Gene. major, present in Adm. College, 1818 25 Addition: Strelnikov, Ivan Ivanov., Gen. major; R. 1754, † 1838 March 15. (Polovtsov) ... Big biographical encyclopedia

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- (May 9, 1939 March 2, 1969) Soviet border guard, senior lieutenant, Hero Soviet Union. He died during a border conflict with China on Damansky Island. Born in 1939 in the village of Bolshoi Khomutets, Ryazan Region (now this territory ... ... Wikipedia

Strelnikov is a Russian surname. Known bearers: Strelnikov, Alexander Nikolaevich political and statesman, Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the fourth convocation from 2003 to 2007 Strelnikov, ... ... Wikipedia

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"Ivan the Great" redirects here. See also other meanings. For other people with a similar title, see: John III Ivan III Vasilievich Portrait from the "Tsar's Title" (XVII century) ... Wikipedia

"Ivan the Great" redirects here. See also other meanings. For other people with a similar title, see: John III Ivan III Vasilievich Portrait from the "Tsar's Title" (XVII century) ... Wikipedia

"Ivan the Great" redirects here. See also other meanings. For other people with a similar title, see: John III Ivan III Vasilievich Portrait from the "Tsar's Title" (XVII century) ... Wikipedia

"Ivan the Great" redirects here. See also other meanings. For other people with a similar title, see: John III Ivan III Vasilievich Portrait from the "Tsar's Title" (XVII century) ... Wikipedia

FROM trelnikov Ivan Ivanovich - head of the 2nd border outpost "Nizhnye-Mikhailovskaya" of the 57th Ussuri Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the border detachment of the Pacific border district, senior lieutenant.

Born on May 9, 1939 in a family of hereditary grain growers in the village of Bolshoi Khomutets, Dobrovsky District, Lipetsk Region.

In the spring of 1940, when he was six months old, the family moved to his mother's homeland in Siberia and settled in the village of Lyubchino, Okoneshnikovsky district. Omsk region. After graduating from four classes in Lyubchino, Ivan continued his studies at Okoneshnikovskaya high school. He began his working life in the field-growing brigade of the Znamya Ilyich collective farm as an accountant and assistant foreman.

In 1958 he was called to active duty in Border troops KGB of the USSR. He served as a cavalryman in the training cavalry division, after which he was appointed commander of the department of the school of sergeants. Then - foreman of the border post in the 77th Bikinsky border detachment of the Pacific border district. During his military service, he completed high school as an external student.

In 1962 he graduated from junior lieutenant courses at the Moscow Higher Border Command School, received his first officer rank and was appointed deputy chief of the 21st border outpost of the 77th border detachment for political affairs. In 1965 he graduated from the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms command school, in the same year he was appointed head of the 1st border outpost of the 57th border detachment, since 1967 - head of the 2nd border outpost "Nizhne-Mikhailovskaya". Striving to become an officer high class preparing to enter the military academy.

On March 2, 1969, an armed Chinese detachment crossed the Soviet state border in the area of ​​the Nizhne-Mikhailovskaya outpost (Damansky Island) of the Ussuri Order of the Red Banner of Labor Border Detachment of the Pacific Border District. Senior Lieutenant Strelnikov I.I. boldly went out to meet the violators of the border with a peace proposal to leave the territory of the Soviet Union, but was brutally killed from an ambush arranged by Chinese provocateurs. Together with I.I. Strelnikov killed seven of his comrades, but the surviving border guards held out to the last and survived.

At Kazom of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 21, 1969 to senior lieutenant Strelnikov Ivan Ivanovich awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.

He was buried with military honors in the city of Iman (now the city of Dalnerechensk), Primorsky Krai. By the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR of 06/13/1969, the border outpost, commanded by Hero of the Soviet Union I.I. Strelnikov, was named after him. By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR dated June 26, 1969, the village of Lyubchino, Okoneshnikovsky District, Omsk Region, was renamed the village of Strelnikovo. The streets in Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Omsk, Birobidzhan, Bikin (Khabarovsk Territory) also bear the name of the Hero. In 1969, a large fishing trawler was named "Border Guard Strelnikov".

