Lebedev Colonel Airborne. Anatoly Lebed: what happened to the legend of the Russian special forces
Father, Vyacheslav Lebed, went through the entire Great Patriotic War. Served in the Northern Fleet, and during Battle of Stalingrad- in marines. Anatoly in Armed Forces since 1981. military service passed in the Airborne Forces. Then he graduated from the Lomonosov Military Aviation Technical School in 1986 and fought in 1986-1987. in Afghanistan as part of a helicopter regiment, made combat sorties as a helicopter flight engineer. Served in the Group Soviet troops in Germany, the Trans-Baikal and Siberian military districts - in the 329th transport and combat helicopter regiment and the 337th separate helicopter regiment.
In 1994, he retired from the reserve, worked in the fund of veterans of Afghanistan.
Volunteer fought in the Balkans.
Since November 1999, he participated in the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus. Having bought all the necessary equipment, he flew to Makhachkala as a volunteer to protect Dagestan from the attack of militants. He was assigned to the consolidated police detachment.
When military operation moved to the territory of Chechnya, he went to Moscow and signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense, after which he returned to the war again. He served in the area of Gudermes, Argun, in the suburbs of Grozny, in the Vedeno district.
In 2003, in the mountains near Ulus-Kert, Anatoly Lebed hit a mine, as a result of which his foot was amputated. The command went to meet the combat officer and allowed him to continue serving with a prosthesis.
In January 2005, he personally destroyed three militants in an unequal battle and thereby saved his wounded comrades. In one of the subsequent battles, he covered a wounded private from a grenade launcher with his own body. Having received a blind shrapnel wound in the lower back, he continued to command the head patrol. As a result of that battle, the militants' base was captured and Shamil Basayev's contact was destroyed. Decree of the President Russian Federation dated April 6, 2005, for the courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty in the North Caucasus region, Captain Lebed Anatoly Vyacheslavovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
In 2008 he took part in military operations in South Ossetia, for which he was honored to become a Knight of the Order of St. George IV degree, the second after the commander of the North Caucasian Military District - Sergei Makarov.
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Doom
On April 27, 2012, Anatoly Lebed crashed in front of the gate to the territory of Sokolniki Park in Moscow, having got into an accident. The accident occurred at about 5:45 pm at the intersection of Bogorodskoye Highway with Maisky Prosek and Oleny Proyezd. The swan lost control of the motorcycle and crashed into a curb. He died on the spot from his wounds. He was buried on the Alley of Heroes of the Preobrazhensky cemetery in Moscow.
Memory
In honor of Anatoly Lebed, tournaments are held in different cities of Russia hand-to-hand combat and mixed martial arts.
Awards
Hero of the Russian Federation (April 6, 2005) - for courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty in the North Caucasus region
Order of St. George IV degree No. 003 (2008)
Three Orders of Courage
Three Orders of the Red Star
Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" III degree
Nominal melee weapons.
Anatoly dreamed of the sky. And he began his journey with parachuting. He made 300 jumps even before leaving for the army. The guy was identified in the Airborne Forces. Starting his service in Estonia, he continued...
Anatoly dreamed of the sky. And he began his journey with parachuting. He made 300 jumps even before leaving for the army. The guy was identified in the Airborne Forces. Starting service in Estonia, he continued in Kazakhstan. A serious landing school came in handy in life.
AT school years Anatoly was fond of parachuting
The first from the left is A. Lebed, the second from the left is N. Maidanov.
The guy was from a military family. He liked being in the army. But the sky beckoned and he entered the military aviation technical school, where helicopter pilots were trained for Afghanistan. "Beyond the River" was in dire need of such specialists.
Lebed chose a non-shooting specialty. But war changes the rules of the game. And during the fighting, various troops often depend on each other. The young officer wanted to get into the sky and hit. He was a persistent man.
The flight mechanic will tell you about the state of the helicopter by the sound of the engine. Each rotorcraft has its own character. The flight mechanic is obliged to respect her no worse than the mood of his beloved wife or, even more so, mother-in-law.
