“Paraguayans have an understanding that Russians are great people. Life of people in Paraguay

August 15th, 2014

Since I have already cited a document dedicated to the life of a small colony of Russian emigrants in Brazil in the 20s, it would be a sin not to post this document as well. Compared to more or less civilized Brazil, Paraguay was, even by Latin American standards, a terrible hole. But the local immigration legislation was and remains extremely liberal. After the Chaca War with Bolivia, in which White Russian officers took an active part on the side of Paraguay, a trickle of our emigrants began to flow into the country. However, the harsh living conditions here forced many of the newcomers to return to Europe or look for places in other countries of the South American continent. Therefore, in 1935 it was even created special commission in the Russian colony of France, which was supposed to find out the prospects of Paraguay as a potential place for resettlement of Russian refugees. Published from: "Renaissance", Paris, No. 3868 of January 5, 1936.

A brief report of the questionnaire commission (N.D. Avksentyev* and N.N. Stogov**), which traveled to Paraguay on behalf of the initiative committee to examine the possibilities of Russian immigration to this country.

1. Climatic, soil and hygienic conditions

1) The climate is hot, continental-humid, with an average annual temperature of 22-23 degrees, and the difference in average summer and winter temperatures is only 5 degrees. Thus, there is no sharp difference between the seasons, but temperature fluctuations on the same day are sometimes significant, and in winter the difference in temperature between day and night is very noticeable.

The climate is generally healthy, and adaptation to it is relatively easy for most settlers. Paraguay does not know any epidemics or sunstroke.

Of the diseases that affect new arrivals, we should note only climatic wounds, i.e. superficial ulcers on the arms and legs, which do not appear in everyone and in the majority pass relatively easily, without causing much suffering.

The most common diseases are: a) malaria, which occurs only locally and in a relatively mild form; b) a microscopic worm that causes anemia and various diseases internal organs, and c) influenza and pneumonia. There is also leprosy. All diseases, except leprosy, which is rare, with proper medical care can be quickly cured, but in some places it is difficult to count on this help, both due to the lack of proximity to a doctor, and due to impassability and lack of means of transportation.

2) The soil, with the exception of Chaco***, which is almost completely unsuitable for settlement, is very fertile, but in high places where forest grows or grew. In lower places, the so-called. "campo", soil for agriculture, like general rule, is not suitable and serves as a pasture for livestock. Fertile soil is red in color and the redder it is, the more fertile it is. Land cleared of forest can be cultivated without fertilizer for several years.

Local grains grow well on the red soil: mandioca, maize, mani, as well as all kinds of vegetables. In some colonies, wheat, flax and buckwheat are successfully sown. Oranges, tangerines, peaches, pears, plums, pumpkins, watermelons, melons are cultivated, and the culture of "djerba" **** - Paraguayan tea - is very widespread. Apart from the Encarnacion area, as the coldest, they go well sugar cane, bananas and pineapples. Behind Lately Russians grow strawberries, the Slavs of the Fram colony grow rice, and the Germans of Independence grow grapes, while some enterprising people are trying to start coffee plantations. Tobacco is also sown and cotton culture is spreading more and more.

In general, the red Paraguayan soil is suitable for agriculture, and for vegetable gardens, and for fruit and flower garden; The issue is more difficult in terms of selecting suitable seeds for some crops, and there may be difficulties with fertilizer, since both, as a general rule, have to be obtained from abroad.

3) The main pests of crops, gardens and vegetable gardens include monkeys, parrots, and some breeds of ants, locusts and weeds. Fighting with everyone is possible, but in some places it requires a lot of effort, skill and even money. The most terrible pest - locusts - does not occur often in Paraguay, as they say, only once every 7 years.

There are special pests of clothes and linen, but combating them is also possible.

4) By the general name “bicho”***** in Paraguay they mean different insects. In some places, these insects can indeed be called the “scourge of humanity,” but this is in the tropics and Chaco. In other areas they are only a nuisance.

There are many snakes in Paraguay and some are quite poisonous, but a snake, as a general rule, does not attack a person, but moves away from him. In any case, a certain amount of caution is necessary.

5) The natural hygienic conditions of Paraguay, due to the spaciousness and generally good climate, are excellent, but the hot climate requires keeping both body and clothing clean, and from profuse sweat, clothing soon wears out and becomes even more dirty.

Here, in brief words, are the natural conditions into which the European colonist finds himself in Paraguay. Both the climate and the soil are good, but one cannot at all hope that something will be born in Paraguay on its own. No, you have to work a lot, and you need: remarkable health, enormous endurance, relative youth, love for the land and at least basic knowledge.

2. Economic situation

The economic situation of Paraguay, despite significant natural resources, very heavy. The state and population are extremely poor. Industry is very poorly developed and is mainly in the hands of foreigners; in their hands is the only railway, river shipping company, tram in Asuncion and telephone network. The most important land latifundia, sometimes amounting to hundreds of thousands of hectares, belong to foreigners; they also own large-scale trade and large-scale cattle breeding, especially developed in Chaco.

Due to the weak development of direct taxes, the state receives its modest resources mainly from duties and from a special operation associated with exports and consisting in the fact that each exporter receives 50 percent. due to him foreign currency"full-fledged ruble", and 50 percent. at the so-called “legal rate” of the Paraguayan peso, which is now equal to 25 pairs. peso for one Argentine, when in fact one Arg. Peso costs 90-92 Paraguayan.

