ruslanova , who married four times, but did not humiliate herself with discreditable relationships, and even her ill-wishers could not reproach her with her lovers. The performer's personal life was as pure as a song.
Lydia Ruslanova was born on October 14 (27), 1900. According to Penza historians and local historians, the performer of Russian songs was called Praskovya Andrianovna Leikina-Gorshenina. She was born into a family of Old Believers of the Pomeranian consent, former serfs from the village of Aleksandrovka, Danilovsky volost, Petrovsky district, Saratov province, which has now become part of the Lopatinsky district of the Penza region.
Lidiya Ruslanova
As a child, Lydia Ruslanova was called Panka
Records of the girl’s birth have not been preserved, and although the encyclopedias persistently write that the eldest daughter of Andrian and Tatyana was named Agafya, most likely her fellow countrymen were right, because in the family the girl was called Panka from the name of Praskovya. Sergei Mikheenkov, the author of a wonderful, recently published biography of Lydia Ruslanova, writes: “She was called Panka even after years, when in the early 1930s she came to her homeland as Lydia Ruslanova.” Judging by one of the many legends, a new metric with a noble name was composed for the orphan by a certain rich widow who fell in love with the girl’s soulful voice. This woman allegedly arranged for Praskovya to live in one of the best orphanages in Saratov. Since peasant children were not taken there, she was given a noble name - Lydia Ruslanova.
Mariinsky orphanage. Saratov
Street singer
How did the biography of Lydia Andreevna Ruslanova develop after the loss of her parents? After the disappearance of his stepson in the war and the death of his daughter-in-law, the Old Believer grandfather transferred his dislike for the Leikins to his eldest granddaughter Praskovya, mocked her and beat the girl. My maternal grandmother, who lived in a neighboring village, found out about this and took her and her little brother to live with her. But the grandmother herself was in poverty and, moreover, soon became blind. So six-year-old Praskovya became a minor beggar, together with her blind grandmother she walked the streets of Saratov and surrounding villages, sang folk songs, and her grandmother begged for alms. Luckily for them, the girl had an unusually clear and strong voice along with an ideal ear for music. Plus she has an unusually tenacious memory, so the young street singer delighted the public with a wide repertoire of village and city songs, and listeners paid her whatever they could.
A year of such “happy creativity” has passed. The grandmother died, unable to withstand the ordeals and hardships, and the seven-year-old girl continued to sing in the streets. But apparently, at that time some kind of wheel turned in the “heavenly office”, and the compassionate widow-official, who was once present among the street listeners of her singing, drew attention to the poor orphan. Through her efforts, all three young Leikin orphans were placed in various orphanages, and the eldest Praskovya had to change her first and last name forever, becoming Lydia Ruslanova. This was done in order to place the girl in a good orphanage at one of the central churches of Saratov, which had its own church choir, into which talented students were recruited. But the trouble is, peasant orphans were not taken into the orphanage (apparently because there were a huge number of them in “prosperous” Tsarist Russia), and the girl’s real name and surname revealed her peasant origin. That's why she had to give up her own name in order to survive.
Lidiya Ruslanova got married for the first time when she was not 17
From 1916 until October 1917, Lydia, who had worked as a polisher at a furniture factory from an orphanage, served as a sister of mercy. I got married for the first time early, before I turned seventeen. “During this period, I met and became friends with a certain Vitaly Nikolaevich Stepanov, with whom I had a child in May 1917. In 1918, Stepanov left me, and I began to live alone,” Ruslanova sparingly recalled her first marriage and first child. The handsome blond officer-nobleman Stepanov is the darkest spot in the singer’s biography. They got married in a church in some provincial town and conceived their child at an inn. Once returning from the market, Lydia did not find her infant son in the cradle. There was also no trace of her grey-eyed husband, who had recently been increasingly disappearing from the young gypsy woman who lived next door. No traces of the homewrecker herself were found. Ruslanova took the name of her son with her to the grave. And the singer, scattered like beads in front of the public, never uttered the name of her son. Lidiya Ruslanova was known as an optimist and the life of any company. For hours she could entertain people and support a crowded feast not only with her soulful songs, but also with jokes. Ruslanova made fun of everyone and everything. The only taboo for jokes is her first husband and son.
