Son of Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko. Lyudmila Pavlichenko

The first Soviet woman to visit the White House. The American press called her "Lady Death". Woody Guthrie dedicated a song to her. She stood in front of a crowd of journalists in Chicago and said in clear English: “Gentlemen, I am 25 years old. At the front, I had already managed to destroy 309 fascist invaders. Don’t you think, gentlemen, that you’ve been hiding behind my back for too long?!” Lyudmila Pavlichenko is the only female sniper who was awarded the Gold Star medal and the title Hero of the Soviet Union during her lifetime. Her name scared the invaders.

During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) throughout the Soviet Union and on all fronts, citizens and soldiers repeated the name of the Soviet heroine, the best sniper in the Soviet Union - Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko. Her name made its way across the Soviet border to the Allies and also to the Nazis, who secretly tried to kill her.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko was born in 1916 in the Ukrainian city of Bila Tserkva. Her father was a military man, and her mother was an English teacher. When she was 14 years old, her family moved to Kyiv, where Lyudmila continued her studies in high school. She entered the history department of Kyiv State University, and then completed a graduate internship at the Odessa Museum, where she wrote a diploma on the achievements of the hetman of the Cossack army Bohdan Khmelnytsky (1595-1657). Then the Great Patriotic War broke out. The Nazi army invaded across the western borders of the Soviet Union. Lyudmila thought about her sniper abilities: even while studying in Kyiv, she easily defeated her classmates in shooting.

Context

Sniper Lyudmila and a film about her

Battle for Sevastopol

“At first they didn’t accept female volunteers and I had to try all sorts of ways to become a soldier,” said Lyudmila. At the front, she again drew the attention of the command to her abilities. She was calm, and the invading soldiers fell from her bullets one after another. Having received the appropriate order from the field command post, she was officially assigned to the sniper squad. Lieutenant Lyudmila Pavlichenko fought the Nazi advance in the ranks of the 25th Infantry Division. One of the legendary divisions of the Red Army fought on the Moldavian front and took part in the defense of the city of Odessa.

They spent 255 days and nights at the front without a break. The occupiers gradually advanced and penetrated deeper into Soviet territory until they reached Sevastopol on the Black Sea. The female sniper left her military unit for the front every night before dawn, regardless of the weather. She was waiting for the right moment to kill her enemy.

Many times, in the midst of battles with the Nazi enemy, she killed Nazi snipers, thereby saving the lives of hundreds of Soviet soldiers.

A year after the start of hostilities, Lyudmila killed 308 Nazi officers and soldiers, including 36 snipers. This is the best achievement of a female sniper in the Soviet Union.

The cruelty of the Nazis and the murder of women and children strengthened Lyudmila’s determination.

“From the moment the fascists broke through the borders of my country, one thought was spinning in my head: defeat the enemy. By killing Nazis, I save lives." This is how female sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko talked about her unusual military service.

In 2015, in honor of the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Russian-Ukrainian military drama film “The Battle of Sevastopol” directed by Sergei Mokritsky was released.

The film tells the story of sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko. Events take place in different Soviet and American cities. Work on the film took more than two years. The film "Battle for Sevastopol" was shown on state television in Russia and Ukraine on Victory Day, May 9.

The film's script was written based on the idea of ​​Yegor Olesov and based on the book by Lyudmila Pavlichenko herself, “Heroic Reality: Defense of Sevastopol 1941-1942,” which was published in 1958.

The director of the film, Sergei Mokritsky, wrote the script together with Maxim Budarin and Leonid Korin. And the role of Pavlichenko was played by the young Russian actress Yulia Peresild.

The film lasts 120 minutes, and the budget was five million dollars. It was nominated for awards at various Russian and international film festivals. Film critics in Russia and Ukraine did not stop writing rave reviews, especially after the film was released on Ukrainian television under the title “Unbroken.”