The monetary unit, due to the large issue of paper money, is very depreciated, so: before the war with Bolivia, 1 arg. The peso was worth 18.70 paraguayans. Pezo. By the end of the war, 1 arg. a peso cost 70-72 Paraguayan pesos. Currently 1 arg. Peso costs 90-92 paraguayans. Pezo.

It is also impossible not to note the extreme economic independence of Paraguay and its dependence on Argentina, which is explained both by economic weakness and geographical location. There are few communication routes, on the presence and condition of which the economic well-being of the country largely depends. The most convenient are the Paraguay and Alta Parana rivers, and the Asuncion - Encarnacion railway with a branch from Borja to Ava-I. As for highways and dirt roads, they are relatively sufficiently served only in the immediate vicinity of the capital, where these roads are located and relatively good condition. In the rest of Paraguay, and even in the vicinity of the cities of Villarica, Encarnacion and Concepcion, there are no highways, and the dirt roads are bad, and after heavy rains they sometimes become impassable in places.

Having noted the sad economic state of Paraguay, it would be unfair not to indicate those measures that are partly only outlined, and partly are already being implemented, to get out of the current situation.

To improve the health of the monetary unit, debt consolidation, internal borrowing and a number of other financial measures are being planned. To develop agriculture and obtain the greatest benefit from it, propaganda is being carried out for so-called cash crops and the opportunity to use credit is facilitated - both monetary and, mainly, instruments of production, seeds, etc.

Then, the government began to fight with the owners of the latifundia in order to force them to parcel out their lands and sell them to farmers on acceptable and economically justifiable conditions, and in addition, it encourages foreign specifically agricultural immigration (not older than 50 years for men and 40 years for women), providing it with a number of benefits for duty-free import of necessary tools and utensils, for free travel within Paraguay to the place of settlement, for exemption from taxes for a number of years and for the provision of certain rights for the internal administration of the emerging colonies.

To strengthen road construction, district engineers, among whom there are Russians, have been appointed to the most important areas, and are being sought cash for more intensive work on already planned new roads and on the construction of long-designed bridges.

3. Legal status displaced people

Paraguayan laws, decrees and administrative orders do not make any difference between foreigners and Russian emigrants who have a Nansen passport.

According to the constitution, foreigners are just as civilly and economically free as citizens of the state. The only formality for a foreigner to take up residence in Paraguay is to obtain a "cedula" from the prefecture - a d-idantite card - and then he is free to work in any field of agriculture, industry or commerce, without any restrictions . The only restriction that the law sets concerns liberal professions associated with an academic diploma (doctor, engineer, etc.). Persons in these professions can practice their specialty only if they have passed the appropriate exam at a higher educational institution in the country. But here, too, exceptions are allowed: a doctor who does not have a local diploma can practice in an area more than 15 kilometers away from the residence of the Paraguayan doctor. Of course, the position of such a foreign doctor is precarious. As for engineers, due to the lack of Paraguayan ones, Russian engineers, without having the right, are actually invited even to the civil service.

Foreigners, and therefore Russian emigrants, can obtain Paraguayan citizenship after two years of continuous stay in the country. Those who are married to Paraguayan women or have provided any services to the state can also count on a reduction in the mandatory period of stay in Paraguay. But unnaturalized foreigners also enjoy certain public rights: they are required to participate in municipal elections and can even be elected to the municipal council.

4. Life and way of life of the indigenous population of the colonists

Life in Paraguay is concentrated mainly around the capital, Asunción, along the only Asunción-Encarnacion railway, along the banks of the Paraguay and Alta Paraná rivers, and around the cities of Encarnacion, Villarica and Concepcion. The farther you are from these places, the rarer the population, the more primitive life, and the wilder nature.

Thanks to the warm climate, soil fertility and habitual undemandingness, the life of a Paraguayan on earth, in the so-called “chakra”, is distinguished not only by extreme simplicity, but also by primitiveness: the house is just a shelter from the weather, the kitchen is a fire near the house, and no shoes, especially women and children.

The life and way of life of Europeans settling on earth differs significantly from those of Paraguayans living in their “chakras”. Almost all European settlers first of all try to have a tolerable home, at the first opportunity they make wooden floors, insert frames with glass into the windows and arrange, even if it is a primitive, kitchen fireplace. In addition, they start a vegetable garden and try to use various kinds of cash crops. It is clear that all this is being done only gradually; immediately upon arriving at his site, which is almost always completely covered with virgin forest, the new colonist settles down either in a hut or lives with someone and the old-timers and begins to cut down 1-2 hectares of forest, often hiring a Paraguayan specialist for this. After cutting down the forest, usually everything is cut down, excluding palm trees and especially valuable species, and after selecting what from the cut down can be useful for building a house and constructing a fence, everything else is left in place, dries for some time and then is burned. Only after this, which may take several months, can the colonist begin planting mandioca and maize on his plot, which has not been cleared of tree roots, i.e., the most necessary crops for his own food and the least demanding. This is done without plowing, i.e. in the most primitive way.

Consequently, the colonist, before the first harvest of his mandioca and corn (maize) and until any vegetables in his garden ripen, must acquire everything from the capital he brought with him.