Career after prison
The couple lived in Moscow with their daughter Margarita. Ruslanova could not accept that she was deliberately humiliated in front of the entire state. She was afraid to go on stage again.
Due to the deterioration of her husband's health, Lydia Andreevna had to return to the stage. She planned to save money for an apartment and a car. The artist was a member of the All-Union Variety Organization. Soon she organized a solo concert. Her songs were heard on the radio again. The singer not only earned money for a car and a house, but was able to return some of the confiscated paintings.
Lidiya Ruslanova came to Minsk with concerts
Vladimir Kryukov died in 1959. The widow did not appear on stage for a whole year. Later she began to tour throughout the Union and recorded records.
Lydia Ruslanova. Chekist's wife
In 1919, in Vinnitsa, Ruslanova met the security officer Naum Ionovich (according to other sources - Ilyich) Naumin and soon married him. On November 21, 1937, Naum Ionovich Naumin was arrested as a “member of a terrorist organization” and sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out on January 3, 1938. In June 1957, Naumin was completely rehabilitated by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR. Ruslanova’s biographers sometimes portray Naumin as a kind of primitive creature who only helped Lydia move to Moscow and provide her with a comfortable existence in the first hard times after the Civil War. The Zhitomir Jew Naumin helped Lydia collect bits and pieces of a class library of classical literature.
Naum Ionovich Naumin
“In such crazy weather, you can’t trust the waves,” Ruslanova sang in those years, engaged in self-education. Nahum earned good money, so the extra money could be spent on a collection of excellent books. In those years it was still possible to purchase an authentic Pushkin autograph for a mere trifle.
Ruslanova's arrest
The artist and her husband were wealthy. The couple's home has turned into a museum. There were many paintings by famous artists hanging on the walls, and the furniture was made of mahogany. The boxes are filled with gold items.
Photo at the time of arrest
In the summer of 1947, as a result of the resolution, Ruslanova was deprived of the award of the Patriotic War and was given a reprimand.
The following year, authorities learned of the military's secret agreement. The USSR intelligence service accused Marshal Zhukov and his colleagues of abuse of power. Ruslanova's husband held the position of general. He was also arrested.
Expert opinion
Fedor Andreevich Bryansky
Russian historian-source specialist, private associate professor at many universities, writer, candidate of historical sciences.
Lydia was accused of agitation against Soviet power. The artist was suspected of stealing antiques on an especially large scale. After a search of the home, all the property of the spouses was confiscated.
Ruslanova convinced the investigator that the owner of the paintings and other property was her husband. She did not admit her involvement in the case. Throughout the country, the singer was prohibited from organizing concerts or releasing records with her songs. When they searched, they did not find the jewelry boxes. Threats to imprison all the house's workers led to Ruslanova writing a letter to the housekeeper and she gave away the jewelry.
Soviet singer Ruslanova
In 1949, the artist was sentenced to 10 years of forced labor in a labor camp and confiscation of all property. She served her sentence in Ozerlag for political prisoners.
Ruslanova gave concerts in the zone. The officers forbade the performance to be accompanied by applause. The artist’s voice captivated those present so much that even Colonel Evstigneev did not hold back his emotions and began to applaud.
In the spring of 1950, the captain wrote a complaint against Lydia for promoting anti-Soviet policies and creating a community against the leadership among prisoners. After that she was transferred to prison.
There she met the famous actress Zoya Fedorova. She was asked more than once by her superiors to sing, but she refused. She was often sick, so she spent a lot of time in the punishment cell.
Kryukov (husband) was sent to a forced labor camp for 25 years, all property was confiscated and all orders and awards were deprived.
Singer with her husband
Soon he turned to the Central Committee with a request to review the case of him and his wife. He wrote that all jewelry, cars, and paintings have corresponding documents. And some things were even given to him as gifts. His petition was accepted.
After the re-examination of Ruslanova’s case, no spread against the Soviet government was found. The artist was found innocent and released from prison in 1950. She knew that as a result of her testimony, two more people were put behind bars. Lydia wrote a letter asking for their release. Three years later, my husband was released.