In 2015, the film “The Battle of Sevastopol” received the Golden Eagle award at the 14th Film Awards. The official soundtrack for the film was written and performed by the National Honored Academic Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. The film also featured the song “Obiymi” by the famous Ukrainian musician Svyatoslav Vakarchuk and the song “Cuckoo” by Viktor Tsoi performed by the young Russian singer Polina Gagarina.

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“Comrade Pavlichenko has perfectly studied the habits of the enemy and mastered sniper tactics. A historian by education, a warrior by mentality, she fights with all the fervor of her young heart,” the press wrote about her. Almost all the prisoners captured near Sevastopol spoke with a feeling of animal fear about the girl, who in their imagination seemed like something inhuman.

Shortly before the fall of Sevastopol, in June 1942, Lyudmila was seriously wounded. She was evacuated by sea. She was later sent with an official delegation to the United States and Canada to persuade the Allies to speed up the opening of a second front and fight Nazi Germany in Europe.

During this tour, Lyudmila met with US President Franklin Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor, who invited Lyudmila to live in the White House. Later, Eleanor Roosevelt invited Lyudmila to go on a joint trip around the country. From the moment she arrived in America, the press called her "Lady of Death."

American journalists besieged Lyudmila from all sides. They threatened to meet her at a press conference in Chicago and ask awkward questions that she would not be able to answer. Before the press conference, a member of the Soviet delegation gave her papers that spelled out what she needed to talk about. They were about the heroes of the Soviet Union and Joseph Stalin, and also about the fact that the USSR was asking the allies to open a second front. However, Lyudmila calmly looked at the assembled journalists, holding papers in her hands. And then she said the famous phrase in clear English, which the world still remembers: “Gentlemen, I am twenty-five years old. At the front, I had already managed to destroy 309 fascist invaders. Don’t you think, gentlemen, that you’ve been hiding behind my back for too long?!”

Lyudmila finished her speech and stared at the faces. Those gathered in the hall froze for a moment, and then burst into a storm of applause. Nobody asked anything else. The Soviet heroine left an indelible impression on American society. American pop singer Woody Guthrie wrote a song about her called “Miss Pavlichenko”. Guthrie met Lyudmila in Chicago. He played this song for her and she was impressed.

Great War Heroine

After she returned to the USSR, she was promoted to the rank of major. She worked as an instructor at a sniper school that trained dozens of Soviet snipers in subsequent years.

On October 25, 1943, Lyudmila was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. She is the only female sniper who was awarded this title during her lifetime.

After the end of the war in 1945, Lyudmila defended her diploma at Kiev State University. Until 1953, she worked as a senior researcher at the General Staff of the USSR Navy, and then went to work at the Soviet Committee of War Veterans.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko died on October 27, 1974 in Moscow and was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.

Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko - sniper of the 54th Infantry Regiment (25th Infantry Division (Chapaevskaya), Primorsky Army, North Caucasus Front), lieutenant.

Born on June 29 (July 12), 1916 in the village of Belaya Tserkov, now a city in the Kyiv region of Ukraine, in the family of an employee. Russian. Graduated from the 4th year of Kyiv State University.

A participant in the Great Patriotic War since June 1941, she was a volunteer. Member of the CPSU(b)/CPSU since 1945. As part of the Chapaev division, it participated in defensive battles in Moldova and southern Ukraine. For her good training, she was assigned to a sniper platoon. From August 10, 1941, as part of the division, it participated in the defense of Odessa. In mid-October 1941, the troops of the Primorsky Army were forced to leave Odessa and evacuate to Crimea to strengthen the defense of the city of Sevastopol, the naval base of the Black Sea Fleet.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko spent 250 days and nights in heavy and heroic battles near Sevastopol. She, together with the soldiers of the Primorsky Army and the sailors of the Black Sea Fleet, courageously defended the city of Russian military glory.