It would seem, what connection can there be between a Lebedyan Cossack, a merchant, the director of a local history museum, a flying boat designer, a regimental priest, an Australian farmer, a Red Army major and the author of a song about Lebedyan? Only related!
Any person who is seriously engaged in the study of the history of his family, sooner or later is faced with unusual facts from the life of their ancestors, as well as distant and sometimes previously unfamiliar relatives.
The Strelnikovs are a fairly common surname in Lebedyan, and throughout the Chernozem region. Archers in Rus' were called gunsmiths who made bows and arrows. And later they also began to call the fighters themselves, who stood with weapons at the archers (loopholes) of the fortress. The Strelnikovs came and settled in these parts at a time when the military garrison of the Lebedyanskaya fortress was still being formed. These were the "sovereign" military men. Carefully studying the archives, re-reading numerous pre-revolutionary sources, Valery Akimov connected the fates of service people of the 17th century and the modern Lebedyansky Strelnikovs.

Archers, blacksmiths and spearmen

In those ancient times, the Strelnikovs served the sovereign as Cossacks, archers, spearmen, reiters, dragoons, blacksmiths ... In the household inventory of Lebedyan, the second half of XVII centuries, the courtyards of the brothers of the archer Fyodor and the blacksmiths Ivan and Nazar Saveliev, the sons of the Strelnikovs, are mentioned. A little later, the sons of the Cossack Ivan Strelnikov settled in Lebedyan: spearman Grigory and Timofey.
And in early XVIII century, when Lebedyan lost its military purpose, the Strelnikovs became single-palace residents. They lived compactly in the Kuznetsk Sloboda and were engaged in blacksmithing. Some of them continued to serve the tsar-father in the Russian army. They returned to Lebedyan as retired non-commissioned officers, sergeant majors, soldiers and reserve bombardiers.

merchant history

At the end of the 18th century, wealthy merchants appeared among the Strelnikovs. The merchant of the 2nd guild Semyon Kondratievich Strelnikov (1784-1852) gave life to the business root. His numerous sons and grandsons preserved and carried the spirit of the merchant up to revolutionary events beginning of the 20th century.
The grandson of the merchant and the eldest son of Ivan Semyonovich, Pavel Ivanovich Strelnikov (1831-1899), was engaged in agricultural production, had 278 acres of land, built a tannery on the Gorodyanka River. More than once he was elected mayor and was known for his charity. In 1884, Pavel Ivanovich donated 1151 rubles for the installation of a silver robe of the icon of the Holy Trinity in the church Nativity of Christ, where he was a church warden. Perhaps the latter circumstance served to bury Pavel Ivanovich on the territory of the Lebedyansky Holy Trinity Monastery. As a token of gratitude and recognition of merit. The merchant's two-story house, which still stands at the corner of Sovetskaya and Pochtovaya streets, was inherited by his two sons, who also became famous Lebedyan merchants. Now this building houses the regional department of internal affairs.

Life after the revolution

The post-revolutionary years greatly battered the merchants, scattered a large family in different parts of Russia. But the Strelnikovs did not get lost, they continued to faithfully serve the Motherland. Merchant's son school teacher and my father Evgeny Vasilievich Strelnikov (1905-1978) joined the ranks of the defenders of the Fatherland in June 1941, in December 1941 he commanded a rifle platoon near Moscow, stormed Koenigsberg, and after the war returned to Lipetsk and again worked as a school teacher.
Meanwhile, another Strelnikov - the great-grandson of the second son of the merchant Semyon Kondratievich - the tradesman Philip Semyonovich (1818-1881) - lived in Lebedyan. Inventor and self-taught artist Mikhail Yakovlevich Strelnikov (1887-1966) was in charge of the Lebedyansk local history museum, collected exhibits, organized and held art exhibitions. His sister - Claudia Yakovlevna Strelnikova (1896-1982) - was a well-known and respected teacher in the city.