Lydia Ruslanova. The entertainer's wife
In 1929, Ruslanova met entertainer Mikhail Naumovich Garkavi, who became her husband for more than 12 years. The tall, agile, fat man was the most sought-after concert host at that time. If the Jewish security officer participated in Ruslanova’s addiction to bibliophilia, then the Muscovite entertainer taught Lydia to collect jewelry and valuable things. Most importantly, he introduced his wife to the theatrical world of Moscow and Leningrad, as well as famous writers, artists and musicians.
Lidiya Ruslanova with Mikhail Garkavi
From meeting with the directors of all the antique and second-hand bookstores in Moscow, the outstanding collection of Russian paintings collected by Ruslanova began. Some scribblers make hints about Garkavi’s secret cooperation with the authorities. No documents on this subject have yet been published, but even if Garkavi “knocked,” he “didn’t do harm to anyone,” as writer Joseph Prut wrote. At Garkavi’s funeral in 1964, the artist Rina Zelenaya said that he was “a wonderful artist and a person behind whose back we, his colleagues, felt calm in the most difficult moments of our lives.” It was Garkavi, who “knew how to live,” who accustomed Ruslanova to the luxurious life of the capital’s bohemia. “It was easy with Ruslanova’s new husband,” says the singer’s biographer Sergei Mikheenkov. - Firstly, he was always there at the right moment. Secondly, they worked well together. They made good money. Thirdly and the rest, Garkavi knew how to turn life into a holiday. A bit of a glutton, a lover of good cigarettes and all sorts of practical jokes, he could transform every random corner into a scene. True, Ruslanova sometimes got tired of this and could pull her husband down rudely.” “Our Cossacks are riding, riding through Berlin” is a song not from Ruslanova’s repertoire, but about her last love and fourth husband - General Kryukov and his guards, who went through the battle route from the Moscow region to the capital of the Reich.
Lydia Ruslanova. Frontline concert
In May 1942, the concert brigade, which included Ruslanova, was sent to the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps. The commander of the cavalry corps, Major General Vladimir Viktorovich Kryukov, met the singer before a concert in Spas-Nudel near Volokolamsk. While Garkavi’s husband announced her exit. Ruslanova began to sing, and she glanced at the widower general sitting in the front row. Her first love, an officer from the ambulance train, was resurrected in her memory. A quarter of a century later, Lidino’s heart again belonged to a service man. After the concert, Kryukov, on behalf of the entire corps, presented her with antique shoes with French heels. “He captured me with his attention,” Ruslanova recalled much later. - What about the shoes? Ugh! I wouldn’t give these to a housekeeper.” She confessed guiltily: “Well, what can I do: I love the general, I love him with all my soul, and I feel sorry for Mishka...” She said straight to Mishka’s forehead: “I can’t help it, I love the general!”
Music career
Lydia had a unique manner of performance, her own style and repertoire. The artist began giving solo concerts in 1923. The concert brought fame to the singer. Before this, Lidia Andreevna was a member of the pop group “Skomorokhi”.
After the concerts, the audience gave the talented singer books and costumes. Ruslanova never stopped learning, but only improved her skills. In my spare time I constantly read books.
Most of all, Lydia’s work was liked by soldiers and officers. Records with her songs sold very quickly.
Ruslanova during her performance
In 1939, she again went to the front, but with a musical group. The conditions were terrible; we often had to sing in the cold without breaks.
During World War II, the artist became rich. She purchased jewelry, expensive clothes, and antiques. In 1942 she became an honored artist, and two years later she sang songs to soldiers near the Reichstag in Berlin.
During the entire period of hostilities, the singer gave more than a thousand concerts. She was popular, almost the whole country knew her songs by heart.
Lydia Ruslanova. Wife of a general, friend of Georgy Zhukov
In July 1942, Ruslanova divorced Mikhail Garkavi and signed with Vladimir Kryukov. “Why would she marry a general? — actress Maria Vladimirovna Mironova sneered at her friend. “She’s a field marshal herself!”