A European who settles on the land as a colonist, due to the difficulty of marketing and the cheapness of everything that the land provides, in the first years is completely deprived of the opportunity to purchase anything more valuable from clothing and shoes with the money earned from the land. And then, only step by step, year after year, only through the most intense work will the colonist win his relative well-being from nature.

In connection with the living conditions of the first years outlined above, the colonists cannot expect to give their children an education, and in the future it will be difficult for them to raise their children to a higher social level.

As for specifically Russian emigrants, to the above difficulties we must also add the lack of organization of resettlement and the discrepancy of some of the settlers with the data that is necessary for engaging in agriculture. All this, perhaps, explains the fact that about half of the Russian emigrant colonists left their colonies. It should, however, be noted that some old colonies can be called prosperous, and the colonists living in them prosperous, but to achieve these results, in addition to the personal outstanding qualities of the settlers, who are also natural farmers, the help of the appropriate organization is extremely necessary, especially in the first time.

Unfortunately, there is still no such organization of assistance to Russian colonists in Paraguay, and they are left to their own devices there.

5. Conclusions.

Relocation to Paraguay is possible for the following persons:

1) having a small but sure monthly rent of 200-300 francs. fr. The amount is 4-6,000 paraguays. Peso, calculated at the current French exchange rate. franc, sufficient for a tolerable life even in the capital, but with a change in the exchange rate of the franc, which is always possible, these conditions may change radically.

2) liberal professions, i.e. engineers, doctors, etc., only if they receive firm confidence in advance in their occupation upon arrival at a certain place.

3) those who know and are well versed in any popular craft, subject to the availability of certain capital, to open their own business. But, given the small capacity of the Paraguayan market, only a few can count on any success, and then with a certain happiness.

4) who have decided to engage in agriculture and have at least 15,000 francs. fr. upon arrival in Paraguay. If they are lucky, they can find, even in the immediate vicinity of the capital, small area cleared land from fruit trees and other plantings, sometimes with the house. This plot can be purchased as a property, and sometimes rented. When purchasing land from private individuals, it is necessary, in addition to a thorough inspection and evaluation of it in all respects, to exercise extreme caution when obtaining a “title”, or in our words, a “deed of sale”.

5) those who intend to settle in one of the existing colonies or form a new one, for which it is necessary:
a) know that you will have to pay for the land and for everything else in Paraguay - no one gives anything for nothing;
b) to be an excavator or capable of becoming one, possessing remarkable energy, excellent health and enormous endurance;
c) keep in mind that several years of hard, dedicated work and struggle with nature lie ahead in conditions of existence that are more than primitive;
d) refuse any cultural conditions of existence and any cultural entertainment;
e) have a family;
f) that the resettlement takes place in a strictly organized order, i.e. so that they would not only be met in Paraguay and placed at the site, but that at first they would monitor, point out and help;
g) upon arrival at the site, subject to the acquisition of land in installments, the money necessary for the initial establishment, the full subsistence level for the first year and for those expenses over the next few years that cannot be covered by income from the land. At current prices this would be at least 5,000 francs. francs per family. The colonist must either have these funds himself or have the assistance of some organization that would provide the appropriate equivalent.

Only in the presence of all the above-mentioned conditions, if no unforeseen misfortune occurs, can the colonists, in a few years, begin to gradually create their relative well-being, meaning by it not wealth at all, but only village contentment, the final limit of which is a moderately prosperous, peasant life .
Note:

* - Avksentyev Nikolai Dmitrievich, a prominent right-wing Socialist Revolutionary, during the Civil War he actively opposed the Bolsheviks, headed the so-called. "Ufa Directory", in 1918-40. lived in France, since 1940 - in the USA, Freemason. He was recruited to work in the “Paraguayan Commission” as a recognized specialist in peasant question.
** - Stogov Nikolai Nikolaevich, general, participant in the White movement. Regarding Stogov’s trip to Paraguay, there is interesting evidence gleaned from one of his biographies: “He constantly collaborated in the magazine “Chasovoy” and other military press organs. See, for example, No. 174 and 175 of “Chasovoy” for September-October 1936, where an extensive report by General Stogov was published on his trip to Paraguay to meet with the Russian military after the end of war with Bolivia."(source).
*** - the Gran Chaco plain occupies 62% of the territory of Paraguay, is sparsely populated and practically undeveloped. It served as the reason for the “Chaca War” between Paraguay and Bolivia at the turn of the 30s. XX century.
**** - the name of tea “mate” is now more common. From the local name of the plant "Yerba mate" (lat. Ilex paraguariensis).
***** - Bicho (Spanish) - creature, beast (usually insects, worms).
****** - Paraguayan ID. The procedure for obtaining it is still very friendly for foreigners.

The opponents were aware of the fighting styles of each side - the experience of the First World War, where the Germans had to fight the Russians, was reflected. Kundt hoped that the presence of armored cars and manpower three times superior to the enemy would provide the Bolivian army with a quick victory with little bloodshed.

But in reality, German strategy collided with Russian tactics. At first, the Bolivian army managed to penetrate quite a distance into Paraguayan territory. However, Paraguayan partisan units managed to cut off the Bolivians from their rear and thereby deprive them of food and ammunition. Created by the white émigré captain Sergei Shchetinin with “ clean slate“The Paraguayan air defense system killed all Bolivian military aircraft.

