Unsound Myths About Russia’s Liberation Army

Who among you hasn’t heard of the “brave White Guard ROA,” which set out on a “crusade against Bolshevism” to “liberate Russia from the red shackles”? How noble it sounds! The “Russian Liberation Army” is shrouded in numerous myths even within Russian discourse, not to mention abroad. Various enthusiasts of Roman salutes and the search for Jews under the bed gaze at these communists dressed in right-wing attire as if spellbound. Yes, you heard it right: “communists dressed in right-wing attire.”

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Contrary to the fantasies of neo-Nazis, the White Guard members in the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) were a minority, while a significant number of former Red Army soldiers were present. Historian Kirill Aleksandrov, criticized for his “Vlasovite” views, provides detailed biographies of 122 senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (VS KONR) in his work “The Officer Corps of Lieutenant General A.A. Vlasov 1944-1945.” The situation appears quite unusual: among 122 participants, only 19 individuals, or 15.5%, are identified as “Whites” (participants of the Civil War on the side of the Whites or descendants of émigrés). The remaining 84.5% are “Reds.” A significant portion of them are members of the Communist Party, including a considerable number of Chekists. It is also noteworthy to consider the composition of the Presidium of the “Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia”:

F.I. Trukhin – a participant in the Civil War on the side of the Reds, Major General of the Red Army, and a recipient of the Order of the Red Banner.

V.I. Malyshkin – volunteered to fight for the Reds in 1918, a member of the VKP(b) since 1919, Major General of the Red Army.

D.E. Zakutny – also a volunteer for the Reds since 1918, a VKP(b) member since 1919, Major General of the Red Army.

G.N. Zhilenkov – a member of the VKP(b) since 1929, head of the production sector of the Voronezh regional committee of the VKP(b), secretary of the Rostokino district committee of the VKP(b) in Moscow, Brigade Commissar of the Red Army.

E.I. Balabin – a White, who fought against the Reds in the Don region during the Civil War.

P.N. Ivanov (candidate for membership in the Presidium) – a Soviet professor and recipient of the Order of the Labor Red Banner.

F.P. Bogatyrchuk – a svidomite Ukrainian, not affiliated with either the Reds or the Whites. N.N. Budzilovich – was 18 years old in 1944. There is no information on S.M. Rudnev and Yu.A. Muzychenko.

Among the truly “White” members, one might mention future ROVS head Alexei von Lampe, commander of the Drozdovsky division Anton Turkul, and White General Shteyfon. Nevertheless, this does not change the fact that the backbone of the ROA consisted of former Red Army soldiers, including Vlasov himself, who fought on the side of the Red Army against the armies of Wrangel and the anarchist leader Nestor Makhno.

In 1939, Brigade Commander Ilyin provided the following assessment of him:

“Comrade Vlasov is a well-educated commander, possessing both general knowledge and good military training. During his assignment, he undertook a number of important tasks and demonstrated his competence, earning a solid reputation. At times, under stress, he exhibited some roughness. In extremely challenging conditions, he proved himself to be a worthy Bolshevik of our Motherland. He possesses sufficient willpower and determination, is persistent, sociable, and active in public life. He is dedicated to the cause of Lenin and Stalin, with a solid Marxist-Leninist foundation. He can keep military secrets, is generally healthy, and resilient in field conditions. He expresses a desire to leave his current non-military service and join the ranks. 

Conclusion: Comrade Vlasov has performed well during his assignment and is deserving of appointment as Chief of Staff of the Army, with a recommendation for the promotion to the rank of Brigade Commander.”

К.М. Александров. Мифы о генерале Власове.

So much for a “grand European knight fighting the Bolshevik Judeo-Masonic hydra.” It can be said that the soldiers of the ROA “were avenging the Bolshevik terror.” The truth is that they themselves were part of this system, and among them were those very Chekists. Andrei Vlasov mentioned in his 1940 autobiography: “I always took an active part in public work. I was elected a member of the military tribunal of the district.” Moreover, the “White General” von Lampe even endorsed the Great Terror of 1937-1938, stating:

“In the USSR, the victims now are those whom we ourselves would have hanged without hesitation.” — from a letter to the Deputy Chairman of ROVS P.A. Kusonsky dated June 17, 1937.

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It’s quite amusing, isn’t it? Anti-Bolsheviks either endorsed the Bolshevik terror or participated in it. What about the ideological aspect? Perhaps it wasn’t all that bad, and these Chekists had come to their senses, seeking to restore the Orthodox Russian Empire with the Romanovs on the throne? But wait! Let’s hear from the Reichsstatthalter and Reichsleiter Baldur von Schirach, who spoke with Vlasov on June 2, 1943, at the Vienna Balhaus:

“Vlasov is far from the positions of the former Great Russian nationalism. He is much more inclined to believe that the Russian and Ukrainian peoples, as well as the peoples of the Caucasus, should be accepted into the new European family of nations as equal partners. Thus, he acknowledges that the previous centralized power monolith of Great Russia would always pose a danger to Europe. However, national states on Russian territory within the framework of a Germany-led family of nations and a common European economic space are not dangerous for Europe, provided there are no more winners and losers, and peace is guaranteed by the constructive idea of a New Europe.”

What kind of national, let alone tsarist Russia is being discussed here, when he plainly considered the integrity of the country a “threat” to the “European family of nations”? Perhaps the “Sovietophiles” are foolish and fail to understand this refined pan-Europeanism, aimed at the bright future of the white race, which is why they cling to their triune ideas and imperial chauvinism against ancient peoples like the Ryazanians, Smolensk residents, and others? If that’s the case, then it’s better to be the reddest among all the reds that exist in this white world.

All that glitters is not gold, and all that is anti-communist is not necessarily patriotic or national. The Great Patriotic War was a struggle for the physical and spiritual survival of the Russian people. The Nazis sought not to restore the tsarist regime and landowners but to turn Russia into a lifeless desert, depriving the Russian people of everything they hold dear and sacred. As strange as it may sound, a true Russian patriot and anti-Bolshevik would support the Soviet Union rather than the Nazis, who aimed to bring a more disgusting and Russophobic form of Marxism to Russian soil.

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