Lidiya Ruslanova and Vladimir Kryukov
The concert brigade, to mutual pleasure, often visited the cavalrymen. The corps moved to the front line. The general was walking with Lydia along a forest path. At some point, the singer was the first to propose marrying Kryukov, who had a five-year-old daughter, Margosha, left in Tashkent. After her proposal, Vladimir Viktorovich knelt down, took off his cap, kissed her hand and said: “I don’t believe this. Are you really going to come out? If it's true, you'll never regret it." A former orphan, a woman who lost her only son, Lydia became a mother to her adopted daughter. Margarita Vladimirovna Kryukova-Ruslanova, who lost her mother at the age of five, remained forever grateful to Lydia Ruslanova. “I never even had the feeling: stepdaughter - stepmother... No, no! There was one feeling and complete conviction: my mother never had children, others, and I had another mother,” recalls Margarita Vladimirovna.
Lidiya Ruslanova with her adopted daughter Margarita
General Kryukov, a bosom friend of Georgy Zhukov, may not have been an outstanding commander, but he did not allow fatal failures on his front. He knew his business well and was a father to the soldiers. On April 6, 1945, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Guard Lieutenant General Vladimir Viktorovich Kryukov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the presentation of the Gold Star medal (No. 5792). In addition to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, General Kryukov was awarded three Orders of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov 1st degree, the Order of Kutuzov 1st degree, two Orders of Suvorov 2nd degree, and medals. It was rumored that towards the end of the Great Patriotic War, General Kryukov put on the St. George Cross, which he earned during the First World War. All military decorations received during the war will be confiscated during the arrest on September 18, 1948. After his return and complete rehabilitation, military orders and medals were returned to the general.
April 23, 2020 © Igor Bukker Source
"Anti-Soviet"
A few years after the war, clouds began to gather over the famous married couple.
In 1947, the singer’s order was taken away, citing the fact that “Ruslanova, like other awarded artists, have nothing to do with the army,” and a year later, in 1948, the so-called “trophy case” broke out in the Soviet Union. A group of high-ranking military men led by Marshal Zhukov was accused of exporting from Germany and appropriating significant material assets: jewelry, paintings, furniture. One of the defendants in the case was Vladimir Kryukov.
After a search of Kryukov and Ruslanova, it turned out that the couple lived luxuriously: the apartment was furnished with exquisite antique furniture, sculptures and vases, the closets were full of furs, and the boxes were full of expensive jewelry.
The general was arrested, and the famous artist was also taken into custody along with her husband.
The nightingale does not sing in the cage
This woman on one sixth of the land was known and loved by everyone! And not only for the fact that she had a voice of rare timbre and beauty, a typically Russian, I would say, daring appearance, but also for the ability to penetrate into the soul of a song, feel every note, every word, and in some mysterious way reincarnate into the person about whom the song is - and so convey to the listeners his joys and sufferings, sorrows and worries, that the audience laughed, cried, was sad and had fun, in a word, behaved as the stately, peasantly strong and at the same time wanted Not our way of seductive singer. And how they applauded her! They also loved her because Lydia Ruslanova could be absolutely one of her own in any environment - miners and polar explorers, sailors and pilots, workers and peasants considered her one of them. And what happened during the war in the units of the Red Army! Not only that, in preparation for meeting her, both old and young began to brush themselves, shave and sew on fresh collars, they say that some battalions were allowed into the concert only as an incentive: if you take the height you’ve been hovering around for a whole week, we’ll let you in, If you don’t take it, you’ll sit in the trenches. And what do you think, they took these damned heights and, without removing the bandages, hurried to meet Ruslanova. And suddenly, like a bolt from the blue! At first they whispered about it, and then, when they started tearing off posters with her name, they started talking openly: Ruslanova was arrested. How? For what? Why? Didn't you sing? Nonsense, they don’t imprison you for singing: Utesov sings thieves - and then he’s free. Did you tell a political joke? Nonsense, people don’t go to prison for telling jokes anymore, it’s not 1937, but 1948. But when her voice stopped being heard on the radio, and records disappeared from stores, even the most loyal fans fearfully fell silent. The strangest thing is that even today, after fifty-seven years, no one really knows what happened then. And what happened was a common story at that time: the MGB employees, who carried out the order coming from the highest authorities, needed not so much Ruslanov as... However, we will not ahead of time reveal the name of the person whom the whole country worships, who is considered a national hero and who is given monuments in the center of Moscow. Now it is clear that Lydia Andreevna suffered because of her friendship with this legendary man...
