A new exhibition on the history of Poltava

Not long ago my new exhibition dedicated to Poltava of 1930-1960s has been opened in Poltava museum of Panas Myrny. This museum has a nice exhibition hall and yearly hosts many exhibitions including photo exhibitions. I’ve been working under this exhibition for two years. 

Mostly all shown pictures of Poltava were found by chance in private photo albums of the local elderly residents. Many of pictures that were taken decades ago were shown to the public for the first time. For instance, many have never seen pictures showing German POW working as construction workers in Poltava during first post-war years. Many construction sites of that time were enclosed with barbed wire fencing and had watch towers at the four corners. Some pictures shown on the exhibition were taken by Wehrmacht officers and soldiers in 1942-1943 when Poltava was under German occupation.

Being a teacher in charge of a student group, I invited then to visit this exhibition. Hope they have learnt a lot of a new fascinating things about the history of Poltava.

The museum itself is also very interesting because it preserves a spirit and a way of living of Poltava local office employee of early 20th century, who has been holding various posts at the local government house.  

A joint parade of Soviet and German troops in Brest-Litovsk on September 22, 1939

Dear readers,

This parade has taken place 73 years ago but still surrounded with numerous myths  and legends. What happened in reality in Brest-Litovsk on September 22, 1939?

The secret protocol of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, signed on August 23, 1939 defined the boundary between the German and Soviet "spheres of influence". However, during their invasion of Poland, some German forces, especially Heinz Guderian's XIX. motorized Corps, have advanced beyond this line in pursuit of their strategic goals. The XIX. Corps, approached Brest on September, 13 and defeated the Polish resistance in the ensuing battle by September, 17, establishing their base of operations in the city. During the following days, Guderian was informed, much to his chagrin, that the demarcation line between German and Soviet-controlled regions was drawn along the Bug River and that his forces were to retreat behind this line by September, 22. On September, 17, after Vasily Chuikov's 4th Army received the order to cross the Polish border, its 29th Tank Brigade, led by Kombrig Semyon Krivoshein, entered the town of Baranovichi (pl. Baranowicze). After taking the town and capturing a few thousand Polish soldiers who were stationed there, his units kept on moving westward, reaching the village of Pruzhany (pl. Prużana) on 19 September.On 20 September, advance units of the 29. Tank Brigade, encountered Guderian's forces at the village of Vidomlya (pl. Widomla), three days after the Soviet invasion of Poland and twenty days after the German invasion of Poland.

The Soviet Brigade had seen little combat, because most of the fighting had already been over by this time. According to Krivoshein, a recon unit returned with a group of 12 German officers who identified themselves as part of Guderian's XIX Corps and explained that they, too, were moving in the direction of Brest. They were invited to Krivoshein's tent, who then proposed a toast to both commanders and invited the attending German officers to Moscow after they achieved a quick victory over "capitalist England" Through them Krivoshein also sent warm greetings to the German general and made sure to approach the city from the opposite direction than that taken by the Wehrmacht. Upon approaching the town in the morning of September 22, Krivoshein realized that German troops were already busy looting the town and that Guderian had already established his headquarters there. Soon afterwards, Guderian's representatives arrived, and greeted the "glorious Red Army" and its general. Following a short exchange of formalities, Krivoshein offered to visit Guderian and personally pay his respects to him. The offer was accepted and Krivoshein was taken to the German headquarters to share breakfast with the German General.

During the meeting, Guderian proposed a joint parade of Soviet and German troops through the town, including a lineup of soldiers from both armies on the central square. Because the Soviet troops were tired after a long march, Krivoshein declined, but promised to supply a military band and a few battalions, and agreed to Guderian's request that he and Guderian would stand and review the parade together. According to the initial agreement, the procedure included German and Soviet troops marching before their commanding officers followed by changing the flag, accompanied by national anthems of Germany and the USSR. However, the Soviet commanding officer, Kombrig Semyon Krivoshein, writes in his memoirs that he did not allow Soviet troops to pass alongside the German forces, because he was afraid that Soviet troops, weary after a long march to Brest, would look inferior in comparison with the Germans, who stayed in the city for several days. Instead, he suggested that the Soviet columns would enter the city separately and salute the leaving Germans whenever they meet. The parade began at 16:00, and the "Victory Arches" were erected which the Soviet troops decorated with swastikas and red stars, and through which German troops marched. The Soviets fielded the 4th Battalion of 29th Light Tank Brigade, which was the first unit of the Red Army to roll into the city. The Soviet and German generals paid homage to each other's armies and their respective victories over Polish forces.

See the video of the parade by clicking at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6gg1z5DovI&feature=player_embedded

Ukraine has officially confirmed its participation in the NATO-led Ocean Shield anti-piracy operation

KYIV, September 4, 2012 (UKRINFORM). Ukraine has officially confirmed its participation in the NATO-led Ocean Shield anti-piracy operation. Director of the Information Policy Department of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleh Voloshyn announced this at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday, a UKRINFORM correspondent reported. "Ukraine has officially confirmed its participation in the Ocean Shield international anti-piracy operation, which is conducted under the auspices of NATO off the coast of Somalia," he said. Voloshyn said that Ukraine would provide the Hetman Sahaidachny frigate, with a helicopter and a group of special forces on board, for its participation in the operation. In addition, according to the diplomat, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and NATO are now jointly agreeing on technical aspects related to the participation of the Ukrainian side in this operation. "It is expected that the practical participation of the units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Operation Ocean Shield will start in 2013. This will be our direct contribution to international efforts to strengthen security and protect Ukrainian sailors and crews working on international sea trade routes," he said. He also welcomed the extension of the mandate and activities as part of operations conducted by NATO, the EU and other countries in the region, including the transfer of respective anti-piracy actions to the coast of Somalia. "This is a step in the right direction, because it's impossible to always be in the defensive position," Voloshyn said.