In 1933, the Bolivians twice unsuccessfully stormed the strategically important city of Nanava, the capture of which would have opened the way for them to the Paraguayan capital Asuncion. Russian officers ordered the approaches to the city to be mined; these explosive-filled areas were surrounded by barbed wire. Trenches were dug and many pillboxes with machine gun nests were erected. Front-line soldiers, the Orangereev brothers, trained Paraguayan soldiers to burn enemy tanks from shelters. The Bolivians, led by the Germans, suffered colossal losses in frontal attacks (in just a week of fighting they lost 2 thousand people, and the Paraguayan army - only 249). They called our white emigrants "Russian devils."

The disgraced Hans Kundt was dismissed, and Paraguayan troops under Russian command soon went on the offensive. In December 1933, at the Battle of Campo Via, the Paraguayans surrounded two Bolivian divisions, killing more than 2,600 people and capturing 7,500 soldiers. The following year, the Battle of El Carmen ended just as successfully. And by 1935, the Bolivians no longer had any resources left to continue the war.

“Paraguay is our second homeland, and it needs our help,” was such an unexpected, at first glance, statement made by Russian White Guard officers in a distant Latin American country in the 1930s before the start of the Chaka War. Among those who voluntarily stood up for defense Paraguay, turned out to be Stepan Vysokolyan, a legendary military man who by that time had already gone through the First World War and defended his doctoral dissertation in higher mathematics...

Not much is known about the Chak War in Russia, but in Paraguay the memory of Russian soldiers is still revered. Sometimes the vicissitudes of fate seem incredible, but history shows that the overseas country has indeed become a second home for dozens of military emigrants. The White Guards, forced to flee to Europe from Russia, found themselves again under pressure from the authorities as soon as Western European countries recognized Soviet Union. The Paraguayan authorities promised all emigrants support, minimum security and the opportunity to obtain citizenship for military services to Paraguay.

General Ivan Belyaev was the first among the Russian officers to decide to move; other officers followed his example and also emigrated to Paraguay. Belyaev liked this exotic country so much that from the pages of the newspaper “Novoe Vremya” he called on everyone to come here to create a circle in which Russian culture would continue to live.

One of the outstanding military men and scientists, Stepan Vysokolyan, responded to the call to move. A native of the Ukrainian village of Nalivaiko, he volunteered for the front at the age of 19. During the First World War he was wounded five times, but constantly returned to duty. In the post-war years, Stepan Vysokolyan devoted himself to teaching at the university. He had outstanding abilities in the field of mathematics and physics, he defended his dissertation, lectured at universities, passing on his knowledge to young people.

In 1933, Stepan Vysokolyan came to Paraguay and was accepted into the national army. Having started his career with the rank of captain, he soon received the rank of major, then chief of staff, and then division general. Such high ranks were awarded to him for the heroism shown during the Chak War. This armed conflict on the territory of the Gran Chaco became one of the bloodiest in the history of Latin America of the twentieth century. Initially, after gaining independence, both Paraguay and Bolivia laid claim to this territory, but did not show much enthusiasm, since this arid terrain was of little use for Agriculture.

Everything changed as soon as it was established that there were large oil deposits in this territory. The countries in which the largest oil companies were located were ready to fight for this, and they generously financed both sides to prepare for war. The conflict escalated from Bolivia in June 1932, the fighting was bloody, the war continued until 1935, until a peace agreement was signed between the parties to the conflict through the mediation of Argentina.

In 1936, Stepan Vysokolyan was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Paraguay. He became the first foreigner in this country to receive a military rank - he rose to the rank of army general. However, he distinguished himself not only in the military field. For many years he headed the department of physical, mathematical and economic sciences at the University of Asuncion. The Russian scientist also went down in history thanks to the fact that he was able to solve Fermat’s theorem, over which the luminaries of mathematics struggled for more than three centuries.

Vysokolyan lived a long life, he died at the age of 90, was buried with honors, and mourning was declared in the country on the day of his funeral. Today in Asunción the surname Vysokolyan is still common. And this is no accident: Stepan was the father of nine children...

The fates of many were tragic. Our photo review will remind you of their names...

Until the early 90s of the 20th century, people in Russia knew practically nothing about Paraguay. A distant Latin American country, the fascist dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner, persecution of communists, a pro-American regime, etc. and so on. - this is what came to the mind of a Soviet person when he heard the word “Paraguay”. It seemed that there was nothing in common between the two countries, there is not and cannot be in principle. But this is far from true.

The history of Paraguay, like Russia, is unique and full of ups and downs. “Paraguay” translated from the language of the local Guarani Indians means “from the great river” - the Parana River. The lands of modern Paraguay were discovered and conquered by Spanish conquistadors at the beginning of the 16th century, and in 1542 Paraguay was included in the Viceroyalty of Peru. In 1617, Paraguay came under the rule of the Jesuits, who spent a century and a half building their own model here. theocratic state, With original system control and a powerful army. But in 1767, the Jesuits were expelled from Paraguay on suspicion of separatism, and another half century later, in 1810, the country gained independence.