So, before me is Case No. 1762 on charges against Lidiya Andreevna Kryukova-Ruslanova. It started on September 27, 1948 and ended on September 3, 1949. The arrest warrant states that Ruslanova is carrying out subversive work against the party and government, and also spreading slander about Soviet reality. In addition, while she was in Germany with her husband, she was engaged in appropriating trophy property on a large scale. Here is the questionnaire of the arrested person, filled out already in Lefortovo prison. From the questionnaire, by the way, it is clear that Ruslanova is not Ruslanova at all, but Leikina. Lidiya Andreevna confirms this at the very first interrogation. “I was born in 1900 in the family of a peasant, Andrei Markelovich Leikin,” she said. — At the age of five she was left an orphan and until 1914 she was raised in an orphanage. Then she lived with her uncle, worked in various factories and studied singing with a professor at the Saratov Conservatory. In 1916 I went to the front as a nurse, where I met a certain Stepanov, with whom I had a child in May 1917. (Lidia Andreevna never mentioned this child again, so his fate is unknown. - B.S.) A year later, Stepanov left me, and I began to live alone. In 1919, while in Vinnitsa, she married Cheka employee Naumin Naum Ionych, with whom she lived until 1929. In the same year, she married Mosestrada artist Garkavi Mikhail Naumovich, but in 1942 she divorced him and married General Kryukov. And then they began to ask her about the accompanists Maksakov and Komlev, as well as the entertainer Alekseev. It's a thing of the past, but Ruslanova couldn't stand the first exam and, roughly speaking, betrayed her friends, saying such things about them that they were immediately arrested and then convicted. In fairness, it must be said that a little later she atoned for this sin: as soon as the opportunity presented itself, Lydia Andreevna rushed to the defense of her friends. But they... they behaved, to put it mildly, not like gentlemen. Maksakov, for example, stated at the very first interrogation: “Not only did Ruslanova support me in my anti-Soviet statements, she herself made the same statements, including critical remarks about Stalin.” And in general, I must say that under the influence of Ruslanova, I literally decayed morally, but I was unable to break this connection, since I depended on her financially. I can’t help but say about her personal qualities. Ruslanova is a rotten nature. She is characterized by a passion for profit, rudeness and grumpiness. She avoided singing Soviet songs on contemporary themes, suppressed young talents, and in general, the interests of Soviet art were alien to her. What can I say?! A man over sixty doesn’t want to go to prison, but the investigator is still pulling his strings, demanding dirt on Ruslanova. So the old man trembled, broke down, however, he was not the only one... Meanwhile, the interrogations went on as usual, they continued morning and evening, day and night, sometimes for six to seven hours in a row. Gradually, little by little, the investigator got closer to the most important thing.
— Where, when and how did you meet General Kryukov? - Investigator Grishaev asked. — In May 1942, as part of a concert brigade, I performed in the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps, commanded by Kryukov. That's where we met. - When did you get married? - In July. — Was Kryukov married before? - Yes. But his wife died in 1940. - Natural death? - No. She committed suicide by poisoning herself with vinegar essence. - Why? “It seems like someone told her that Kryukov had been arrested.” She could not withstand this blow and poisoned herself, leaving behind a five-year-old daughter. - Tell me, have you been to the circus with Kryukov? — the investigator asked a completely unexpected question. - At the circus? I have. I think twice. —Have you visited the “Jolly Canary” hangout? - I don’t know about any brothel. - Stop it! We are well aware that real orgies were held in the apartment of the head of the production department, Maryanov. At first, Kryukov was taken there by his adjutants Alaverdov and Tuganov - before being drafted into the army, artists of the Cossack ensemble, and then he went there with you. “I’m hearing this for the first time,” Lidia Andreevna snapped. — I haven’t been to any brothel. “Well, well,” the investigator grinned. “You may not have been there, but Kryukov never came out.”
Lidia Andreevna Ruslanova: biography
She spent her childhood and youth in the Saratov province. She was born in 1900, into the peasant family of Andrei and Tatyana Leikin. At birth, the girl was named Praskovya (according to other sources, Agafya). From his Mordvin father, Praskovya inherited dark almond-shaped eyes, an elongated “not snub-nosed” face and thick dark hair.
