Many of us heard the catchphrase: "There is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind!" Who said this phrase and under what circumstances was it spoken? We often donât know about this. It seems that everyone has heard these words, they are known to us, but still we often cannot name the exact author of this expression.
We will try to shed light on this problem.
The history of the origin of winged expression
Today it is impossible to determine exactly where the phrase came from: âNowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind!â, Who said these words and why they were uttered.
There are several basic versions of the origin of this expression. Let's consider them in more detail.
The first and most popular version ascribes this phrase to political instructor Vasily Georgievich Klochkov, who said these words to the Panfilov heroes who defended Moscow from the Nazis in the terrible and cold 1941.
The second version is based on the fact that this phrase was uttered during the Crimean War in 1854 by Admiral Kornilov, who defended Sevastopol from the Western allies, however, it sounded a little differently: "We have nowhere to retreat, we have the sea behind us." It was understood that the Russians would never leave the Crimea anyway and would not give it to the mercy of their enemies.
The third version ascribes these words to Field Marshal M.I. Kutuzov, who with this expression tried to encourage his soldiers and officers during the battle of Borodino.
In this vein, we recall the phrase from Lermontovâs poem, âGuys, aren't Moscow behind us ?!â True, in the poem it was not uttered by Kutuzov, but the hero the colonel who died in this battle.
And finally, there is a version that began to be popularized during the years of perestroika. According to her, this phrase was invented by front-line correspondent Alexander (Zinovy) Krivitsky, who described the feat of 28 Panfilovâs men. By the way, supporters of this version believe that there was no heroic battle between Panfilov and Germans, and the journalist completely composed this story to support the fighting spirit of the retreating Red Army.
Consider these versions in more detail.
Feat of Panfilovâs
For the first time, the phrase: âRussia is great, but nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind!â appeared in the article of the correspondent Krivitsky, which was called "On 28 Fallen Heroes." It described the battle of Soviet soldiers with fascist units, which took place on November 16, 1941. The soldiers from Panfilovâs division blew themselves up, throwing themselves under enemy tanks, thereby slowing down the German offensive and helping the Germans to be expelled from Moscow.
The article was generally pathos. The phrase "Great Russia, but nowhere to retreat - behind Moscow!" said political instructor Klochkov.
It was this version that firmly entered all Soviet textbooks.
Post-perestroika time version
Proponents of falsification of the heroic deed of the Panfilov heroes actively published their work in the late 80-90s. They pointed out in them that Krivtsovâs article was only a propaganda text, the purpose of which was to raise the fighting spirit of the Red Army. In fact, it was not Klochkov who uttered the phrase: âRussia is great, but nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behindâ. Its author, according to researchers, is the journalist Krivitsky himself.
It should be noted that it was not the authorship of this phrase that was disputed, but the existence of the Panfilovâs feat in general, which significantly undermined the idea of ââthe mass heroism of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War.
âNowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind!â: Whose words? Really Kutuzov?
There are supporters of the version that this phrase was born in the century before last, and it belonged to the famous field marshal. Proponents of this version do not give written evidence, but they point to the recollections of eyewitnesses and participants of the Borodino battle, who wrote in their memoirs that Kutuzov really said something like that.
The meaning of expression for Russian history
Today it is no longer accepted in serious historical circles to dispute the true existence of the heroic deed of Panfilovâs heroes, so the question of the origin of the winged expression: âNowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind!â (who said these words) - this is not so acute.
In fact, this phrase could be pronounced in any of the difficult periods of Russian history: 70 years ago, 200 years ago, and even 700 years ago. These words reflect the essence of the Russian understanding of the fight against enemies claiming to be the native land for our compatriots: the Russian people have nowhere to retreat, because behind their shoulders is the mother earth, which needs to be protected to the last drop of blood.
Therefore, the question of when the words âNowhere to Retreat - Moscow Behind!â Were spoken, who said them and when, is not the most important. This phrase became winged because it expressed the essence of the Russian popular understanding of the world.
These words are eternal. They will live as long as Russia is alive and its mighty and strong people live. A people in whose character enormous strength, gentleness, kindness, sympathy, and terrible hatred of enemies merged.