Swan in Afghanistan.
An experienced flight engineer sees all the changes in the sensors. He does not wait for questions, but he himself prompts the commander about the state of fuel consumption, temperature conditions and other flight parameters. "Bortach" loves his car like his own child, listens to it attentively.
1987 Already Afghanistan. He recalled that these years were the best in his service. Seven hundred sorties were made by Lebed in Afghanistan. They shot down several times, sometimes they returned home at a height of 20 meters, they shot at point-blank range with dushmans, the blades and the car were shot through. But they arrived.
The young officer was lucky. He got into the crew of Nikolai Maidanov. Maidanov became famous when he ended up in Afghanistan. His name was "Kolya the Lucky". He is alone in the military aviation Hero Soviet Union and Hero of Russia. Killed in Chechnya. How many good guys lay down there.
But "beyond the river", luck smiled at him. He went to the caravan with amazing accuracy, regularly, as if on schedule. Lebed knew that luck is a prepared situation, carefully calculated by the pilot and crew.
Special Forces of the Airborne Forces in Poti.
Maidanov made one and a half thousand sorties in Afghanistan. In most of which our hero took part. An amphibious landing in a movie is not the same as in real life. There, trained paratroopers pour into the open hatch, and in life the flight mechanic is the first to jump.
He must see where the "turntable" sits - what if he sits on his belly, or the ground floats? Anatoly always jumped first. And he often left with the landing force to work on the ground. In Afghanistan, his name was Rimbaud. He took part in the destruction of a large caravan for 203 pack places with weapons.
4 turntables worked in the sky, then 8. The battle went on for ten hours. And Lebed received the first military order of the Red Star. Later there were more awards, more fights. Returning to his homeland, he received a direction to Germany, where our troops were stationed.
The swan demonstrates his car.
With my beloved dog.
The troops stationed in German soil were considered the elite. Everyone wanted to go there. But the demand was great. Daily combat training, training, dropping skydivers, their jumps. Often held exercises with the Germans. But all good things come to an end quickly.
In 1994 the troops were withdrawn from Germany. The regiment was imprisoned in Berdsk, where the grass is waist-deep, and there is no place for helicopters. And Anatoly realized that the service, the one to which he gave his all, was over. No fuel, no flights, no salary, no housing.
In a country where "democracy" was gaining strength, there is no longer an army. He was entitled to a military pension. And he retired from the army. Little is known about the life of our hero "in civilian life". He liked to just work - to fight or prepare for war.
The swan leaves for Yugoslavia. They themselves made the decision. Who are they? Russian officers. Brothers in arms. Not vertical, but friendly ties create a microclimate of military brotherhood.
He is respected by everyone who has marked himself in the Balkans. For what? Nobody reveals the details. They know how to keep their secrets. But a reservation in an interview for Ogonyok can explain a lot: military intelligence under the force of work in the mountain-forest area, in the desert, in the Balkans and in Chechnya.
Who was our hero in the war? Business trip ended Balkan war- flew to the mountainous Dagestan. Why did he do it? And again he is busy with his work. After a five-year break, he is taken to the special forces of the Airborne Forces. It must be understood that the doors are never closed for him.
He stayed in Chechen Republic until 2005. Dozens of special operations in a warring republic. In battle, he stepped on a mine. The half-boot was torn off along with the foot. But I've seen worse from others. Consider yourself lucky. The helicopter was unable to pick him up from the battlefield.
The friends carried their comrade in a cape for several hours to the ambulance. An operation was performed at the Khankala hospital. Amputated foot. Already in the Moscow hospital, the leg was cut, sewn, altered. Learned to walk on a prosthesis.
The forty-year-old officer continued his journey in the mountains of Chechnya. He ran with everyone together, went down by parachute. No one noticed that the fighter is one-legged.