The girl's father worked as a loader at one of the Volga piers, and her mother looked after three children. The husband's parents lived with them - mother Daria Leikina and stepfather Dmitry Gorshenin, who, as it turned out later, did not really like his adopted son.
Russia in general, and the Volga region in particular, is famous for its song traditions. Songs accompanied the Russian people throughout their lives: from birth to death, Russian people sang both during work and on vacation, in villages and cities. So little Praskovya Leikina, from childhood, absorbed Russian melodies into her soul. She was lucky in the sense that her father’s brother, Uncle Yakov, was a real singing nugget, probably from that breed of folk (not by rank, but by origin!) artists who were described by Ivan Turgenev in the story “Singers” (by the way, the main the hero of the story is precisely Yasha the Turk). Grandmother Daria was also a famous singer, so Ruslanova inherited her singing talent from her father’s side.
Currency dealer, speculator, anti-Soviet
But then the day of one of the most important interrogations came - it took place on October 5, 1948. — What government awards do you have? - Major Grishaev began straight away. — I was awarded the medal “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War.” — Don’t you have other awards? — the investigator specified. “I have,” Ruslanova drooped. — In August 1945, I was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. However, in 1947, by decision of the government, this order was taken away from me as illegally issued. And then came the most important question, for the sake of answering which, now there is no doubt about it, Lydia Andreevna was arrested. — Who were you awarded by? — I was awarded on the orders of (name redacted in the protocol - B.S.), who at that time commanded the occupation forces in (redacted - B.S.).
From this moment on, all subsequent protocols are of a very strange nature: everything that concerns this person is carefully painted over with black ink, however, this was done rather ineptly - they left the name of his wife, forgot to blot out the name of the position, the names of people from his inner circle. So I established that we are talking about...Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov. Let me remind you that back in 1946, Zhukov began a period of real disgrace: he was expelled from Moscow and until 1953 he commanded either the Odessa or the Ural military circle. But this was not enough for Georgy Konstantinovich’s enemies; they wanted to put him behind bars. They were selected, as usual, from the rear: first they arrested some of his colleagues, and then they set about targeting his adjutants and friends. Lydia Andreevna’s husband, Lieutenant General Kryukov, also fell into this network. During one of the interrogations, he mentioned that ill-fated award - and the car started spinning; the enemies of Marshal Zhukov could not miss such a chance. But Zhukov was not given to the Beriaites! In 1955, when he became the Minister of Defense, officials from the Lubyanka were pretty scared: knowing the tough temperament of Georgy Konstantinovich, they realized that they could not blow their heads off, since at the very first check it would be established that the case had been concocted not so much against Ruslanova, but against Zhukov. That’s why they covered up everything related to the legendary commander with ink. All this will happen later, in the mid-fifties, but for now the investigator was pulling the veins from Lydia Andreevna.
— For what merits were you awarded? — For cultural service to military units and for the fact that I bought two batteries of Katyusha mortars with my own money. — What was your relationship with Zhukov? - We were good friends. And my husband and I are old colleagues. We visited each other many times and became family friends. - Now, maybe you can tell the truth, why did Zhukov award you with the order?
— In fairness, I must say that if I had not been Kryukov’s wife and had not personally known Zhukov, it is unlikely that I would have been awarded the order. And I received it during the celebration of the anniversary of the organization of the corps, which my husband commanded. I was invited to the podium and announced that, by order of Zhukov, I had been awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. A lot of ink has been spilled about this order, and in the summer of 1947 a special meeting of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks was devoted to this issue, at which Georgy Konstantinovich and a member of the Military Council, Lieutenant General Telegin, were reprimanded. In those days, reprimands of this kind were a prelude to arrest. This is exactly what happened to Telegin, but Zhukov miraculously survived.
— Were you in correspondence with Zhukov? — the investigator asked an unexpected question.
“I was not involved in correspondence, but when he was demoted and sent to Odessa, congratulating him on the October holidays, I sent him a telegram, which I signed: “Devoted to your family, Ruslanova.” And in general,” Lidia Andreevna raised her head, “I have always said, I say, and I will say that I consider Zhukov not only a great commander, but also a great man, and I’m ready to follow him even to Siberia!”