Until the 1870s, Paraguay was one of the most advanced countries in Latin America. In 1842 (23 years earlier than in the USA), the abolition of slavery was proclaimed here; in 1848, the Indians received equal rights with the descendants of white settlers - the Creoles. Were under construction railways, the telegraph appeared, Paraguay had the best army on the continent. But in 1864, trouble came to Paraguayan soil - the so-called. Paraguayan War (1864-1870). Three largest countries Latin America - Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, united in the Triple Alliance, unleashed all their forces on lonely Paraguay and literally crushed the Paraguayan nation into powder. As a result of the war, which became a true national catastrophe, Paraguay lost almost 80% (!) of the population and a significant part of the territory east of Parana. In its development, the country was thrown back 100 years, where it remained until the arrival of new colonists from Europe in the 20s of the 20th century. Among the European migrants there were many people from Russia, and it was they who were destined by fate to play an outstanding role in the history of Paraguay.

One of the first to arrive in Paraguay was General Ivan Belyaev. Having fled in 1921 with the remnants of Wrangel’s army to Constantinople, Belyaev soon moved to Argentina, and in 1924 he moved to Paraguay. Here he created the Russian Hearth center. main idea Belyaev’s goal was to preserve until better times everything positive that monarchical Russia had created. At the same time, the main principles of the arrangement of the Russian colony were apoliticality and education in the spirit of traditional values ​​of Russian culture in the hope of the future revival of Russia. In the mid-1920s, through the emigrant newspaper “Novoye Vremya” published in Belgrade, Belyaev appealed to all Russian exiles to move to Paraguay.

According to L. Gramatchikova, who has been studying the history of Russians in Paraguay for more than ten years, one of the first to respond to the call was General Nikolai Ern, engineers Boris Makovsky, Georgy Shmagailov, Alexander Pyatnitsky, Evgeny Avramenko, Vadim Sakharov, military doctor Evgeny Timchenko, artillerymen Igor and Orange Lion. In 1925, at the special invitation of the Paraguayan government, former professor of the Engineering Academy of St. Petersburg Sergei Bobrovsky came to Asuncion, who immediately headed a group of Russian “technicians” who founded the “Union of Russian Technicians in Paraguay.” This union, in turn, prompted engineers Alexei Kashirsky, Alexander Bogomolets, Boris Vorobyov, Vladimir Bashmakov and others to move to Paraguay, who subsequently formed the National Department of the Ministry of Public Works.

Almost immediately, Russian emigration began to set the tone in the socio-political life of Paraguay. Excellent military, technical and scientific training, high level cultures determined the important role played by the Russian diaspora in Paraguayan history.

The Russian contribution to the history of Paraguay began with research activities. In the late 1920s - early 1930s, a group of topographers and surveyors led by Belyaev set out to explore one of the most remote areas of the country - the Chaco region, which was believed to be rich in oil. In just a few years, these lands were fully explored, and thanks to the unique contact of the Russian general, the local Indians, who had previously been very wary and even hostile towards white newcomers, became loyal allies of the official Asuncion.

The results of the work of Belyaev’s expedition in particular, and the vigorous activity of the Russian diaspora in general, came in handy for Paraguay quite quickly. On June 15, 1932, Bolivian troops launched a surprise attack on the Paraguayan army. Thus began the bloodiest military conflict of the 20th century in Latin America- so-called The Chaco War, the Bolivian-Paraguayan war for the disputed Chaco region (1932-1935), which essentially turned into a war for the territorial integrity of Paraguay.

With the outbreak of hostilities, the Paraguayan authorities offered Russian emigrant officers to accept citizenship and go to military service. In August 1932, a group of officers gathered to discuss the situation in the country. The conclusion was clear: “Almost twelve years ago we lost our beloved Imperial Russia, occupied by Bolshevik forces. Today Paraguay, this country that has sheltered us with love, is going through difficult times. So what are we waiting for, gentlemen? This is our second homeland, and it needs our help. After all, we are officers!” . “Russian military romantics, yearning for the smell of gunpowder, accepted the offer and put all their knowledge and rich military experience at the service of their new homeland,” one of the Paraguayan historians wrote about them. According to various sources, from 70 to 100 Russian officers fought in the ranks of the Paraguayan armed forces as volunteers, two of them - I. T. Belyaev and N. F. Ern - in the ranks of generals, eight were colonels, four were lieutenant colonels, 13 - majors and 23 - captains. General Belyaev personally participated in many battles and rose to the rank of Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Paraguay.

It is curious that more than a hundred recent enemies of the Russians in the First World War - German emigrant officers - fought in the ranks of the Bolivian army; the commander of the Bolivian army was Major General Hans Kundt, who fought in the First World War Eastern Front.

Despite Bolivia's significant superiority in tanks, aircraft, artillery and manpower, the Paraguayans, thanks to the military skill and ingenuity of two Russian battalions, won the war. In addition, the Bolivian aggressors, who did not know the area well, found themselves in an extremely difficult situation, and the local Indians greeted them with hostility. Unlike the aggressors, the Paraguayan army had detailed maps Belyaev, and the same Indians readily helped her, served as guides and supplied her with provisions.

After several heavy defeats from the Paraguayan army, Bolivia, having lost 60 thousand killed and more than 20 thousand prisoners (Paraguay lost half as many killed, ten times as many prisoners), agreed to a truce on June 12, 1935. The final treaty on the border between Paraguay and Bolivia was signed on July 21, 1938 in Buenos Aires, according to which most of the territory of the Gran Chaco went to Paraguay.