By June 1942, Lyudmila Pavlichenko killed 309 Nazis with a sniper rifle. She was not only an excellent sniper, but also an excellent teacher. During the period of defensive battles, she trained dozens of good snipers, who, following her example, exterminated more than one hundred Nazis.

In June 1942 she was seriously wounded. She was evacuated from besieged Sevastopol to the Caucasus, and then completely recalled from the front line and sent along with a delegation of Soviet youth to Canada and the United States of America. During her visit overseas, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, together with the secretary of the Moscow city committee of the Komsomol Nikolai Krasavchenko and sniper Hero of the Soviet Union, attended a reception with US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. At the invitation of US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, members of the Soviet delegation lived for some time in the White House. Later, Eleanor Roosevelt organized a tour of the country for Soviet representatives. L.M. Pavlichenko gave a speech before the International Student Assembly in Washington, before the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in New York, but many remembered her words spoken in Chicago.

“Gentlemen,” a ringing voice rang out over the crowd of thousands of people gathered. - I am twenty five years old. At the front, I had already managed to destroy three hundred and nine fascist invaders. Don't you think, gentlemen, that you've been hiding behind my back for too long? The crowd froze for a minute and then erupted into a frenzied roar of approval.

American country singer Woody Guthrie wrote the song “Miss Pavlichenko” about her. In Canada, the Soviet military delegation was greeted by several thousand Canadians gathered at the Toronto Joint Station.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 25, 1943, for the exemplary fulfillment of command assignments on the front in the fight against the German invaders and the courage and heroism shown to Lieutenant Pavlichenko Lyudmila Mikhailovna awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

In 1943 she graduated from the Shot course.

After the war, in 1945 she graduated from Kiev State University. In 1945-1953 she was a research fellow at the General Staff of the Navy. With the rank of major in the coastal service, she was transferred to the reserve. She participated in many international congresses and conferences and did a lot of work in the Soviet War Veterans Committee.

She was awarded 2 Orders of Lenin (07/16/1942; 10/25/1943), medals, including “For Military Merit”.

In the city of Belaya Tserkov, a street was named after Pavlichenko, a memorial plaque was installed on the facade of school No. 3, where she studied, and a memorial plaque was installed in the Park of Glory on the Alley of Heroes. The name of the Heroine was given to the ship of the Ministry of Fisheries. A street in Sevastopol is named after L.M. Pavlichenko, at the beginning of which there is an annotation board. In Odessa, a memorial plaque was installed on the building where she worked in 1941.

Essays:
Heroic story. Moscow, 1960.

Biography, life story of Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko

Front

With the beginning of the war, Lyudmila, who was doing an internship in one of the Odessa libraries, went to the military registration and enlistment office. She ended up in the most famous formation of the Red Army, namely the 25th Chapaev Rifle Division, units of which very soon had to take on the main burden of defending Odessa from the advancing Germans and Romanians. Pre-war marksmanship training, coupled with excellent hearing and vision, as well as unusually developed intuition, allowed her to very quickly become the most effective sniper. In the first few months of the war, she managed to destroy about two hundred enemy soldiers and officers. Since the count of those killed was replenished almost daily, very soon rumors began to circulate on the other side of the front about the extraordinary abilities of a female sniper, capable of hearing any rustle half a kilometer away, killing 10 people in one shot, and also sneaking up absolutely unnoticed directly to the German trenches, and then unnoticed hide.

Despite Lyudmila's successes, in the fall of 1941, Soviet troops were evacuated to Crimea to defend Sevastopol. The main base of the Black Sea Fleet was under threat of capture by the Germans under the command of Mantstein. In Crimea, a “cold-blooded killing machine” fell in love with his partner Leonid Kutsenko. In December, the couple applied for marriage registration. Unfortunately, this event was not destined to happen. In March 1942, the future newlyweds were discovered by the Germans and attacked with mortars. Leonid was seriously wounded from one of the mines and subsequently died in hospital a few days later. Because of this tragedy, Lyudmila’s hands began to tremble, but she managed to cope with it, after which her personal account again began to be intensively replenished. A considerable part of the killed Nazis were the best snipers of the Wehrmacht. According to some reports, there were several dozen such duels. They all ended in Lyudmila's victory.