“This won’t be the case,” the investigator smiled unkindly. — Now tell me, what kind of anti-government toast did you make at one of the banquets?
— It was a banquet at Zhukov’s dacha. And the toast was for those women, the wives of officers, who were their reliable rear and who knew how to wait while their husbands beat the enemy on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Then I said that since there are no orders that would be awarded for fidelity and love, then, wanting to honor one of these wives, Alexandra Dievna Zhukova, I want to award her on my own behalf. With these words, I took off my diamond brooch and handed it to Alexandra Dievna. There is nothing anti-government in this toast, and I do not renege on my words. Seeing that Ruslanova was adamant and would not give any dirt on Zhukov, Major Grishaev came from the other side. — The materials of the investigation expose you to the fact that during your stay in Germany you were engaged in robbery and appropriation of captured property on a large scale. Do you admit it?
- No! - Lidia Andreevna answered sharply. “But during a search at your dacha, a large amount of property and all kinds of valuables were confiscated. Where did you get all this?
— This property belongs to my husband. And it was sent to him as a gift from Germany... in all likelihood, by his subordinates,” she added hesitantly. For more than two months, Lidiya Andreevna was not summoned for questioning and she began to calm down: this means that the investigator does not have any new data and she will soon be released. But Major Grishaev did not sit idle, he prepared such a blow that Lidia Andreevna did not expect. On February 5, 1949, he stunned her with such news that she barely came to her senses. — During an additional search in the apartment of your former nanny Egorova, who lives on Petrovka 26, 208 diamonds belonging to you were found in a special cache under the stove, including unusually large ones of 12-13 carats. In addition, we found emeralds, sapphires, rubies, pearls, platinum, gold and silver items. Why have you until now hidden the fact that you have such great values? “I was sorry... I was sorry to lose these diamonds.” After all, I devoted all my last years to acquiring them! As soon as I even half-heard that a rare ring, pendant or earrings were being sold somewhere, I bought them without hesitation so that... so that there would be more and more diamonds.
-Where did you get the money?
— I made good money performing Russian songs, especially during the war, when there were many more “leftist” concerts. I began buying diamonds and other valuables in 1930 and, I admit, I did it not without passion.
— You also acquired paintings with no less passion, amassing a collection of 132 works of art, which have a place in the Tretyakov Gallery.
“I won’t deny that I devoted myself to the acquisition of artistic paintings with all my passion.” Passion is passion, but when I got acquainted with the inventory of the seized paintings and other property, honestly, I felt uneasy and something similar, not hostility, stirred in my soul. Judge for yourself. The Kryukov-Ruslanov family had two dachas, three apartments, four cars, antique furniture, many kilometers of fabrics, hundreds of astrakhan and sable skins, accordions, pianos, rare sets and... 4 paintings by Nesterov, 5 by Kustodiev, 7 by Makovsky, 5 Shishkin, 4 - Repin, 3 - Polenova, 2 - Serov, 3 - Malyavin, 2 - Vrubel, 3 - Somov, 3 - Aivazovsky, 1 - Vereshchagin, 1 - Vasnetsov, as well as paintings by Surikov, Fedotov, Myasoedov, Tropinin, Yuon , Levitan, Kramskoy, Bryullov and many other world famous artists. I think that the story about who she bought paintings and stones from and for what money is not so interesting, but the scene from the life of the artistic bohemia of that time is very interesting. Apparently, wanting to prove that she was no worse than others, Lidia Andreevna slightly opened the window, which was tightly curtained for ordinary people. “It wasn’t just me who did this. Other artists also bought paintings and jewelry. For example, in the apartment of Ekaterina Vasilievna Geltser, I saw a rich collection of paintings, as well as very large diamonds and emeralds. Antonina Vasilievna Nezhdanova has a large amount of jewelry. There is even a joke among artists that when Nezhdanova puts on her diamonds, her husband Golovanov follows her with a scoop, afraid that she might lose them. Henkin buys paintings and gold watches. Irma Jaunzem is reputed to be a very rich person. Leonid Utesov has valuable diamonds, I myself saw them on his daughter. Lyubov Orlova made a lot of money, mainly through “leftist” concerts. And Isaac Dunaevsky in our midst is called a Soviet millionaire - he also has a large number of diamonds... As for me, I admit that I acquired paintings, diamonds, platinum and gold items illegally, second-hand, for the purpose of profit. I would not like to be considered an ordinary currency operator and speculator, but apparently there is no escape from this. So, I admit myself guilty of money-grubbing and behavior unworthy of a Soviet artist,” Lidia Andreevna finished with a sigh.