The contribution of Russian military personnel, engineers and scientists to the victory over Bolivian troops in the Chaca War truly cannot be overestimated. “Under their command, infantry squadrons and artillery batteries fought successfully on all fronts. They taught their Paraguayan colleagues the art of fortification, bombing, modern battle tactics, with their example and heroism they more than once raised soldiers to attack, and their death was always worthy of the glory of a Russian officer,” writes one of the discoverers of modern Paraguay for domestic readers A. Carmen.

It was thanks to the heroism of Russian officers in the Chak War that streets with names atypical for the Spanish language appeared in Paraguay: Colonel Butlerov, Captain Blinov, engineer Krivoshein, Professor Sispanov, etc. The names of fallen Russian officers can also be read on memorial plaques in the Pantheon of Heroes. Russian soldiers were awarded the highest military awards in Paraguay, monuments were erected to many, and a Russian temple appeared Holy Mother of God and the city cemetery "Holy Field".

However, the Russian contribution to the history of Paraguay did not end there. Following Belyaev, Russian surveyors walked around the entire territory of the republic and compiled its most detailed topographic maps. Russian immigrants and their students studied the energy resources of Paraguay and created the basis of its entire energy supply system. Russian engineers designed the modern Paraguayan highway network. A lot of defense facilities were built or reconstructed according to the designs of Russian architects. In the Ministry public works, especially in its road construction department, long years The working language was Russian. With the direct participation of the Russians, the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the University of Asuncion was created, and Professor Sergei Bobrovsky became its first dean. Finally, thanks to the Russians, the first school of classical dance was founded in Asuncion, and ballet appeared in Paraguay. For many years, Russian “Paraguayans” occupied high positions in the government administration, some worked as deputies and advisers to ministers, heads of large departments, headed state institutions.

Despite national recognition, Russians in Paraguay were in no hurry to assimilate and sought to preserve their culture and language, trying not to lose their “Russianness.” Back in February 1932, a few months before the treacherous attack by Bolivia, an organization of the Russian diaspora was registered in Paraguay: “Society of Culture - Russian Library.” The goal of the society, as stated in the charter, was “to create a library with a predominance of books in Russian for the promotion of Russian literature, Russian national art, holding exhibitions, lectures, scientific excursions, and meetings for the exchange of ideas.”

However, no further organizational development of the Russian community in Paraguay occurred. At the end of the 30s of the 20th century, the situation in the world became increasingly tense. In 1939, World War II began, and in June 1941, Nazi Germany attacked the USSR. Until 1942, official Asuncion played a “double game,” maintaining relations with both the anti-Hitler coalition and the Axis powers. The Russian diaspora in Paraguay has taken a very definite position. Despite the fact that due to the communist regime, white emigrants were forced to leave Russia, during the Great Patriotic War They mostly supported the just war of the Soviet state against foreign invaders and even participated in the solidarity movement with the USSR.

In 1949, the ranks of the Russian colony in Paraguay were replenished with emigrants from China, where, as a result of the protracted civil war Communist forces won. Members of this migration wave became factory workers, office workers, and teachers. It seemed that the Russian community was about to find a second wind, but events inner life Paraguay ruined all her plans.

In 1954, the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner was established in Paraguay for a long thirty-five years. The Paraguayan caudillo carried out a repressive domestic policy(in the Soviet Union he was directly called a fascist), while leading Paraguay to impressive economic success. The problem was that during the Cold War, everything Russian was often associated with communism and automatically became hostile. Difficult times have come for the Russian diaspora in Paraguay.

It is interesting that the dictator himself treated the “White Russians” (this is what the Paraguayans began to call emigrants from Russia) with great respect. Even during the war with Bolivia, the young artillery captain Stroessner became friends with many Russian officers and remained faithful to this front-line friendship. However, the strict anti-communist regime he established created a special microclimate around Russian immigrants and their descendants. The creation of any organization of the Russian diaspora was out of the question. “Despite all our advantages, we, however, have never been able to loudly declare ourselves as a “Russian community” in the same way as, say, the Germans, Swiss, or Japanese living here do,” admitted A. to a Russian correspondent. Carmenu is one of the activists of the Russian community in Paraguay today. - Why? You know how in Paraguay they treated everything that was connected with communism and the Soviet Union. We were not involved in politics, it was the law of our life, but be that as it may, any identification with Russia inevitably acquired a “red”, that is, communist tint, and this was extremely dangerous.”

During the years of Stroessner's rule, Russians in Paraguay increasingly lost their language and culture, and only after the fall of the dictatorial regime in 1989, the Russian diaspora again embraced the desire for unification. An initiative group was created in Asuncion, which included N. Ermakov (architect, descendant of the Cossacks), S. Kanonnikov (hereditary Russian shipowner), R. Sispanov (mathematics teacher, grandson of the outstanding mathematician Sergei Sispanov, who died in Asuncion), I. Fleischer ( engineer, who for ten years served as director of the industrial planning department and deputy minister of industry of Paraguay).

More than a hundred Russian families responded to their call for unification, as once in the mid-1920s. This is how the Association of Russians and Their Descendants in Paraguay (ARIDEP) was created, headed by Nicholas Ermakov. Soon ARIDEP acquired books, posters, records, matryoshka dolls, homemade national Russian clothing, a Russian cuisine “circle”, and the study of the Russian language began. In February 1991, Ermakov, Kanonnikov and doctor O. Kalinnikova went to the Soviet Union. So for the first time in 70 years of forced separation, Russian “Paraguayans” found themselves in their historical homeland.

In 1992, diplomatic relations were established between the Republic of Paraguay and the Russian Federation, which gave new impetus to the development of the fading Russian community. At the initiative of ARIDEP, the “Paraguayan-Russian Chamber of Commerce” was created. In 1996, the “Days of Russia” were held for the first time in Asuncion, and in 1999, an exhibition was held to mark the 200th anniversary of Pushkin’s birth. In 2001, an evening took place in the Paraguayan capital Russian culture, the program of which included an exhibition of icons, a lecture on Russian spiritual art, performance of classical music and Russian dances. In May 2002, the Days of Russian Culture were held again, timed to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. During the same period, an exhibition of archival materials “200 years of the Russian Foreign Ministry” was launched, which included, in particular, the original letter of Nicholas II from 1905, in which Russian Emperor congratulated Paraguayan President Juan Salazar Gaon on his election to the highest post.

Currently, Russians in Paraguay are almost exclusively descendants of emigrants who arrived in the country between the twenties and fifties of the twentieth century. The number of Russian colonies is small: according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, it is about 1,500 people, according to a number of media reports - about ten thousand. The main (and only) organization of the Russian diaspora in Paraguay is ARIDEP. The Association unites over forty Russian communities in the country and, to the best of its strength and capabilities, tries to preserve Russian culture and traditions. ARIDEP is headed by H. von Horos.

The small Russian diaspora in Paraguay of six million enjoys significant influence. Community representatives occupy important posts in the executive branch, in Congress, and have significant weight and authority in business circles. ARIDEP actively participates in public life Paraguay, being, for example, the main “promoter” of the traditional Immigrant Week, which is held in late September - early October, advocates the development of relations with Russia.

As the head of the Foreign Ministry of Paraguay, Ruben Ramirez Lescano, recently stated, “The Paraguayans have developed a special, unique in Latin America, attitude towards the Russian people thanks to the significant contribution that immigrants from Russia made to the history of our country at the beginning of the 20th century... The Paraguayan people, like the Russians, have always was distinguished by his openness and friendliness. Therefore, it is not surprising that the first Russian immigrants who came to Paraguay in 1924 easily settled here and did a lot for the development of our country.”

This fact is also recognized in the Russian community. “The Russians have taken deep roots here,” says I. Fleischer, one of the founders of ARIDEP. - In Paraguay we are respected as excellent specialists, honest entrepreneurs and businessmen, as people of high culture and morality. All these years, we have zealously ensured that not a single one of our compatriots is involved in any unsavory business, corruption or fraud, so that the name of a Russian person is not tarnished or discredited. This is how we raise our children. We believe that this is our duty to our mother Motherland.”

However, the Russian community in Paraguay has a lot of problems, both private and truly global. Thus, the Association of Russians and Their Descendants in Paraguay does not even have its own press organ, and information communication between members of the Russian community is carried out through the newspaper of the Russian-speaking diaspora in Argentina, “Our Country”. Another example - despite the presence of several Orthodox churches in Asunción, church services are held only on large religious holidays and with a delay of several days, since Paraguay simply does not have its own priest. But the main problem of the hearth of the Russian spirit in Paraguay lies in very weak ties with the historical Motherland and the almost complete absence of knowledge of the Russian language. As sad as this may sound, the number of people in Paraguay who speak excellent Russian and can read the language of their ancestors can literally be counted on one hand.

In general, the situation with the Russian community in Paraguay is unique and indicative at the same time.

Unlike large Russian-speaking diasporas in the USA, Canada, Australia, Israel or Argentina, the Russian community of Paraguay is not so large and until recently was “frozen” in time. Due to subjective circumstances, throughout the second half of the 20th century, only a few carriers of Russian culture could reach Paraguay. As a consequence, the long-term absence of ties with the Motherland led to an almost complete loss of language and identity among the descendants of Russian emigrants and threatened the very existence of the Russian diaspora in this country.

But on the other hand, the uniqueness of the Russian diaspora in Paraguay is a great opportunity for official authorities and non-state structures Russian Federation to provide all possible assistance for the revival of the Russian community on the other side of the world - albeit a very small, but no less important component of the mosaic of the Russian world.

Alexander Naumov,
Candidate of Historical Sciences

Belyaev Ivan Timofeevich (1875, St. Petersburg - 1957, Asuncion) - Russian general, honorary citizen of the Republic of Paraguay. His maternal great-grandfather, Leonty Fedorovich Trefurt, was Suvorov’s adjutant and took part in the famous Italian campaign. Belyaev himself was a participant in the First World War, the Civil War and the Chaka War. Researcher in the area of ​​settlement, language and culture of the Chaco Indians, fighter for the rights and educator of the Paraguayan Indians. During the Great Patriotic War, he supported the USSR with all his might in the fight against Nazism. When Belyaev died, the Indians who idolized him did not allow his body to be interred either in the Russian cemetery or in the Pantheon of Heroes on the main square of Asuncion. Straight from the church where the farewell funeral service took place, not trusting the promises of the authorities, they carried his coffin in their arms and took him to their island, where they buried him. Later, at his own expense, a bronze bust of him was installed there.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the earth has been constantly shaken by wars and military conflicts of various scales. This period also saw the occurrence of two of the most destructive and bloody world wars. Millions of people died, thousands of cities were destroyed.