CONTINUED BELOW

In America

Lyudmila was sent overseas as part of a delegation of Soviet student front-line soldiers. Here she quickly gained fame, since Russian women who personally sent three hundred soldiers to the next world rarely come to the country. Combined with direct behavior in communicating with American journalists, this led not only to popularity, but also to interest from the US leadership. She was received personally by the president of the country, and the girl became friends with his wife Eleanor Roosevelt; this relationship lasted several decades.

The famous phrase, thanks to which Lyudmila Pavlichenko was remembered overseas for decades to come, was uttered in Chicago at one of the many rallies. Her words caused many in the West to change their minds about the war that was raging in the Old World. One of them was the famous country singer Woody Guthrie, who wrote a song in honor of the fearless 25-year-old female sniper.

After the front

Having completed her overseas “tour”, Lyudmila returned to military service, starting to train snipers. At the end of 1943 she became a Hero of the Soviet Union, and two years later she became a major and a history student. After graduating from the university in Kyiv, she remarried and worked for many years as a research assistant at the General Staff of the Navy.

The life of Lyudmila Pavlichenko was cut short on October 27, 1974. The incredible strain of just one year at the front took its toll, as well as repeated wounds and concussions, due to which one of the most successful snipers of the Second World War died at the age of only 58 years.

Born on July 1, 1916 in the village of Belaya Tserkov, now a city in the Kyiv region, in the family of an employee. After graduating from school, she worked for 5 years at the Arsenal plant in Kyiv. Then she graduated from 4 courses at Kyiv State University. While still a student, she graduated from sniper school.

In July 1941, she volunteered for the army. She fought first near Odessa, and then near Sevastopol.

By July 1942, the sniper of the 2nd company of the 54th Infantry Regiment (25th Infantry Division, Primorsky Army, North Caucasus Front) Lieutenant L. M. Pavlichenko destroyed 309 enemy soldiers and officers with a sniper rifle, including 36 snipers.

On October 25, 1943, for courage and military valor shown in battles with enemies, she was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In 1943, Coast Guard Major Lyudmila Pavlichenko completed the Shot course. She no longer took part in hostilities.

In 1945 she graduated from Kiev State University. In 1945 - 1953 she was a research fellow at the General Staff of the Navy. She participated in many international congresses and conferences and did a lot of work in the Soviet War Veterans Committee. Author of the book "Heroic Reality". She died on October 27, 1974. She was buried in Moscow.

Awarded orders: Lenin (twice), medals. The name of the Heroine is given to a vessel of the Marine River Economy.

In the fighting Sevastopol, the name of the sniper of the 25th Chapaev Division Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko was well known. Her enemies also knew her, with whom Sergeant Pavlichenko had his own scores to settle. She was born in the city of Belaya Tserkov, Kyiv region. After graduating from school, she worked for several years at the Kiev Arsenal plant, then entered the history department of Kyiv State University. As a student, she mastered the skill of a sniper at a special school at Osoaviakhim.

She came from Kyiv to Odessa to complete her thesis here on Bogdan Khmelnitsky. She worked in the city scientific library. But the war broke out and Luda volunteered for the army.

The future most successful female sniper received her first baptism of fire near Odessa. Here, in one of the battles, the platoon commander was killed. Lyudmila took command. She rushed to the machine gun, but an enemy shell exploded nearby, and she was shell-shocked. However, Lyudmila did not go to the hospital, she remained in the ranks of the city’s defenders, and boldly defeated the enemy.

In October 1941, the Primorsky Army was transferred to Crimea. For 250 days and nights, in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet, she heroically fought with superior enemy forces and defended Sevastopol.