He took part in the liquidation of the gang of Ruslan Gelaev. For two weeks the scouts were looking for the gang. They found the squad and destroyed it. Two weeks later, Anatoly was wounded in the lower back, but the spine was not hurt. He didn't get out of the fight. The Lord kept him in the war.
He often said that he rarely gave orders. He is more interested in participating with the group in battles. In 2005 Lebed became the Hero of Russia. And again he left for the war zone. In Tskhinval there was an operation to enforce peace. In the face of a loss of communication, thanks to American jammers, the airborne intelligence officers were forced to make the right decision.
They disarmed the Georgian part, seized the airfield, port, ships at the pier. The infrastructure of the Georgian military was almost completely destroyed. He believed that any opponent underestimated the Russian soldier when he had a Kalashnikov assault rifle in his hands, a convenient close combat weapon.
Anatoly was outwardly a bit like a devil. Short stature, the figure consists of only muscles, a characteristic break in the eyebrows, a shaved skull and a goatee. The black Mazda 6 completes the look. There was something attractive about this one-legged man. He could not be a peaceful person. Russian Rimbaud, man-war.
Anatoly Lebed died in Moscow, near Sokolniki Park, unable to control the bike. How strange...
And during the Battle of Stalingrad - in the Marine Corps. The military past of his father was one of the main reasons that pushed Anatoly to serve in the army.
On June 25, 2003, in the mountains near Ulus-Kert, Anatoly Lebed hit a mine in the Argun Gorge, as a result of which his right foot was amputated. The command went to meet the combat officer and allowed him to continue serving with a prosthesis.
On January 9, 2005, he personally destroyed three militants in an unequal battle and thereby saved his wounded comrades. In one of the subsequent battles on January 24, he covered a wounded private from a grenade launcher with his own body. Having received a slight shrapnel wound in the lower back, he continued to command the head patrol. As a result of that battle, the militants' base was captured and Shamil Basayev's contact was destroyed.
By the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of April 6, 2005, for the courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty in the North Caucasus region, Captain Lebed Anatoly Vyacheslavovich was awarded the title
Anatoly Vyacheslavovich Lebed(Valga - Moscow) - officer of the 45th separate guards orders of Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky reconnaissance regiment special purpose, Guard Lieutenant Colonel special forces of the Airborne Forces, Hero of the Russian Federation (2005), holder of the Order of St. George IV degree (2008).
Biography
Father, Vyacheslav Lebed, went through the entire Great Patriotic War. He served in the Northern Fleet, and during the Battle of Stalingrad - in the marines.
Anatoly has been in the Armed Forces since 1981.
He served in the Airborne Forces. Then he graduated from the Lomonosov Military Aviation Technical School in 1986 with the rank of lieutenant and fought in 1986-1987. in Afghanistan, as part of the 239th separate helicopter squadron of the Air Force, he flew sorties as a flight engineer for the MI-8 helicopter.
He served in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, the Trans-Baikal and Siberian military districts - in the 329th transport and combat helicopter regiment and the 337th separate helicopter regiment.
In 1994, he retired from the reserve, worked in the fund of veterans of Afghanistan in the Moscow region.
As a volunteer, he fought in the Balkans for the Serbs, but he did not talk about this period of his life.
Since November 1999, he participated in the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus. Having bought all the necessary equipment, he flew to Makhachkala as a volunteer to protect Dagestan from the attack of militants. He was assigned to the consolidated police detachment.
When the military operation moved to the territory of Chechnya, he went to Moscow and signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense, after which he returned to the war with the rank of senior lieutenant. Served as deputy commander of the reconnaissance group of the 218th battalion of the 45th separate regiment special purpose of the Airborne Forces in the area of Gudermes, Argun, in the suburbs of Grozny, in the Vedeno district.
On June 25, 2003, in the mountains near Ulus-Kert, Anatoly Lebed hit a mine in the Argun Gorge, as a result of which his right foot was amputated. The command went to meet the combat officer and allowed him to continue serving with a prosthesis.
On January 9, 2005, he personally destroyed three militants in an unequal battle and thereby saved his wounded comrades. In one of the subsequent battles on January 24, he covered a wounded private from a grenade launcher with his own body. Having received a slight shrapnel wound in the lower back, he continued to command the head patrol. As a result of that battle, the militants' base was captured and Shamil Basayev's contact was destroyed. By the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of April 6, 2005, for the courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty in the North Caucasus region, Captain Lebed Anatoly Vyacheslavovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
In 2008, he participated in hostilities with Georgia in the Abkhaz direction. He was part of a group that captured the naval base in Poti and sank boats of the Georgian Navy. For the successful completion of assignments, he was awarded the Order of St. George IV degree, the second after the commander of the North Caucasian Military District - Sergei Makarov.
President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev, during the award ceremony on October 1, 2008, said:
“Among us is also an officer of the special forces of the Airborne Forces, Hero of the Russian Federation Anatoly Vyacheslavovich Lebed. During military operations, he was at the forefront of the attack and invariably demonstrated examples of personal courage.
Doom
On April 27, 2012, Anatoly Lebed crashed in front of the gates of Sokolniki Park in Moscow, getting into an accident. The accident occurred at about 5:45 pm at the intersection of Bogorodskoye Highway with Maisky Prosek and Oleny Proyezd. The swan lost control of the motorcycle and crashed into a curb. He died on the spot from his wounds. He was buried on the Alley of Heroes of the Preobrazhensky cemetery in Moscow. In July 2013, a monument was erected on the grave of the paratrooper, made at the expense of his colleagues and veterans. airborne troops Russia.
Memory
In honor of Anatoly Lebed, hand-to-hand combat and mixed martial arts tournaments are held in different cities of Russia.
Awards
- Hero of the Russian Federation (April 6, 2005) - for courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty in the North Caucasus region
- Order of St. George IV degree No. 003 (2008)
- Three Orders of Courage
- Three Orders of the Red Star
- Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" III degree
- Medals
- Nominal melee weapons.
Quotes
“If you start thinking about the global, you will forget about those with whom you complete the task - ten to fifteen people, right? This is what the Motherland is like.”
Hero of Russia Anatoly Lebed in an interview with the Russia channel, Vesti Nedeli
“Judging by the reasons for their defeat, the Georgians are well prepared, but preparation for war will not always be able to help in a real battle, one must also be able to use this preparation. I think their problem is that their modern rulers never had fighting spirit and they just don't know what it's like to be at war with another people."
“- You met with Vladimir Putin when he handed you the Hero's star, and then, last year, with Dmitry Medvedev, when you were awarded for Georgia. What were they talking about? - Congratulations. Did you talk about problems? - Putin asked: "Where do you live?" I said: "In the hostel." Him: "Understood." Did they give you an apartment after that? “After that, four years later.”
Anatoly Vyacheslavovich Lebed (May 10 ( 19630510 ) , Valga - April 27, Moscow) - officer of the 45th separate guards orders of Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky special purpose reconnaissance regiment, guard lieutenant colonel of the special forces of the Airborne Forces, Hero of the Russian Federation (), holder of the Order of St. George IV degree ().
Biography
Anatoly Lebed was born on May 10, 1963 in the city of Valga, Estonian SSR. Anatoly's father, Vyacheslav Andreyevich Lebed, went through the entire Great Patriotic War. He served in the Northern Fleet, and during the Battle of Stalingrad, in the marines. The military past of his father was one of the main reasons that pushed Anatoly to serve in the army.
Doom
On April 27, 2012, Anatoly Lebed crashed in front of the gates of Sokolniki Park in Moscow, getting into an accident. The accident occurred at about 5:45 pm at the intersection of Bogorodskoye Highway with Maisky Prosek and Oleny Proyezd. The swan lost control of the motorcycle and crashed into a curb. He died on the spot from his wounds. He was buried on the Alley of Heroes of the Preobrazhensky cemetery in Moscow. In July 2013, a monument was erected on the grave of the paratrooper, made at the expense of his colleagues and veterans of the Russian airborne troops.