Cossack, hieromonk and matushka

The Lebedyan Cossack Pyotr Dmitrievich Strelnikov (1887-1937), who was awarded a gold imperial watch with a monogram for the salvation of Emperor Nicholas II, also entered history. In the suburbs of the Polish city of Skierniewitz, during the royal hunt, the troika with the emperor suddenly suffered, and the Cossack from the guard rushed across and managed to stop the horses.
And what a difficult fate befell the native of the Kuznetsk settlement, the ascetic of Orthodoxy, Hieromonk Seraphim (Sergey) Strelnikov (1873-ca. 1931), who went through a difficult path from a novice to a hieromonk of the Nikolaev Berlyukovskaya Hermitage. He fought as a regimental priest in the 219th Kotelnichesky Infantry Regiment, was awarded the Order of St. Anna III degree with swords, St. Anna II degree with swords and St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. But for his beliefs and statements he was arrested in 1930, imprisoned and died without a trace in the Kolomna camp.
From the same Lebedyan family and hereditary Cossack Klavdia Georgievna Strelnikova (1888-1918), who became the wife of the future Hieromartyr Bishop of Lipetsk Huar (Peter Alekseevich Shmarin) (1880-1938).

Strelnikovs from Australia

Where only life did not throw the Strelnikovs! Vasily Ivanovich Strelnikov, a descendant of the blacksmith Nazar Savelyevich, ended up in Australia in 1913. He took root here very hard, however, this did not prevent him from becoming a farmer in Brisbane. He married a Russian, raised and educated two children. Now the grandson of Vasily Ivanovich, Erol, lives in the USA, and his great-grandson Andrew lives in Brisbane, Australia.
In the United States, fate also brought the merchant's daughter Serafima Alekseevna Strelnikova. Her son, military pilot Boris Vyacheslavovich Korvin-Krukovsky (1895-1988), emigrated to America in 1918, where he became a well-known designer of flying boats, a professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology. After the execution of her husband and two younger sons in 1918, Serafima Alekseevna moved through Poland to her son in the United States.
In newspapers turn of XIX and XX centuries, the Strelnikovs meet - jurors, state peasants, retired non-commissioned officers, merchants ... All of them, once related by family ties through their ancestors, moved away from each other over the years, like numerous branches of a large tree that has common roots. It must be assumed that the descendants of these and other Strelnikovs live and are well in today's Lebedyan, in Russia and abroad ... To know that they are all my blood relatives is pleasant, joyful, and very responsible.

Soviet border guard, senior lieutenant, Hero of the Soviet Union.

A street in Omsk is named after him

Ivan Ivanovich Strelnikov was born on May 9, 1939 in the village of Khomutets, Dobrovolsky District, Lipetsk Region, into a family of hereditary grain growers. In 1940, the parents moved to the Omsk region. Vanya studied at primary school in the village of Lyubchino, then - in the village of Okoneshnikovo. On the Znamya Ilyich collective farm, Ivan Strelnikov, a member of the Komsomol, worked as an accountant and assistant foreman of the field-breeding brigade. In 1958 he was called to active duty. military service to the border troops. In 1960 he became a member of the CPSU. After graduating from officer courses, junior lieutenant Ivan Strelnikov was appointed deputy head of the outpost for political affairs, and soon - head of the Nizhne-Mikhailovskaya frontier outpost, which he had to build, improve, and then "close" the border in its area. A little time passed, and the outpost became one of the exemplary in Primorye.

The name of I. I. Strelnikov was well known to the inhabitants of the border region. He often met with them not only as the head of the frontier post, but also as a member of the district committee of the CPSU, a deputy of the village council.

And life on the border was tense. This tension was created by Chinese military personnel, Strelnikov and his fighting friends repeatedly expelled uninvited guests from Soviet territory, but they were not appeased.

On January 23, 1969, a large group of Chinese provocateurs invaded the USSR-owned tip of Damaksky (Ussuri River). With machine guns and carbines, they rushed at our border guards. Sergeant Major Lieutenant Strelnikov ordered his subordinates not to open fire, to defend themselves with machine gun butts. The Chinese decided to disable the chiefs of the outpost, and only the courage and resourcefulness of the border guards then saved the officer's life.

In the early morning of March 2, the Chinese side again crossed the Soviet border. This time, the provocateurs were supported by artillery, mortars and machine guns, a small group of our border guards was forced to join the battle. Senior Lieutenant I. I. Strelnikov came out to meet the violators with a peace proposal to leave the territory of the Soviet Union. A treacherous shot by a provocateur ended his life. You have killed 22 of his comrades-in-arms with the head of the outpost, but the surviving border guards not only survived in unequal battle, they gave a decisive rebuff to the violators and expelled them from our land.