Every day at 3 o'clock in the morning Lyudmila Pavlichenko usually went out into ambush. She either lay for hours on the wet, damp ground, or hid from the sun so that the enemy would not see. It often happened that in order to shoot for sure, she had to wait a day, or even two.

But the girl, a courageous warrior, knew how to do it. She knew how to endure, knew how to shoot accurately, knew how to camouflage herself, and studied the habits of the enemy. And the number of fascists destroyed by her grew all the time...

The sniper movement developed widely in Sevastopol. Marksmanship specialists were assigned to all parts of the SOR (Sevastopol Defensive Region). With their fire they destroyed many fascist soldiers and officers.

On March 16, 1942, a rally of snipers was held. Vice Admiral Oktyabrsky and General Petrov spoke at it. The report was made by the Chief of Staff of the Army, General - Major Vorobev. Present at this meeting were: member of the Military Council of the Fleet, divisional commissar I. I. Azarov and member of the Military Council of the Primorsky Army, brigade commissar M. G. Kuznetsov.

Snipers, well known in Sevastopol, made heated speeches. Among them was Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko, who had 187 exterminated fascists in Odessa and already 72 in Sevastopol. She pledged to bring the number of killed enemies to 300. The famous sniper Noah Adamia, sergeant of the 7th Marine Brigade, and many also spoke other. They all took obligations to destroy as many fascist invaders as possible and help train new snipers.

The Nazis suffered heavy losses from sniper fire. In April 1942, 1,492 enemies were destroyed, and in just 10 days of May - 1,019.

One day in the spring of 1942, on one of the sectors of the front, a German sniper caused a lot of trouble. It was not possible to eliminate him. Then the command of the unit instructed Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who by that time was already a recognized shooter, to destroy him. Lyudmila established: the enemy sniper acts like this: he crawls out of the trench and approaches, then hits the target and retreats. Pavlichenko took a position and waited. I waited for a long time, but the enemy sniper showed no signs of life. Apparently, he noticed that he was being watched and decided not to rush.

In the evening, Pavlichenko ordered her observer. leave The night has passed. The German was silent. When dawn broke, he began to approach cautiously. She raised the rifle and saw his eyes in the scope. Shot. The enemy fell down dead. She crawled towards him. It was written in his personal book that he was a high-class sniper and during the battles in the west he destroyed about 500 French soldiers and officers.

“A historian by education, a warrior by mentality, she fights with all the fervor of her young heart” - this is what the Krasny Chernomorets newspaper wrote about her on May 3, 1942.

One day Lyudmila entered into single combat with 5 German machine gunners. Only one managed to escape. Another time, a brave girl - warrior and sniper Leonid Kitsenko was tasked with getting to the German command post and destroying the officers there. Having suffered losses, the enemies fired mortars at the area where the snipers were located. But Lyudmila and Leonid, having changed their position, continued to fire accurately. The enemy was forced to abandon his command post.

In the fall of 1942, a delegation of Soviet youth consisting of the Secretary of the Komsomol Committee N. Krasavchenko, L. Pavlichenko and V. Pchelintsev, at the invitation of youth organizations, went to the USA and then to England. At that time, the Allies were greatly concerned about the need to conduct not only military training, but also the spiritual mobilization of youth. The trip was intended to further this goal. At the same time, it was important to establish connections with various foreign youth organizations.

The Soviet people were greeted with extraordinary enthusiasm. Everywhere they were invited to rallies and meetings. Newspapers wrote about our snipers on the front pages. There was a stream of letters and telegrams addressed to the delegation. In the United States, Pavlichenko met with the president's wife. Eleanor Roosevelt was very attentive to Lyudmila.

Both in the USA and in England, the trip of the delegation of Soviet youth received a very big response. For the first time during the war years, the British met representatives of the youth of the fighting Soviet people. Our envoys carried out their high mission with dignity. The speeches of the delegates were full of confidence in victory over fascism. The people who raised such young people cannot be defeated - was the unanimous opinion of the British...

Lyudmila Mikhailovna was distinguished not only by her high sniper skill, but also by her heroism and dedication. She not only destroyed hated enemies herself, but also taught other warriors the art of sniper. She was injured. Her combat score - 309 destroyed enemy soldiers and officers - is the best result among female snipers.

In 1943, the brave girl was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (the only one among female snipers awarded this title during her lifetime. Others were awarded posthumously).

In everyday life, Lyudmila was simple and did not boast of her merits. The Museum of the Armed Forces has an exhibition dedicated to Lyudmila Pavlichenko. There are gifts for the famous female sniper: a rifle, an optical sight and much more. But the most touching gift is an ordinary slingshot from the children.

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Relatives of snipers Lyudmila Pavlichenko revealed the secrets of her biography and spoke about the “Battle for Sevastopol” filmed about her.

The Russian-Ukrainian military drama “The Battle of Sevastopol” attracted a record number of viewers – more than 830 thousand. The film by Sergei Mokritsky, released on the eve of the film, is dedicated to the female sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko. We found her granddaughter in Greece. She told why she was not at her grandmother’s funeral, about the friendship of the Soviet “Lady Death” with Eleanor Roosevelt and for what reasons she cannot return to her homeland.

Lyudmila met her first husband at one of the dance evenings at the cultural center. Alexey Pavlichenko was older, skillfully courted and easily turned the head of a 15-year-old girl. After another evening they ran into the garden. “Alexey took off his jacket and laid it under a large old tree. They sat down next to each other, hugged, and Lyudmila kissed him herself for the first time. The best dancer in the city of Belaya Tserkov (Kyiv region - Ed.) regarded this as a signal for decisive action" (from Alla Begunova's book "Single Shot").

The morning after the night of passion, Alexey left for work in the Kherson region, and two months later it turned out that the girl was pregnant. Parents supported Lyudmila in her decision to give birth, and soon the lovers got married. But the future father did not live in the family. He saw his wife and son only a few months after the baby was born. Lyudmila seemed rather indifferent and soon after this meeting filed for divorce.

“She never talked about her marriage,” says Alla Igorevna Begunova, a historian of the Russian army, a consultant for the film “The Battle of Sevastopol.” – Lyudmila Mikhailovna’s marriage is not reflected in the documents.

Despite such a young age and status as a single mother, Lyudmila was not afraid of difficulties. After heavy household chores and evening school, she went to the factory, where she worked as a grinder. The hands of the future sniper were under cold water for almost the entire shift, which ached his joints.

Dreaming of becoming a research scientist, the girl entered the university at the history department. After passing the next test, I went with my classmates to the park, where there was a mobile shooting range. The very first shots showed that she had real talent. The shooting range instructor wrote a report to the rector, and literally a couple of days later she was sent to a sniper course.

In June 1941, Lyudmila went to the front: “Girls were not accepted into the army, and I had to resort to all sorts of tricks to also become a soldier.” As a result, Private Pavlichenko was enlisted in the 25th Infantry Division named after Vasily Chapaev.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko / family archive

“The mother didn’t know that her daughter had gone to the front,” says Alla Begunova. – A few months later, I sent a letter home: “...I am a Red Army sniper, I have already annoyed the Romanians and Germans, and they, the bastards, covered me with earth...”

Already in one of the first battles, Pavlichenko replaced the deceased platoon commander and was shell-shocked by a shell that exploded nearby...

At the age of 25, she married junior lieutenant and fellow sniper Leonid Kitsenko. During another sniper reconnaissance, Kitsenko was mortally wounded. Pavlichenko pulled him out of the battlefield, but the wounds were too severe - a few days later he died in the hospital.

The loss of her loved one was a big blow for Lyudmila. Her hands began to tremble, which was unacceptable for a sniper. The woman began to take cruel revenge, exterminating enemies and teaching young fighters marksmanship.

Work on the script for “The Battle of Sevastopol” took about two years, filming took place from November 2013 to July 2014. Yulia Peresild was lucky enough to play the main role of Lyudmila Pavlichenko. The actress auditioned while she was six months pregnant.

“I felt some kind of immense strength in Yulia, as in the main character,” says the director. – To me it looks like love. Despite the fact that Yulia was expecting a baby, she bravely coped with heavy physical and moral stress: she crawled on the ground in the heat with a machine gun, and never gave in to difficulties. Yulina’s game is more than talent. She lived part of Pavlichenko's life.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko and Eleanor Roosevelt / Library of Congress archive

“When the film was just launched, there was only one title: “The Battle of Sevastopol,” says Mokritsky. – After the events of 2014 in Ukraine, it was decided to give the film a second name – “Nezlamna”, which means “Unbending”. The main thing is that the titles accurately reflect the meaning of the picture. And many in Ukraine believe in it, which cannot but rejoice. Despite the fact that the team was from Russia and Ukraine, this did not affect the filming process in any way. We were united by a common cause, despite the difficult political situation. Our cinema is more than cinema. This is the best Ukrainian cinema during the years of independence. Together we are strong, but separately we can do nothing.

Biographer Alla Begunova believes that Peresild is not at all like Lyudmila Pavlichenko.

– Yulia is a Baltic blond bitch, and Lyudmila is a southern one, she has brown eyes. Despite the fact that she is a sniper, she was characterized by emotionality, temperament, and a cheerful disposition. In one episode she makes her famous speech: “Gentlemen, I am twenty-five years old. At the front, I had already managed to destroy three hundred and nine fascist invaders. Don’t you think, gentlemen, that you’ve been hiding behind my back for too long?!” Will people follow the heroine after these words are fulfilled in Peresild’s interpretation? Apparently, Sergei Mokritsky liked Yulia, although the people of Sevastopol did not perceive her very happily during the filming. The actress is now actively enjoying fame, but Pavlichenko herself is neither hot nor cold from this.

Many people write on the Internet that Lyudmila Mikhailovna was not a sniper at all.

“These people want to assert themselves at the expense of a deceased person,” Begunova is indignant. – Lyudmila Pavlichenko was a sniper, and this is reflected in the documents. In 1942, the headquarters of the Primorsky Army issued a diploma, which is kept in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: “... to the sniper fighter, senior sergeant Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who destroyed 252 fascists.” She always fought for justice and often ran into conflict. Firstly, when commanding a platoon, she always ensured that her fighters were provided with good equipment. Secondly, both in peace and in war there are a lot of envious people. Thirdly, she was not forgiven for her marriage to junior lieutenant Kitsenko (below her in rank). Moreover, she had many fans, but she refused everyone.

Lyudmila Pavlichenko with her granddaughter Alena / TASS

We found the granddaughter of Lyudmila Mikhailovna. Alena Pavlichenko lives in Greece with two children and is a member of the Union of Artists of Greece.

– I have already lost the habit of Russia and would not like to return. Since 1989. Despite the fact that we are in a crisis now, I have enough money. Of course, I would like to visit the grave of my grandmother and father. After all, the last time I was in Moscow was in 2005.

Alena Rostislavovna does not recognize Peresild as her grandmother.

– Of course, it’s very nice that the country remembers the heroes. The “Battle for Sevastopol” shows history from one angle, many details were not considered, unfortunately. The actress, of course, does not look like a grandmother. Julia . It is obvious that it is difficult for the actress to play her.

The widow of Pavlichenko’s son, Lyubov Davydovna Krasheninnikova, a retired major of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, also noted the dissimilarity of Yulia Peresild from her legendary mother-in-law:

– Lyudmila Mikhailovna was a sniper, but this does not mean that in life she is stern and reserved. On the contrary, he was a kind-hearted man. And the actress showed Pavlichenko as silent and the same everywhere. What struck me most was her cold relationship with her family, as if she had done something wrong. She loved her family very much and treated them with tenderness.

“Battle for Sevastopol” (2015) / “Twentieth Century Fox CIS”

“My grandmother loved children very much and never punished me,” granddaughter Pavlichenko recalls with love. “We lived in perfect harmony.” What was her deep and tender gaze worth? Despite the fact that I was a rather nimble child, she always forgave me everything. If I did something wrong, I raised my eyebrows and looked carefully into my eyes. It became clear that it was impossible to do this - it was the worst punishment! She was always busy with something - on the road. I still can’t imagine how she survived the horror of the war! At home we never talked about the war, and she didn’t want to talk about it either. This is scary. Nevertheless, after everything she managed to maintain tenderness, femininity and humanity.

Few people know that they wanted to name Alena Pavlichenko in honor of Eleanor Roosevelt.

“My grandmother was on friendly terms with Roosevelt and promised that she would name me after her.” Eleanor remembered this and a month later we received a parcel with a silver spoon for babies with the engraving “Eleanor Pavlichenko”. Mom was against this name and decided to name me in honor of my great-grandmother, Elena Trofimovna. Grandmother affectionately called me Lenchik. By the way, I still have this spoon and my grandmother’s military beret.

I remember that my grandmother had a photo of a girl in her closet, and until I was seven, I thought it was my photo,” continues Alena. – When I found out that it was another girl, I threw a scene of jealousy. She smiled, stroked my head and said that she loved me very much. It turns out it's just a girl from Canada. In general, my grandmother loved children very much and never refused them a photo or an autograph.

Elderly Lyudmila Pavlichenko, her daughter-in-law Lyubov Davydovna, granddaughter Alena and beloved son / family archive

Until the last day, Lyudmila Mikhailovna took care of her granddaughter.

“Not long before her death, we were in the hospital together, but in different departments. She could no longer get up because of her swollen legs - she was carried in a stroller. Despite my serious condition, she asked about me all the time, came to my room and wished me health.

In the 70s, Lyudmila Mikhailovna became worse and worse. The injuries he received and a wound to the liver during the war took their toll.

“She died very hard and literally in the arms of her son,” says daughter-in-law Lyubov Davydovna. – Rostislav was very worried about his mother’s health. In order to take care of her, he quit his job and performed the duties of a nurse. He loved his mother very much and wanted to be with her until the last. Before leaving, she cursed and said: “I’m dying, Slava!”

Hero of the Soviet Union died on October 27, 1974 and was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.

“My parents told me about her death—it was a huge blow,” the granddaughter recalls. – I couldn’t come to the funeral and see her in the coffin - I wanted to remember her alive. The last time I visited her grave was ten years ago.

Pavlichenko’s son, Rostislav, died at the age of 76. At the dacha he had a stroke. When the doctors arrived, they refused to take him to intensive care, citing his age. A week later he died in hospital.

Alena remembered her last visit to Russia for a long time, almost ending up in jail.

The grave of Lyudmila Pavlichenko at the Novodevichy cemetery / personal archive of Lyubov Krasheninnikova

“Slava had a dagger and a small revolver hanging on the wall, which were left behind by her legendary mother,” says the daughter-in-law. – Alena decided to take them with her to Greece. When her luggage was checked at Sheremetyevo, she was detained, citing illegal transportation of weapons. After some time, they allegedly carried out an examination and found that the dagger and revolver were cultural values. A criminal case was opened against Alena under the article “Smuggling,” and she faced 7 years in prison. Slava was very worried, he wrote many letters, but all to no avail.

“Really, I didn’t think that these things needed to be documented,” Pavlichenko’s granddaughter regrets. “Moreover, they were taken away from me.” After a while I started looking for them, but there was no trace of them...