Memory
In honor of Anatoly Lebed, hand-to-hand combat and mixed martial arts tournaments are held in different cities of Russia. In memory of Anatoly Lebed, the Union of Russian Paratroopers established the Anatoly Lebed medal.
Awards
Quotes
“If you start thinking about the global, you will forget about those with whom you complete the task - ten to fifteen people, right? This is what the Motherland is like.”
Hero of Russia Anatoly Lebed in an interview with the Russia channel, Vesti Nedeli
“Judging by the reasons for their defeat, the Georgians are well prepared, but preparation for war will not always be able to help in a real battle, one must also be able to use this preparation. I think their problem is that their modern rulers never had a fighting spirit and they just don't know what it's like to go to war with another people."
“- You met with Vladimir Putin when he handed you the Hero's star, and then, last year, with Dmitry Medvedev, when you were awarded for Georgia. What were they talking about? - Congratulations. Did you talk about problems? - Putin asked: "Where do you live?" I said: "In a hostel." Him: "Understood." Did they give you an apartment after that? “After that, four years later.”
"Shoulder straps do not give discounts when performing a combat mission."
- // Anatoly Lebed. Dossier of Russian Rambo. Doc. movie. OOO "Studio Plus" 2014
I asked him why he climbed into the war again, for which he was freezing in the mountains and risking his life, because he paid “his debt to the Motherland” back in Afghanistan. “If a bandit has taken a weapon in his hands, and kills, appropriates someone else's, he must be destroyed immediately. Yes, here in the mountains, otherwise he will feel impunity and come out to rob in the center of Moscow. The militant must know: he did evil, it will not work to hide, we will find him, and he will have to answer in an adult way. You understand, the more we crush at the top, the fewer of them will go down to the cities, ”Swan answered.
Farukshin Ryan. "Hero of Russia Anatoly Lebed"
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Notes
Literature
- Farukshin R.// Brother: Monthly magazine of special forces units. - M .: LLC "Vityaz-Brother", 2012. - No. 08. - S. 6-11.
Links
. Site "Heroes of the Country".
- Vorobyov V. // Russian newspaper. - 2005, May 6. - No. 3764 .(report on awarding Captain A.V. Lebed with the star of the Hero of the Russian Federation on May 6, 2005).
- Baranets V. // TVNZ. - 2007, November 15.
- Ryzhkin S.. Sampressa (April 6, 2007). - interview with A. Lebed. Retrieved April 28, 2012. .
- Vinnichenko M.. Ruza.Ru: Information and reference portal of the Ruza region (March 10, 2006). Retrieved April 28, 2012. .
- Allenova O., Varyvdin M.// Twinkle: log. - 2010. - No. 29 (5138), July 26.
- Alexander Karpenko.
- Memories of a fellow soldier.
An excerpt characterizing Lebed, Anatoly Vyacheslavovich
The countess exchanged glances with Anna Mikhailovna. Anna Mikhaylovna realized that she was being asked to keep this young man busy, and, sitting down beside him, she began to talk about her father; but, like the countess, he answered her only in monosyllables. The guests were all busy with each other. Les Razoumovsky… ca a ete charmant… Vous etes bien bonne… La comtesse Apraksine… [The Razumovskys… It was delightful… You are very kind… Countess Apraksina…] was heard from all sides. The Countess got up and went into the hall.— Marya Dmitrievna? – I heard her voice from the hall.
“She’s the best,” a rough female voice was heard in response, and after that Marya Dmitrievna entered the room.
All the young ladies and even the ladies, except for the oldest ones, stood up. Marya Dmitrievna stopped at the door and, from the height of her corpulent body, holding high her fifty-year-old head with gray curls, looked around the guests and, as if rolling up, unhurriedly straightened the wide sleeves of her dress. Marya Dmitrievna always spoke Russian.
“Dear birthday girl with children,” she said in her loud, thick voice that overwhelms all other sounds. “Are you an old sinner,” she turned to the count, who was kissing her hand, “do you miss tea in Moscow?” Where to run the dogs? But what, father, to do, this is how these birds will grow up ... - She pointed to the girls. - Whether you like it or not, you need to look for suitors.
- Well, what, my Cossack? (Marya Dmitrievna called Natasha a Cossack) - she said, caressing Natasha with her hand, who approached her hand without fear and cheerfully. - I know that the potion is a girl, but I love it.
She took out pear-shaped yakhon earrings from her huge reticule and, giving them to Natasha, who was beaming and flushed with a birthday, immediately turned away from her and turned to Pierre.
– Eh, eh! kind! come here,” she said in a mockingly quiet and thin voice. - Come on, my dear...
And she rolled up her sleeves menacingly even higher.
Pierre came up, naively looking at her through his glasses.
"Come, come, dear!" I told your father the truth alone, when he happened to be, and then God commands you.
She paused. Everyone was silent, waiting for what was to come, and feeling that there was only a preface.
- Okay, nothing to say! good boy! ... The father lies on the bed, and he amuses himself, he puts the quarter on a bear on horseback. Shame on you, dad, shame on you! Better to go to war.
She turned away and offered her hand to the count, who could hardly help laughing.
- Well, well, to the table, I have tea, is it time? said Marya Dmitrievna.
The count went ahead with Marya Dmitrievna; then the countess, who was led by a hussar colonel, right person, with which Nicholas had to catch up with the regiment. Anna Mikhailovna is with Shinshin. Berg offered his hand to Vera. Smiling Julie Karagina went with Nikolai to the table. Behind them came other couples, stretching across the hall, and behind them all alone, children, tutors and governesses. The waiters stirred, chairs rattled, music played in the choir stalls, and the guests settled in. The sounds of the count's home music were replaced by the sounds of knives and forks, the voices of guests, the quiet footsteps of waiters.
At one end of the table, the countess sat at the head. On the right is Marya Dmitrievna, on the left is Anna Mikhailovna and other guests. At the other end sat a count, on the left a hussar colonel, on the right Shinshin and other male guests. On one side of the long table, older youth: Vera next to Berg, Pierre next to Boris; on the other hand, children, tutors and governesses. From behind the crystal, bottles and vases of fruit, the count glanced at his wife and her high cap with blue ribbons and diligently poured wine to his neighbors, not forgetting himself. The Countess, also, because of the pineapples, not forgetting her duties as a hostess, threw significant glances at her husband, whose bald head and face, it seemed to her, were sharply distinguished by their redness from gray hair. There was a regular babble at the ladies' end; voices were heard louder and louder on the male, especially the hussar colonel, who ate and drank so much, blushing more and more that the count already set him as an example to other guests. Berg, with a gentle smile, spoke to Vera about the fact that love is a feeling not earthly, but heavenly. Boris called his new friend Pierre the guests who were at the table and exchanged glances with Natasha, who was sitting opposite him. Pierre spoke little, looked at new faces and ate a lot. Starting from two soups, from which he chose a la tortue, [turtle,] and kulebyaki, and up to grouse, he did not miss a single dish and not a single wine, which the butler in a bottle wrapped in a napkin mysteriously protruded from his neighbor’s shoulder, saying or “drey Madeira, or Hungarian, or Rhine wine. He substituted the first of the four crystal glasses with the count's monogram, which stood in front of each device, and drank with pleasure, looking more and more pleasantly at the guests. Natasha, who was sitting opposite him, looked at Boris, as girls of thirteen look at the boy with whom they had just kissed for the first time and with whom they are in love. This same look of hers sometimes turned to Pierre, and under the look of this funny, lively girl he wanted to laugh himself, not knowing why.