For heroism and courage shown in the defense of the State Border of the USSR, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 21, 1969, Senior Lieutenant Strelnikov Ivan Ivanovich was posthumously awarded such Hero of the Soviet Union. The Order of the Red Star was also awarded to his wife Lidia Fedorovna. The only woman at the outpost, in her days she showed extraordinary endurance and fortitude. Overcoming the grief that had befallen her, the commander's wife helped bandage the wounded, encouraged the young soldiers with her courage.

The thirty-year-old Siberian Ivan Ivanovich Strelnikov has gone into immortality. His life and deed live and will live forever in the memory of the Soviet people.

The freezing trawler Border Guard Strelnikov plows the oceans. The name of I. I. Strelnikov now bears the Nnzhne-Mikhailovskaya frontier outpost. In one of its premises there is a museum, the exhibits of which tell about the life and military service hero. On the outpost square there is a monument to a brave border guard officer. Each time, acting to guard the State Border of the USSR, the patrols with a clear step approach the monument and, frozen in a moment of silence, mentally swear fidelity to military duty, selfless love for the Motherland. Here, at the monument, young soldiers are consecrated as border guards, in a solemn atmosphere they are read out an order: “Today for the first time you are standing in the ranks of the border guards of the outpost named after Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Ivanovich Strelnikov ... The command of the outpost expresses confidence that you will honorably fulfill your duty as a border guard-strelnikov, you will not drop the honor of the fallen heroes, the honor of the nominal outpost. Be worthy of the glory of heroes!

Sacredly honor the memory of their illustrious countryman Omsk. The village of Lyubchino, Okoneshnikovsky district, was renamed Strelnikovo. The name of the hero-border guard is carried by the pioneer team of the village school, and a monument was erected to him in the school square. At its foot there are always fresh flowers, and around - evergreen Christmas trees. In the Pervomaisky district of the city of Omsk, a street is named after the hero.

Strelnikov Ivan Ivanovich - head of the 2nd border outpost Nizhne-Mikhailovskaya of the 57th Ussuri Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the border detachment of the Pacific border district of the State Security Committee under the Council of Ministers of the USSR, senior lieutenant.

Born on May 9, 1939 in a family of hereditary grain growers in the village of Bolshoi Khomutets, Dobrovsky District, now in the Lipetsk Region.

In the spring of 1940, when he was six months old, the family moved to his mother's homeland in Siberia and settled in the village of Lyubchino, Okoneshnikovsky district, Omsk region. After graduating from four classes in Lyubchino, Ivan continued his studies at Okoneshnikovskaya secondary school. He began his working life in the field-growing team of the Znamya Ilyich collective farm as an accountant and assistant foreman.

In 1958 he was called up for active service in the Border Troops of the KGB of the USSR. He served as a cavalryman in the training cavalry division, after which he was appointed commander of the department of the school of sergeants. Then - foreman of the border post in the 77th Bikinsky border detachment of the Pacific border district. During his military service, he completed high school as an external student.

In 1962 he graduated from junior lieutenant courses at the Moscow Higher Border Command School, received his first officer rank and was appointed deputy head of the 21st border outpost of the 77th border detachment for political affairs. In 1965 he graduated from the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School as an external student, in the same year he was appointed head of the 1st border outpost of the 57th border detachment, since 1967 - head of the 2nd border outpost Nizhne-Mikhailovskaya. In an effort to become a high-class officer, he was preparing to enter the military academy.

On March 2, 1969, an armed Chinese detachment crossed the Soviet state border in the area of ​​the Nizhne-Mikhailovskaya outpost (Damansky Island) of the Ussuri Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the border detachment of the Pacific Border District. Senior Lieutenant Strelnikov I.I. boldly went out to meet the violators of the border with a peace proposal to leave the territory of the Soviet Union, but was brutally killed from an ambush arranged by Chinese provocateurs. Together with I.I. Strelnikov killed seven of his comrades, but the surviving border guards held out to the last and survived.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 21, 1969, for heroism and courage shown in the defense of the state border of the USSR, to senior lieutenant Strelnikov Ivan Ivanovich awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously).