Aug 12, 2012 (Radio Free Europe). Russia is marking the 100th anniversary of its air force with an aviation parade and parachute drop at the Zhukovsky airfield outside of Moscow.  Lieutenant General Viktor Bondarev opened the celebrations and noted that 69 foreign countries had sent delegations to the event. Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a statement saying that "the development of military aviation is the priority of the country's military policy." He promised on August 11 that the air force will receive over 600 new combat planes and 1,000 helicopters by 2020 as part of a $720 billion military-reequipment effort.

The "Swedish stone" in the heart of Saxony

Dear readers,

Not long ago I visited Lützen, a very interesting place in Saxony that is closely connected with the history of Sweden and the Thirty Year’s War (1618–1648). It attracts many Swedish visitors who come here to see a monument and the “Swedish stone” located on the spot where their famous King Conqueror Gustavus Adolphus was killed on 16 November (N.S.), 1632, in the Battle of Lützen. This battle, which was one of the most decisive battles of the war, was fought between the army of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, headed by the Roman Catholic General Albrecht Wenzel  Eusebius von Wallenstein and the Protestant army, led by the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus. Gustavus Adolphus was killed when, at a crucial point in the battle, he became separated from his troops while leading a cavalry charge into a dense smog of mist and gunpowder smoke. After his death, his wife kept his body, and later his heart, for over a year in the castle of Nyköping. His remains (including his heart) now rest in Riddarholmskyrkan in Stockholm. In February 1633, following the death of the king, the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates decided that his name would from this time forth be Gustav Adolf the Great. No such honor has been bestowed on any other Swedish monarch before or since. At the spot where Gustavus Adolphus fell, a granite boulder was placed on the day after the battle. A canopy of cast iron was erected over this “Swedish stone” in 1832, and a  chapel, built by design of Swedish architect Prof. Lars Wahlmann, near the site, was dedicated on 6  November 1907.

July 25, 2012 (DefPro.news) The Ukrainian Armed Forces have put into service the modern Ukrainian armored personnel carrier BTR-4E under the Order of the Ukrainian Defense Minister Dmytro Salamatin.  Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau in cooperation with national defense enterprises has designed and manufactured BTR-4E. The Ukrainian Armed Forces got a new up-to-date weapon system technically comparable with its foreign analogues, while its fire potential is even better. Mass production of this vehicle will help Ukraine to take the leading positions in the world market of light armor wheeled vehicles. “Our national designers and Ministry of Defense specialists did a lot of job. We have developed a completely new system, breaking classical traditions of tank building. It’s a basis for future development of different modifications of this armament,” Andriy Artyushenko, Director of Department of Development and Acquisition of Armament and Military Equipment, commented.  He mentioned that BTR-4E armament included 30-mm automatic gun ZTM-1, antitank missile, grenade launcher KBA-117, machine-gun, and other armament manufactured by Ukrainian enterprises. This armament is integrated in a single system of fire control. “This vehicle proves capabilities of Ukraine to be a manufacturer of high technological and knowledge-based product and ensures possibility to activate defense industries, as well as create additional employment,” Dmytro Salamatin said.  According to the Ukrainian Defense Minister, thanks to BTR-4E Ukraine shall not import these vehicles and even may export them to world markets augmenting the state budget.

Defense exports: a new dawn or the sunset

July 08, 2012 (UNIAN) Chef of UkrSpetsExport* Yevhen Perehudov announced mid-June the start of negotiations about the joint assembly of Ukrainian armored personnel carrier BTR ZE on the territory of Thailand. UkrSpetsExport specializes in the export and import of military and special products and services. The total cost of supply of APCs of this class to Thailand is more than US $110 mn, although the number of APCs that will be jointly assembled in Thailand has not been disclosed. In early May, Ukraine unveiled another joint project on the supply of BTR 4 to Kazakhstan to the tune of approximately US $150 mn. The news was announced by Minister of Defense Dmytro Salamatyn, who is a native of Kazakhstan. Just as in the case with Thailand, the media did not get information about the share of the vehicles that will be assembled in Kazakhstan. If these deals come out, export of licenses and production technologies shall substantially exceed finished products in the overall export of weapons and special hardware, that now bring Ukraine more than US $1 bn annually.  What this new trend mean for the nation’s defense exports? Pessimists say somebody wants to sell out Ukraine’s top defense technologies abroad. Optimists argue that the Ukrainian defense industry is learning to keep up with the times.


* UkrSpetsExport - a Ukrainian state-owned arms trading company, formed in November 1996 for export and import  of military and special products and services. UkrSpetsExport not only sells the products of the Ukrainian arms industry, but also the excess weapons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Army. Since February 2011 the company also produces non-military firearms and ammunition for them. In documents uncovered during the United States diplomatic cables leak U.S.-diplomats complained the U.S. is fighting a constant battle to stop the flow of arms from Ukraine and UkrSpetsExport to terrorist in the Middle East and South Sudan. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrspetsexport