The history of our country has long been full of controversial and terrible events, in the millstones of which the fates of even outstanding people are often grinded. A striking example is Sergei Khudyakov, whose secret identity and tragic life we ​​will tell you on the pages of this article. Just note that his biography as such is simply absent, since we know little about the events that took place from 1918 to 1946. There is no real biography of this outstanding person, and it is unlikely that he will ever appear. Why? We advise you to read our article.
The story of an Armenian family
Once upon a time there lived in Armenia a large and friendly family of Artem Khanferyants. They lived in the village of Big Taglar (Metz Taglar), which is located in
Nagorno-Karabakh. Artem had three sons: Armenak, Avak and Andranik (the names of the latter are translated into Russian as Andrei and Arkady). The eldest, Armenak, showed remarkable abilities to study, and therefore in 1915 he was sent to Baku. Their uncle lived there, who had worked at that time in the new oil field as an accountant. Alas, he did not have enough money, and therefore had to forget about his studies.
He had to work. Who only was Armenak: he had to be a fisherman, and even a telephone operator. In 1918, a revolutionary movement began in Baku. At this time, Armenak was visited by his mother. Anarchy began: the intervention troops overthrew the commune ... The son put his mother on the last ship. She remembered her Armenak: tall, handsome, he accompanied her, standing on the pier with a rifle behind him. Since then, mother and father considered their son dead, because until the end of their life's journey they knew nothing of his fate. But wait, how is Sergey Khudyakov connected with the history of this Armenian family? All answers are hereinafter.
Unknown and tragedy
Andranik also found out nothing about his older brother. He graduated from the institute in 1941, was called up to the post of political instructor, and disappeared in the very first battles. Only Avak learned that their older brother was not killed in the flames of civil war in Baku. Alas, this happened under very sad circumstances.
He and all competent relatives were summoned for questioning in 1946. The investigators were interested in everything they could know about Armenak Khanferyants. But what could they say? Almost all the elders had died by then, and Andranik himself was an unhappy young man in 1918, and therefore he practically did not remember anything. Questioning only aroused hope: “Perhaps the elder brother is alive? What about him"? All questions remained unanswered. They managed to get all the information they were interested in ten years later.
The tragedy of the Khudyakov family
Aviation Marshal Khudyakov Sergey Alexandrovich and his family at that time also experienced far from good times. Varvara Petrovna, his wife, after long wanderings in the offices of investigators, could only find out about the arrest of her husband. No details were provided to her. Only in 1949 did she learn that the investigation was completed. At the same time, they reassured Barbara: they say, the worst thing is the resignation of her husband from the army.
But Sergey Khudyakov never returned to the family. In mid-January 1951, his wife and a young child were sent to the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The eldest son Vladimir, adopted by Khudyakov, also went there. He, who had the
Order of the Red Star, almost with shame was fired from the army in a lieutenant rank ... by age. It turned out that all family members have a father - a “traitor to the motherland.”
And after all, these are far from all the trials that have befallen a long-suffering family! The fact is that after the Battle of Kursk, Khudyakov Sergey Alexandrovich took his first child, Victor, to the front. But near Kharkov, he and Victor fell under the raid of enemy aircraft, as a result of which the boy died. So Varvara Petrovna by the time of the arrest of her husband already had a sip of dashing. The Khudyakovs were allowed to return to Moscow only in 1953.
Barbara and little Sergey soon left for Izyaslav, as they simply had nowhere to live, and Vladimir remained in the capital. He, fondly in love with his stepfather, decided to achieve the truth about the fate of the latter, but by then no information could be obtained. It was only thanks to the work of the prosecutor's office that the truth was achieved.
What's in a name?
At the end of August 1954, case No. 100384 was considered. According to the materials of the latter, Sergei Khudyakov was recognized as a “traitor to the Motherland” in 1950 and was shot at the Don cemetery on the day the verdict is passed. In those days, this happened quite often, and often the sanction of the prosecutor was issued retroactively, after the execution of the sentence.
The prosecutor carefully delved into the essence of the documents and made a decision: to reopen the case in connection with the circumstances. And in that document, which contained the signature and seal of the prosecutor, for the first time there was the true name, patronymic and last name of the executed air marshal. It was Hanferyants Armenak Artemovich. In the same 1954, the case “in connection with new circumstances” was closed, the sentence was canceled, and Sergey-Armenak was posthumously acquitted and rehabilitated.
What happened to Marshal’s family?
Relatives from Greater Taglar until the end of 1956 did not identify their missing older brother with Air Marshal Sergei Khudyakov. At that time, there was simply not a single open document that could bring these names together.
In 1954, Barbara Khudyakova and Sergei were again allowed to return to Moscow. A widow was allocated a separate apartment on Tishinskaya Square . In the same year, Vladimir was reinstated in active military service, where he spent until August 1988. Vladimir Sergeyevich rose to the rank of colonel; today he is no longer alive. His ashes rest in Butovo cemetery. In 1956, Sergei Khudyakov himself, whose photo is in the article, was restored to the marshal's rank, all awards were returned to him posthumously. Two weeks after the decision of the Presidium, the name of the Marshal was again included in the lists of party members.
Only Seryozha has survived to this day ... He studied brilliantly at school, between 1963-1965 he did active military service in Star City. He graduated from MGIMO, headed the whole department, received a doctorate. Today Sergey Sergeevich works at the State University of Management. Teachers and students love and respect him, some of whom do not know about the difficult fate of this person’s family.
The Secret of Khudyakov. How did Armenak turn into Sergey?
So, what did happen, why was the marshal executed? And how did Armenak suddenly become Sergey? Why did it happen that Sergei Khudyakov (you can see the photo in this material) did not tell anyone about his origin?
In December 1945, Marshal was summoned from Mukden to Moscow. The transplant was planned in Chita, where friends and colleagues were already waiting for him. But already from the airport Sergei took the car with the employees of SMERSH. Since then, no one knew where Sergey Khudyakov disappeared. The biography of the honored officer was drawing to a close ...
What was the reason of the arrest?
In almost all Soviet publications, the incident is associated with one incident that happened at that time. The fact is that at that time a plane was sent from Mukden, on board of which was the "emperor" of the state of Manzhou. He flew to Moscow without any problems. That's just the second transporter, on board of which were all the jewels of the pro-Japanese puppet government, simply disappeared.
Of course, SMERSH could well have questions about this, but not a word was said about the plane in the conviction. Suspicions from the marshal were lifted in 1952: hunters found in the taiga fragments of an unfortunate transporter and the remains of the crew. He probably crashed due to a failed engine. So what is Sergey Khudyakov to blame for? His biography does not give an exact answer.
Most likely, his arrest did not have anything to do with the plane. Probably, SMERSH had already established by that time that the illustrious marshal was not the one he pretended to be. In his personal file there was no information about the change of surname and name. On the contrary, the marshal himself always said that he was Russian, comes from a simple Vologda family. When he met in Varya, he never invited his future wife to his relatives: they say they have long been dead, everyone died of typhus in the 20s. In fairness, it should be noted that such discrepancies would be of interest to any normal security service, and therefore there were still grounds for arrest.
Barbara, Vladimir and Sergey learned about the Armenian roots of their relative only after his death. Marshal’s wife visited Sergey-Armenak’s native village, where she was met as a native. Families united by the pain of loss. At this moment, all his relatives, among whom there were many party and military figures, began to search for the answer to the question of interest to everyone: why and when did Armenak even start all this adventure, which led to his death?
There is no answer to this day, and in the archival documents there is no information that could shed light on this riddle. Apparently, we will never know who Marshal Khudyakov was. The biography of this amazing person is one continuous mystery.
Mystery, which is not solved
Cavalryman and young aviator, future air marshal Khudyakov S.A. known in the Red and Soviet armies only that way. Under their fictitious names he served in Tiflis, until 1931 he served in Ukraine, under the same name began to study as an aviator. He was Sergei when he commanded the Western Military District, under the same name he rose to the rank of colonel. Then came the aviation marshal Khudyakov, whose biography is still covered in darkness.
He received many military orders and awards. He is also known as a participant in one significant event in the history of the whole world. The fact is that there was Marshal Khudyakov at the Yalta Conference, which was attended by Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill. Recall that the colleagues of Sergei Armenak were then Antonov and Kuznetsov, prominent officers of the Soviet army. These were the best specialists capable of conducting the most difficult negotiations.
The mystery of Sergei Armenak
There are still legends about how Armenak became Sergey. The first is the most romantic. If you believe her, he had a colleague, whose name was exactly Sergey Khudyakov. Allegedly, the barge on which they crossed from Baku was sunk, and Sergei saved Armenak, who could not swim. Legend has it that the two officers after that became friends, and that a dying, mortally wounded Sergei once bequeathed his blade and his name to his best friend. This story looks beautiful and epoch-making, but how much truth is there? Is that how Air Marshal Khudyakov really appeared? His autobiography will not say anything about it, since it does not exist.
Journalists this legend (allegedly) told the marshal's colleagues and his deputy. That's just no one in their right mind would ever believe that Khudyakov could tell someone such a delicate secret. He could not help but understand that this was substituting all his bosses and colleagues for the firing squad. The fact is that the commanders would be obliged to immediately sort it out and report to SMERSH, if it suddenly turned out that in the personal file of any of their subordinates the fact of the slightest change in autobiographical information was not reflected.
The second legend speaks of a "sinister Commissar." Marshal Khudyakov and Beria are connected in it. Allegedly, Armenak, working as a telephone operator, noticed the suspicious negotiations of the future Commissar and the British Consul. Being vigilant, he conveyed a message to the local branch of the Cheka, signing his real name and surname. Since the Cheka did nothing, Armenak had to change his autobiography, fearing revenge. That's just neither a note, nor any such information in the archives.