He was buried with military honors in the city of Iman (now the city of Dalnerechensk), Primorsky Krai. By the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR of June 13, 1969, the border outpost, commanded by Hero of the Soviet Union I.I. Strelnikov, named after him. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of June 26, 1969, the village of Lyubchino, Okoneshnikovsky district, Omsk region, was renamed the village of Strelnikovo. The streets in Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Omsk, Birobidzhan, Bikin (Khabarovsk Territory) also bear the name of the Hero. In 1969, a large fishing trawler was named "Border Guard Strelnikov".

Senior lieutenant (1968). He was awarded the Order of Lenin (03/21/1969, posthumously).

Biography supplemented by Anton Bocharov
(village of Koltsovo, Novosibirsk region)

"CHIEF OF THE OUTSIDE OF THE COURAGEOUS"

Strelnikov was sitting on the foundation of his future outpost. He sat in one T-shirt - his cap and tunic lay under a bush - he smoked and thought about the construction site, that by autumn the outpost must be brought under the roof.

At night, Senior Lieutenant Strelnikov checked the outfits, and in the morning, without going home, he again came to the construction site. He spent every free minute there. Together with the soldiers, he laid the foundation, dragged the stone. It seemed that the head of the outpost was a two-wire one - he had time to do everything: organize a service, conduct a lesson, supervise construction work, and work together with everyone on the construction site. The officers of the neighboring outposts stopped by to Strelnikov easily, as to the former boss - Bubenin and Shorokhov had recently worked as his deputies - they were curious about how things were going with him.

Strelnikov joked with his friends, called himself a foreman, and then, as if recollecting himself, tapped his watch face smeared with lime - they say, it's time to get to work - and cheerfully said:

Follow me, forward, to Gulyev!

The call, in general, was understandable, but no one really knew why Guliev. No one dared to ask the senior lieutenant about it. But everyone knew: since the boss uttered this call, one must work hard, because Strelnikov himself worked for three. Spitting on his hands, the head of the outpost took up the wheelbarrow and, straining, carried the stone. Looking at him, no one wanted to drag out the smoke break.

The hardest part is laying the foundation. When it was laid, the outpost began to rise before our eyes. One morning, according to established custom, Strelnikov, returning from the border, turned to the outpost. She flaunted in the sun. It smelled of shavings and fresh paint. Strelnikov admired the work of his hands. And suddenly someone shouted from behind:

He turned around. There were several soldiers. And the secretary of the Komsomol organization, Akulov, held out a symbolic wooden key, lovingly carved from disks and even painted with green paint. Seriously. The secretary changed to a formal tone:

Comrade Secretary of the Party Organization, allow me to give you the key to the outpost from the Komsomol...

Strelnikov beamed.

My dear comrades! - perhaps, for the first time in the entire service, a senior lieutenant addressed the soldiers in a non-statutory manner. - This is our first common victory. In the new outpost, we will live better, cleaner, friendlier!

And then came the day of the housewarming. On this occasion, they drank an extra mug of camlot. We thought we'd have a rest. And Strelnikov has a new idea in his head - a sentinel path. She haunts him day and night. But how to tell about the idea to people who have not seen days off for many months?

Strelnikov acted as secretary of the party organization. He consulted with the communists in advance, asking them to support his idea.

Strelnikov gathered the assets of the outpost. Without too much diplomacy he said:

I will speak to you both as head of the outpost and as secretary of the party organization. I know for myself: it was hard to build an outpost. The calluses on the palms have not yet healed. And I am already calling you to equip a sentinel path, dig into the swamp abyss, bite into the rocks. Otherwise it is impossible, the service requires. That's what the communists decided.

For a moment there was silence in the Lenin Room. Then they spoke:

If it is necessary, then it is necessary.

So, go ahead, to Gulyev!

To Guliev! - Strelnikov's guys supported the chorus.

Anyone who has been to the outpost knows what area it has - swamps and rocks. Strelnikov understood that he could not do without technology. I asked the head of the squad. But he just shrugged his shoulders: the construction is large, but there are few cars. Don't count on help. Do it yourself - thank you.

Where to get equipment? Strelnikov is a sociable person, almost the entire Pozharsky district knew him. Went to the area. The executive committee listened and advised to apply to the machine and reclamation station. He came there and directly laid out: on an unequipped border, you can miss the enemy. Help with technology. And what - they allocated a tractor to the outpost for the summer. Work boiled over. They cut clearings, dug gutters, hung a rope bridge.