February 15, 2020 © Sopelnyak Boris Nikolaevich Source
What role did Zhukov play in the fate of Ruslanova?
According to many historians, the reason for the arrest of Ruslanova and her husband could be their friendship with Marshal Georgy Zhukov. In 1948, Zhukov and other high-ranking military officials were suspected of conspiracy. As a result, the generals who made up his inner circle were arrested.
One of these generals was Lydia Ruslanova’s husband, Vladimir Kryukov. During interrogations, he admitted that he visited the “Jolly Canary” brothel, and that he kept a real brothel at his hospital, and awarded the girls with military awards, and that he turned into a looter and robber - he carried everything into the house, from furs, fabrics and carpets to toothbrushes, toilets and water taps. He received orders, including the Golden Star of the Hero, on the personal instructions of Zhukov.
By decree of the Marshal of Victory, she received her Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. in August 1945 and Lydia Ruslanova. However, in 1947, by decision of the government, this order was taken away from her as illegally issued. And his wife, as was customary in those days, was arrested “at the same time” with him. During numerous interrogations, the singer was repeatedly asked about her relationship with Zhukov. Investigators also tried to obtain information from her that could serve as compromising information on a high-ranking military man. But Lydia did not “surrender” Georgy Zhukov. Perhaps that is why he was never arrested.
Listen to Lydia Ruslana's songs recorded on 78 rpm records
Published on Chanson - Portal on June 3, 2020.
Nina Ruslanova currently
The only reminders of the Soviet past are numerous awards and prizes, of which the actress is still very proud. Her collection includes four Nika awards, state awards of the BSSR and Ukrainian SSR. In addition, Nina Ruslanova is the holder of the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR and People's Artist of Russia.
Honored Artist of the RSFSR and People's Artist of Russia Nina Ruslanova
However, the main reward of the actress is still the enormous love of the audience. In recent years, the actress has also been delighting her fans with new roles. Among her “fresh” works are such films as “Chinese Grandmother”, “House of the Sun”, “What Men Talk About”. In 2014, the Russian horror film “Viy”, based on the work of the Ukrainian classic Nikolai Gogol, should also be released. In this film, Nina Ruslanova will play one of the minor roles.
Possible family
The actress does not hide the secret of her origin and has always spoken openly about it in all interviews.
In one of the TV programs, Lyudmila Konovalova, who lives in the Perm Territory, heard her story. Even as a child, her father Konstantin told about his first daughter, whom his ex-wife abandoned at a train station somewhere in Ukraine. The woman was afraid not to feed the infant, so she left her to the will of fate. This story is very similar to Nina Ivanovna’s story.
Before the start of the war, Konstantin lived in Kherson. He and his wife had a son, Sergei. During wartime, the man worked as a blacksmith, and he and his family were sent to work in a mine in the Urals. In 1944, they had a girl.
There were times of famine and the woman had no milk. When the family was traveling by train, during one stop Konstantin went out to get water, and when he came back, he saw that the girl was not there. The train has already left.
The man later divorced his wife and married a second time. In this marriage he had 3 girls. However, he did not give up trying to find his first daughter. For the sake of the memory of her father, Lyudmila wrote to the program “Let Them Talk,” which airs on Channel One. DNA was done there, the results of which confirmed that the women were highly likely to be sisters.
The meeting has not yet taken place. But let’s hope that Nina Ivanovna, who is already 74 years old, has found her relatives.
Creative hobbies
Once in an interview, Nina Ruslanova admitted that she had no hobbies or hobbies. She devoted all her time to work. It is not surprising that she has more than 170 paintings in her collection. Not every actor can boast of so many roles. In addition, the woman was busy in the theater and often went on tour.
She once said that she likes to read women's novels. But this rarely happens due to intense busyness. Now the actress is taking care of her health.