Nikolai was sitting far away from Sonya, next to Julie Karagina, and again, with the same involuntary smile, he spoke something to her. Sonya smiled grandly, but apparently she was tormented by jealousy: she turned pale, then blushed, and with all her might listened to what Nikolai and Julie were saying to each other. The governess looked around uneasily, as if preparing herself for a rebuff, if anyone thought of offending the children. The German tutor tried to memorize the categories of foods, desserts and wines in order to describe everything in detail in a letter to his family in Germany, and was very offended by the fact that the butler, with a bottle wrapped in a napkin, surrounded him. The German frowned, tried to show that he did not want to receive this wine, but was offended because no one wanted to understand that he needed wine not to quench his thirst, not out of greed, but out of conscientious curiosity.
At the male end of the table the conversation became more and more lively. The colonel said that the manifesto declaring war had already been published in Petersburg, and that the copy, which he himself had seen, had now been delivered by courier to the commander-in-chief.
- And why is it difficult for us to fight with Bonaparte? Shinshin said. - II a deja rabattu le caquet a l "Autriche. Je crains, que cette fois ce ne soit notre tour. [He has already knocked down arrogance from Austria. I'm afraid our turn would not come now.]
The colonel was a stout, tall and sanguine German, obviously a campaigner and a patriot. He was offended by Shinshin's words.
“And then, we are a fat sovereign,” he said, pronouncing e instead of e and b instead of b. - Then, that the emperor knows this. He said in his manifesto that he cannot look indifferently at the danger, threatening Russia And what is the safety of the empire, its dignity and the holiness of alliances, - he said, for some reason especially leaning on the word "unions", as if this was the whole essence of the matter.
And with his infallible, official memory, he repeated the introductory words of the manifesto ... “and the desire, the sole and indispensable goal of the sovereign, is to establish peace in Europe on solid grounds - they decided to send part of the army now abroad and make new efforts to achieve“ this intention “.
“Here’s why, we are a worthy sovereign,” he concluded, instructively drinking a glass of wine and looking back at the count for encouragement.
- Connaissez vous le proverbe: [You know the proverb:] “Yerema, Yerema, if you would sit at home, sharpen your spindles,” said Shinshin, wincing and smiling. – Cela nous convient a merveille. [This is by the way for us.] Why Suvorov - and he was split, a plate couture, [on the head,] and where are our Suvorovs now? Je vous demande un peu, [I ask you] - constantly jumping from Russian to French he said.
“We must fight until the day after the drop of blood,” said the colonel, banging on the table, “and die rrret for our emperor, and then everything will be fine.” And to argue as much as possible (he especially drew out his voice on the word “possible”), as little as possible,” he finished, again turning to the count. - So we judge the old hussars, that's all. And how do you judge, young man and young hussar? he added, turning to Nikolai, who, hearing that the matter was about the war, left his interlocutor and looked with all his eyes and listened with all his ears to the colonel.
“I completely agree with you,” answered Nikolai, flushing all over, turning the plate and rearranging the glasses with such a determined and desperate look, as if at the present moment he was in great danger, “I am convinced that the Russians must die or win,” he said, himself feeling as well as others, after the word had already been said, that it was too enthusiastic and pompous for the present occasion and therefore awkward.
- C "est bien beau ce que vous venez de dire, [Wonderful! What you said is wonderful,] said Julie, who was sitting next to him, sighing. Sonya trembled all over and blushed to her ears, behind her ears and to her neck and shoulders, while Nikolai spoke. Pierre listened to the colonel's speeches and nodded his head approvingly.
“That's nice,” he said.
“A real hussar, young man,” the colonel shouted, striking the table again.
- What are you talking about there? Marya Dmitrievna's bass voice was suddenly heard across the table. What are you banging on the table for? she turned to the hussar, “who are you getting excited about? right, you think that the French are in front of you?
"I'm telling the truth," said the hussar, smiling.
“It’s all about the war,” the count shouted across the table. “After all, my son is coming, Marya Dmitrievna, my son is coming.