The equipment of the border was ending, and Strelnikov had a new goal: to make the outpost excellent. Someone doubted: it's too early, we can't cope with the obligation. It's better not to risk it.

Strelnikov stood his ground.

Sheer smallness prevented the outpost from getting an excellent rating.

Strelnikov was no longer alive, but they spoke of him as if he were at the outpost.

Base point. Two soldiers are heating the stove in the tent! You have to look after the oven. The fire will weaken, and the sleeping guys begin to toss and turn, the cold breaks through their fur coats. It is worth throwing a dry log, and the stove starts to hum, warm air again floats on the tent.

Putting firewood in the stove, the soldiers are talking quietly. About horses. During the artillery attack, the outpost horses broke loose and ran away.

Don't run across the ice. The Chinese are taking over...

The hero will not be given to anyone. Only a senior lieutenant could sit on it.

I wanted to know about the Hero; why only Strelnikov managed to sit on it?

Yes, there really is a horse with such a nickname at the outpost. Hot, all taut. In the eyes of a spark. From him most often got to young soldiers. Not everyone immediately developed courage. To temper the character, the head of the outpost planted some soldiers on the Hero and sent them to guard the flank. Rarely did anyone manage to return on horseback. The Hero walked calmly at first, and then suddenly a "candle", and a soldier flies to the ground, and the Hero, without a rider, safely, snorting, returns to the outpost and waits for a portion of oats from the mat Denisenko.

Remarkable courage was needed to tame the horse, in order to subdue him to his will. Those who did not possess it found themselves on the ground, returning to the outpost on foot. He walked, of course, thinking about his own failure, thinking about his weakness and how to overcome it. Such a soldier usually got into a conversation with Strelnikov.

The border guard needs courage, - said the head of the outpost, - otherwise you will drown in a puddle ...

What courage is needed, Strelnikov immediately showed the soldier. He mounted a horse and did things that made his heart skip a beat. Lida's wife ran out of the house and waved her hands in fright:

What are you doing? Get off your horse now! Turn your head...

And Strelnikov, joyfully excited, let his horse gallop along the back road. He made a circle at the heliport and quickly flew into the courtyard of the outpost. He jumped off, slapped the horse's rump, and the Hero obediently walked to the stable.

Strelnikov's personal courage was the best teacher. AT difficult moment he was always ahead, with his whole appearance he showed: there is no other way, it is necessary to act only in this way.

In the first two months of this year, there were six skirmishes provoked by the Chinese side at the outpost site. And in all six Strelnikov came out the winner. The Chinese provocateurs knew the head of the outpost well. They knew by sight. He didn't let them down. With his decisive actions, he made it clear every time: the Soviet borders are sacred and inviolable. Enraged Chinese provocateurs, brandishing quotes and clubs, shouted: "Black Ivan, we will crush your head" ... They hunted for Strelnikov, looking for a convenient opportunity for reprisal.

On January 23, 1969, a crowd of armed Chinese, having violated the border, poured onto the ice. Having learned about this from the report of the observers, Strelnikov immediately raised the alarm, commanded:

Behind me!

He went out on the ice with his experienced soldiers, confidently pushed the raging Chinese from our territory.

The snow crunched underfoot. Flashed in the crowd of Chinese strong commander's shoulders. The Chinese fought back with the butts of machine guns and carbines, brandished rubber whips, but retreated under the onslaught of border guards. The Chinese line has already broken. Those who orchestrated the provocation understood that the idea was failing. And the reason for this is Strelnikov, who knows no hesitation. And the "conductors" decided on a massacre. Several Chinese jumped up to Strelnikov. They have a clear intention to push him away from the border guards in order to end the Soviet officer. Private Anatoly Denisenko was the first to notice the danger the commander was facing. Pushing the Chinese aside, he ended up next to the head of the outpost. Arrived in time: the Chinese butt was already brought over Strelnikov's head. A moment - and he will fall on the officer. Anatoly instantly throws out his machine gun, covering the head of the head of the outpost. Weapon clanged against weapon. Denisenko felt a strong blow. The receiver flew out. Something sharp hit his chin. Blood gushed out. Denisenko instinctively brushed the warm streams from his chin, prepared to repel a new attack...