Judge for yourself: Armenak was 16 years old at that time, Lavrentiy was 19 years old. They were the same age, and Beria did not have any power to somehow annoy the scammer. Why should Armenak be afraid of Lawrence, who simply physically did not pose any threat to him? It is hard to believe that the future commissar decided to trap him in a dark alley ...
Mistakes of youth
Most likely, Air Marshal Sergei Aleksandrovich Khudyakov made a mistake in his youth when he signed up for service in the Red Army, using a made-up Russian name. Perhaps he suggested that the Russian will be easier to break through the ranks. Identity cards in those years practically did not exist, and the record in the Red Army, which was in dire need of fighters, was carried out by the "conveyor method."
Most likely, the real Khudyakov did not exist in nature either. But here another question raises the question: neither in the Russian Empire, nor in the USSR did any oppression of Armenians and other nations exist. It is worth remembering only Bagration! So why did Armenak need to impersonate another? No answer.
By the way, in the documents of the Baku commune about Khudyakov there is not a word. Even the regiment, in which Armenak and Sergey allegedly served, simply did not exist. And in the city of Volsk, in which “the same” Khudyakov appeared, there were never people with that name. And again: the date of birth, which Armenak indicated when recording in the Red Army - is real. It is difficult to assume that he used some documents of a non-existent person, and even with a completely similar date of birth.
False accusations
It is very possible that the marshal himself was trying to tell his story to investigators. But who will believe that a person who is at such a high post, something "muddied" with his biography without malicious intent? So the suspicions were clearly born out of nowhere. In addition, the investigators simply had nothing to check: the documents of the Baku commune did not contain either Armenak or Khudyakov. It is justified to really suspect a person of espionage!
Most likely, the confession from the former officer was knocked out under torture. Marshal Sergei Khudyakov “admitted” that in 1918 he was recruited by the Englishman Wilson for the purpose of espionage. SMERSH believed that Khudyakov-Khanferyants carried out detentions and escorted political opponents of the interventionists. The “confession” claimed that Khudyakov had also participated in the execution of the ill-fated 26 Baku commissars.
Surely, the investigators simply had no idea what to charge the defendant with, and therefore connected him with real British spies who were operating in Baku at that time and were captured. Finally, Khudyakov was forced to confess to his "atrocities" on February 19, 1946: on this day he first signed the protocol of his interrogation. And even then, the investigation stalled, since there was no real evidence against the marshal. Only in March of that year was an official order issued for his arrest! In fact, the whole year Huyakov was illegally detained. And only in the middle (!) Of 1947 the conviction was first read out.
Opinions of contemporaries
If you read its text, then everything becomes even more confusing: why would imaginary recruiters require a change of name and surname from their protege? Much more profitable if he can provide real data, so as not to arouse suspicion! The members of the Military College, who re-examined the Khudyakov case, came to the same conclusions. Moreover, one more unpleasant fact became clear: it turns out that those people with whom the NKVD officers connected the marshal were not at all accused of having links with the British! The maximum that they were suspected of was anti-Soviet agitation!
It turns out that the case against aviation marshal Sergei Khudyakov is simply mediocre fabrication. Other facts speak about this. A.I. Mikoyan, who knew all the circumstances of the death of the commissars, repeatedly and in detail told the investigators about this when he was also suspected of being disloyal in due time. That's just not a single plausible detail that at least somehow indicated the involvement of the Marshal, he could not be knocked out of him: he really did not know anything about it.
Subsequently, one of the ideologists of the case, M. D. Ryumin, talked about how and what missing information entered into the interrogation protocols. The defendant, MT Likhachev, told the investigators of the Military College how and with what brutal methods they had beaten “testimonies” out of Khudyakov.
What happened to the Baku commissioners?
In general, any modern historian can only laugh at how stupidly they tried to “sew” Khudyakov to the work of the commissars. Please note: he was accused of “convoying convicts”. It’s just that there was simply no mythical convoy: such a mess reigned in Baku that the commissars managed to leave the prison without special complications and board the ship. A rebellion broke out on board, as a result of which the captain was simply forced to head for Krasnovodsk. According to the documents of that flight, neither Khudyakov nor Khanferyants was on board ...
Finally…
Many years have passed. The twentieth century ended, bringing our country an incredible amount of upheaval. Marshal Khudyakov Sergey Alexandrovich (Armenak Artyomovich Khanferyants) again appears in all encyclopedias. His name is honored in Russia and Armenia. Not so long ago, a monograph was published in Yerevan dedicated to the great man who was born here. In Bolshoi Taglar, the Khudyakov-Khanferyants Museum has been operating for 25 years. One of the streets of the city of Alaverdi bears the name of S. A. Khudyakov - A. A. Khanferyants.
This outstanding man forever took to the grave the secret of those circumstances that made him change his personality. Unfortunately, we are unlikely to ever find out about the true cause of what happened.