But humanity did not stop there and constantly filled the emerging peaceful pauses with its local wars, military clashes, and conflicts. The number of victims and destruction only increased. Refugees, hunger, disease - these are the main companions of these sad events.

Today we will talk about one practically unknown conflict between Paraguay and Bolivia, which occurred in the 1930s in Latin America. It was, without exaggeration, the bloodiest war in this region. Between Paraguay and Bolivia was the semi-desert hilly region of the Chaco. It was inhabited by tribes of cannibalistic natives, whom even the local, more peaceful Indians feared. Border disputes between the two states lasted for decades, since these lands, even geographical maps were indicated unclearly. This would have continued indefinitely, but there was an assumption that there might be oil on these lands...

The war began in June 1932. Bolivia was supported by the American company Standard Oil (and the United States in general) and the largest army in Latin America, well armed with the support of Germany (not yet Hitler’s) army.

On the side of Paraguay there were about 50 thousand Indians armed with machetes, and three thousand Russian volunteers who called this country their new homeland.

The portal “History.rf” in its materials has repeatedly addressed the fate of Russian people who, by the will of fate, found themselves in a foreign land. And in Paraguay there was a small colony of Russian White Guards who crossed there from Europe in the 1920s.

Local authorities invited the emigrants to accept Paraguayan citizenship and enlist in the army of a distant Latin American country. Russian officers discussed this proposal and formulated their decision as follows: “Almost 20 years ago we lost our beloved Russia, occupied by Bolshevik forces. Today Paraguay is a country that sheltered us with love, and it is going through difficult times... It is our second homeland, and it needs our help. After all, we are military officers!”

The General Staff of the Paraguayan Army was headed by Ivan Timofeevich Belyaev, a former major general of the Russian army, who arrived in Paraguay from Argentina in 1924. Belyaev appealed to Russian officers who found themselves far from their homeland to come to Paraguay, and this appeal found a response. With the beginning of the Paraguayan-Bolivian war, several groups of white emigrants, mainly Cossacks, arrived in Paraguay.

Russian officers began to form a new Paraguayan army. Colonels Nikolai and Sergei Erny built fortifications, so successfully that the first of them very soon became a Paraguayan general. Major Nikolai Korsakov, while training his cavalry regiment in military affairs, translated songs of Russian cavalrymen into Spanish for him. Captain Yuri Butlerov (descendant of the outstanding chemist, academician Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov), majors Nikolai Chirkov and Nikolai Zimovsky, captain 1st rank Vsevolod Kanonnikov, captains Sergei Salazkin, Georgy Shirkin, Baron Konstantin Ungern von Sternberg, Nikolai Goldshmit and Leonid Lesh, lieutenants Vasily Malyutin, Boris Ern, the Orangereev brothers and many others became heroes of the war in Chaco.

Russian officers were able to transform tens of thousands of mobilized illiterate Paraguayan peasants into a real army capable of defending their country.

At first fighting were chaotic and ineffective skirmishes in the jungle and a struggle for individual fortified points. Then gradually some semblance of a front line began to take shape. Both armies dug into the ground and entangled their positions barbed wire. And at this time, the training and rearmament of the Paraguayan army was actively underway. The course of hostilities began to resemble the First world war, especially since the opposite Bolivian army was led by German General Hans Kundt, a participant in those hostilities. The general said that in Bolivia he would use new method offensive, which he used on the Eastern Front. But it soon became clear that all his tactics were defeated by the defenses built by Russian officers, who also successfully fought on the Eastern Front, but from the opposite side.

Slowly but surely, the superiority of the Paraguayan army began to affect all military operations. Paraguayan soldiers moved forward, singing Russian soldiers' songs, translated into Spanish and Guarani.

After more than three years of fighting, on October 28, 1935, the war between Bolivia and Paraguay ended. And on July 21, 1938, a peace treaty was signed in Buenos Aires, according to which Paraguay retained three-quarters of the Chaco territory. But the saddest thing for the warring parties was that oil was ultimately never found in the Gran Chaco.

It is interesting that the Russian colonists secured their position in the state. To organize Russian colonies, the Paraguayan government allocated large territories between the Paraguay and Parana rivers. And the restless General Ivan Belyaev developed and submitted for consideration to the Chamber of Deputies of the Paraguayan Parliament a draft law on the rights and privileges of Russian immigrants. This project provided for freedom of religion, the creation of national schools, the preservation of Cossack customs and traditions, and communal ownership of land. The project introduced a complete ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages closer than five kilometers from the created villages. It rejected discrimination against visitors based on age, gender, property status, physical or mental abilities. All arrivals were exempt from paying duties on the import of property for ten years.

The Paraguayan government highly appreciated the dedication of the Russians and their participation in defending the country. Russian major generals Ern and Belyaev were enlisted in the Paraguayan army with the rank of lieutenant general “honoris causa” with all the rights and privileges of Paraguayan generals, and seven streets of the capital of Paraguay, Asuncion, still bear the names of Russian heroes of that forgotten war.