Hearing a crack over his head, Strelnikov immediately jumped to the side. "If it weren't for Denisenko, I would be lying on the ice..." He closed his eyes for a moment and, as if in a dream, saw the outstretched hand of a soldier. Denisenko really pulled his hand, asking: "Did you hurt?"

With great fury, the border guards pressed the Chinese. We completed the combat mission - "pushed" the provocateurs from our territory.

Strelnikov - to the phone. Colonel Leonov is calling:

Did you manage?

It's all right, Comrade Colonel.

I heard rumors that you almost gave your soul to God.

No. I am victorious, Comrade Colonel.

How to understand "victorious"?

Strelnikov smiled.

Born on the ninth of May, Comrade Colonel. And the son, too, on Victory Day. A victorious family ... Strelnikov has a good commanding instinct. He accurately foresaw where provocateurs might invade.

In the last entry made by Strelnikov in the book of the border service, in his decision taken to guard the border for the next day, from March 1 to March 2, the situation is assessed as follows: "Provocative violation of the border from the PRC to the USSR in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bDamansky Island is possible ..." The commander was wrong. The armed provocation was unleashed by the Chinese side precisely on March 2 and precisely near Damansky Island.

Having received a report about the violation of the border by the Chinese, Strelnikov raised the outpost ": in the gun." He himself ran home to dress in a marching way.

Lida, a fur coat, gloves, - he shouted to his wife. - Boots too...

What is anxiety, Chinese people?

Again they violated Damaisk ...

A lot of them?

Many. Hurry up.

In a minute, Ivan dressed, pulled Lida to him:

Don't worry mommy, everything will be fine. Sweep them out for the first time...

He kicked open the door and ran out of the apartment. From the steep hillock on which the outpost stands, an armored personnel carrier with soldiers rapidly descended onto the Ussuri ice. He rushed the border guards to Damansky. Strelnikov leaned half out of the hatch, looked at the outpost: is the second car coming out?

Strelnikov is strict and smart. The white fur coat is tightly girded with belts, it sits tightly on his elastic, trained body. Smartness emphasizes the decisiveness of the commander.

Here is the island. The armored personnel carrier approaches its southern extremity. Strelnikov jumps out first, followed by the rest. The leader gives the group a task. According to the plan, he, senior lieutenant Nikolai Buinevich and five more soldiers go to the Chinese to warn about the violation of the border and demand to leave for their territory. The rest are in reserve. The rest and those who were driving at some distance after Strelnikov - in the "gas" and technical "flight".

Strelnikov in front, followed by Buinevich. They have a lot in common. Both impetuous, irrepressible, crystal honest. Both are avid hunters. Both are athletes. Strelnikov is a gymnast, Buinevich is a first-class boxer, champion of the regional organization "Dynamo". Both are madly in love with children. Strelnikov doted on Svetlanka and Igorka. Buinevich is single, but he often visited the orphanage where his sister Tamara worked, he became friends with little Vanyusha and thought to take him in and adopt him.

But most importantly, both loved the border. Buinevich went through the entire section of the detachment.

Nikolai has a birthday on the fourth of January. And we, his comrades, - recalls Lieutenant N. Shchegolev, - gathered to congratulate him. But I had to congratulate ... by phone. Buinevich sped off to the border. It turns out that he promised to read a report on ideological sabotage at the outpost and could not break his commanding word.

Strelnikov's group is firmly and confidently marching towards the Chinese who have violated our border. Strelnikov is still ahead. A tight strand of blond hair (for which his friends called him Ivan the Light) slipped out from under his hat. Slightly darkened eyes. The gait is straight, strict. This severity is in the turn of the shoulders, in concentration, in stubborn steps.

And now, in front of Strelnikov, the angry Chinese. Some are screaming, others are hiding their faces from a photographic lens aimed at them by private Nikolai Petrov. Unnatural excitement, about to happen. Strelnikov felt it. Just in case, I looked back. Babansky's group has already reached the island. Don't be offended!..

Pulling back the curtain, Lida looked at the Ussuri, where Ivan had rushed off. She was already used to such sudden disappearances.