- And I have four sons in the army, but I don’t grieve. Everything is the will of God: you will die lying on the stove, and God will have mercy in battle, ”the thick voice of Marya Dmitrievna sounded without any effort, from the other end of the table.
- This is true.
And the conversation again focused - the ladies at their end of the table, the men at theirs.
“But you won’t ask,” the little brother said to Natasha, “but you won’t ask!”
“I’ll ask,” Natasha answered.
Her face suddenly flared up, expressing a desperate and cheerful determination. She half rose, inviting Pierre, who was sitting opposite her, to listen with a glance, and turned to her mother:
- Mother! her childlike chest voice sounded all over the table.
- What do you want? the countess asked frightened, but, seeing from her daughter's face that it was a prank, she waved her hand sternly, making a threatening and negative gesture with her head.
The conversation hushed.
- Mother! what cake will it be? - Natasha's voice sounded even more resolutely, without breaking.
The Countess wanted to frown, but she couldn't. Marya Dmitrievna shook her thick finger.
“Cossack,” she said threateningly.
Most of the guests looked at the elders, unsure how to take this stunt.
- Here I am! said the Countess.
- Mother! what will the cake be? Natasha shouted already boldly and capriciously cheerfully, confident in advance that her trick would be well received.
Sonya and fat Petya were hiding from laughter.
“So I asked,” Natasha whispered to her little brother and Pierre, whom she looked at again.
“Ice cream, but they won’t give you,” said Marya Dmitrievna.
Natasha saw that there was nothing to be afraid of, and therefore she was not afraid of Marya Dmitrievna either.
— Marya Dmitrievna? what an ice cream! I don't like butter.
- Carrot.
– No, what? Marya Dmitrievna, which one? she almost screamed. - I want to know!
Marya Dmitrievna and the countess laughed, and all the guests followed. Everyone laughed not at Marya Dmitrievna's answer, but at the incomprehensible courage and dexterity of this girl, who knew how and dared to treat Marya Dmitrievna in this way.
Natasha lagged behind only when she was told that there would be pineapple. Champagne was served before ice cream. Again the music began to play, the count kissed the countess, and the guests, rising, congratulated the countess, clinked glasses across the table with the count, the children, and each other. Again the waiters ran in, the chairs rattled, and in the same order, but with redder faces, the guests returned to the drawing room and the count's study.
The Boston tables were moved apart, parties were made up, and the count's guests were accommodated in two living rooms, a sofa room and a library.
The count, spreading his cards like a fan, could hardly resist the habit of an afternoon nap and laughed at everything. The youth, incited by the countess, gathered around the clavichord and harp. Julie was the first, at the request of everyone, to play a piece with variations on the harp and, together with other girls, began to ask Natasha and Nikolai, known for their musicality, to sing something. Natasha, who was addressed as a big one, was apparently very proud of this, but at the same time she was shy.
- What are we going to sing? she asked.
“The key,” answered Nikolai.
- Well, let's hurry. Boris, come here, - said Natasha. - Where is Sonya?
She looked around and, seeing that her friend was not in the room, ran after her.
Running into Sonya's room and not finding her friend there, Natasha ran into the nursery - and Sonya was not there. Natasha realized that Sonya was in the corridor on a chest. The chest in the corridor was the place of sorrows of the female young generation of the Rostovs' house. Indeed, Sonya, in her airy pink dress, crushing it, lay face down on the dirty striped nanny's featherbed, on the chest, and, covering her face with her fingers, wept bitterly, trembling with her bare shoulders. Natasha's face, lively, all day long, suddenly changed: her eyes stopped, then her broad neck shuddered, the corners of her lips drooped.
– Sonya! what are you?… What, what is the matter with you? Woo woo!…
And Natasha, spreading her big mouth and becoming completely ugly, roared like a child, not knowing the reason and only because Sonya was crying. Sonya wanted to raise her head, wanted to answer, but she could not and hid even more. Natasha was crying, sitting down on a blue featherbed and hugging her friend. Gathering her strength, Sonya got up, began to wipe her tears and tell.