In Bikin, Lida met a gallant border guard, foreman of the border post. It was Ivan. Seen in snatches. Lida understood: service. But even during that happy moment, while they were together, they managed to tell each other a lot. Then came separation. Ivan left for the Moscow Border School, for junior lieutenant courses. Came to Bikin as an officer. Linda is 17 years old. On January 12, 1963, they got married, and on January 28, Ivan took Lida to the outpost. And there was separation again. Ivan externally took exams at the school. He returned to the outpost as a lieutenant. Now you can go on a long-awaited vacation. Dreamed of the south, of a honeymoon trip. And I had to travel along the Ussuri. Instead of a vacation, Strelnikov got into a laden building material barge and sailed to a new duty station. Couldn't refuse. He understood: who better than him to settle in the border! Sailed to Nizhne-Mikhailovka, began to build an outpost.

Lida came to him with Svetlanka, she became an assistant. Together they built an outpost. Lida knocked down shields, replaced the cook, washed the border guards, and was their nurse.

You, Lydia Fedorovna, it remains to be included in the combat crew, the guys told her.

While I'm at home, - Lida laughed it off and even more actively helped the border guards.

Ivan left in the direction of Damansky Island, and her heart sank with pain. She knew that this island is a place of constant Chinese provocations. When Ivan went there, Lida was always worried, no matter how something happened. But Ivan returned elated, cheerful, excited, victorious. And Lida calmed down, inwardly proud of her husband, his courage, his self-control. Then again her heart began to ache when she heard from the soldier "about the senior lieutenant", how he bravely acted against the Chinese provocateurs, how he walked in front. Then Lida, already at home, began to reproach him:

It can't be like that. You have two children. And he would have thought of me, he would not have climbed into the very hell.

And Ivan pulled Lida to him, in her ear, only to her, whispered:

I'm not used to it, Lidusha, my soul shudders. I hate makeup. Where people are, there I am...

The chilly feeling of uncertainty did not go away. Then Lida took up household chores. To some extent, they distract from heavy thoughts. Anya Fateeva, the foreman's wife, looked in at her. Washed the dishes, mopped the floor. We decided to "evacuate" a heavy sofa from the hallway. And as soon as they took it, they caught distant shots. Women to the window. I can not see anything. They ran out into the yard, frightenedly began to ask the sentry:

Akhmetik, my friend, what kind of shots are there?

Akhmet Agireev looked towards Damansky. You won’t see the island itself, the hill covered it. I just had to hear what was going on there.

Don't worry, - Akhmet soothed, - Probably, another Chinese mischief. I think so, Lydia Fyodorovna.

The foreman ran out of the outpost. Women to him:

Valery Pavlovich, what is there?

Chinese provocation...

And no more words. And from the island the shooting, the hooting of mines, came stronger and stronger.

The women did not go home, they looked in the direction of Damansky, listened to the shooting. Intuition prompted: there is a fight going on. "What are we standing for? We need bandages, a first aid kit..." Lida and Anya ran to the outpost.

They brought the first wounded. Lida bandaged his face, Anya cut the sleeve of her tunic to put a bandage on his arm. Major of the medical service Kvitko appeared:

Lidia Fyodorovna, we need boiled water, get busy...

The women went to boil water. And from the head did not come out: "What is there?" Lida walked around the kitchen, while she listened. Thundered the fight. She wanted to call the duty officer, maybe he knew something about Ivan, but she was afraid to pick up the phone: they would suddenly say ... But not that. Better not call.

Boiled water, helped the wounded. It was only in the evening, at six o'clock, that Lida found out everything about her husband.

In open combat, death can sweep past. She went towards Strelnikov and his comrades. She was hidden in an ambush.

No, Strelnikov did not flinch, did not cover himself with his hand from the muzzles suddenly directed by Chinese submachine gunners, for the time being obscured by the first line. Like him, all seven brave sons stood proudly before the treacherous offenders. They fell like heroes, fell next to their commander.

Marshal of the Soviet Union V. I. Chuikov correctly noted: twice a hero is the one who managed to defeat the enemy and stayed alive. But a fight is a fight. Every patriot must, if necessary, give his life for the Motherland. Ivan Strelnikov was always ready for this - a commander, a communist, a man of a big heart. "Not to be yourself - that's death" - such was the credo of the son of the hero of the Great Patriotic War, the son of the mother-heroine, the son of the great Motherland.