Last year marked 80 years since the Paraguayan army utterly defeated Bolivian troops in the Chaca War, resulting in a peace treaty signed between the countries. The Paraguayan military units were commanded by Russian white emigrant officers, and the Bolivian military units were commanded by the elite of the army of the Kaiser’s Germany.

Kundt was arrogant

The reason for this war between Paraguay and Bolivia, which began in 1932, was a territorial conflict of interests over the semi-desert South American region of Gran Chaco, where, according to preliminary estimates, large natural oil reserves were supposed to be located.

The Bolivian army was trained by German senior officers who emigrated to Bolivia when Germany lost the First World War. At one time, Hitler's main attack aircraft, Ernst Rehm, also visited there as an adviser. The Bolivians had 120 German officers under the command of Major General Hans Kundt. Bolivian army soldiers wore Kaiser uniforms and were trained to Prussian military standards.

After declaring war, Kundt promised to “devour the Russians with lightning speed.” The Germans knew who they would have to fight against: the Paraguayan army was reinforced by 80 Russian white emigrant officers who had gone through the First World War, as well as the Civil War in Russia. The General Staff of the Paraguayan Army was headed by Denikin's General Ivan Belyaev, Russian officers commanded regiments, battalions and divisions.

Kundt's intentions included only a short-term war, which he intended to complete in two to three months. There really were grounds for such strategic plans - the Bolivian army had excellent weapons, while the Paraguayan soldiers were poorly organized units with no combat experience.

It was smooth on paper

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 from a “clean slate” by the White émigré captain Sergei Shchetinin, the Paraguayan air defense system destroyed the entire Bolivian military aviation.

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 areas, filled with explosives, 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.

Real stories of our emigrants - life, problems, work in Paraguay without embellishment. Few people know that, starting in 1932, at the call of the former general of Wrangel’s army, Ivan Belyaev, thousands of emigrants from Russia from all over the world began to come to Paraguay. And the first thing they did was help the heroic Paraguayan people repel the aggression of neighboring Bolivia. And in gratitude for this, the Paraguayan authorities gave those Russian heroes the best lands, where they built a “Russian Paraguay” for themselves and began to live there, work and give all their sincere hearts and souls to this country.

In the capital of Paraguay, Asunción, there is still a monument to General Belyaev, and several streets also bear the names of “Russian Paraguayans,” who made a tremendous contribution to the development of this country. There is also a street there called “Officero Serebryakov”. And this surname played the most important role in my destiny, which radically changed my whole life once and for all.

I was born in the city of Vladimir and, having graduated from the Moscow Institute of Transport Engineers (MIIT), together with two friends and classmates, I was sent to the Omsk region to build the Baikal highway. Oddly enough, at that time there was an ordinary gravel “horror road”, although for some reason on all maps it was indicated with a hard, concrete-asphalt surface, since it was a federal highway.

I, Grishka and Igor, worked almost around the clock, and thereby seemed to forget ourselves in those terrible conditions. Complete swamps, unfurnished trailers, mosquitoes the size of sparrows, midges, midges and other “Siberian delights”. But we were obliged to give exactly 3 years of service to our Motherland, and every quiet evening we dreamed that they would pass quickly. And as soon as these 3 years have passed, we immediately write letters of resignation and all three of us go to Moscow, joyfully singing songs and anticipating a completely different life. But just then the collapse of the USSR began and we couldn’t find work in our specialty. I had to think what to do next.

And we began to be one of the first in Moscow to drive used foreign cars from Germany and gradually began to build: first a tire workshop, then a body and paint shop, and only then a full complex for the repair and maintenance of foreign cars, which we then loudly called: Auto- Center "Elite Repair". And, feeling already “fabulously rich” and successful “supermen”, we began to travel to different countries, where we once met a group of “regular travelers” and began to travel around the world with them.

And then Grishka Serebryakov unexpectedly receives a thick package from Paraguay, which contained a bunch of documents, photographs and two letters. One thing is that his close relatives have been looking for him for a long time and are inviting him to Paraguay. And secondly, that Grigory Alekseevich Serebryakov is the first heir of his great-grandfather who died in Asuncion!

• Grishka persuades Igor and me to go there with him, since for some reason he has a little doubt and even fears that this is some kind of very “thoughtful deception.” But it must be said that in the 90s, “scam” was so diverse and common that it could have been quite real. And the three of us flew to Paraguay. This way it will be calmer and more reliable, we decided.


• But when about thirty obviously Russian people met us at the Asuncion airport (and we gave them a telegram from Madrid) and they all hugged the three of us and cried so sincerely, then we realized that this was true and immediately somehow calmed down and even “softened” a little "from such an unexpected and simply touching meeting.


• We were brought to the suburbs of the capital of Paraguay. And there, on the most beautiful bank of the Paraguay River, in the greenery of the “Russian-tropical” gardens, was Grishkin’s “Russian village” and the house of his great-grandfather. A towel, a loaf of bread, salt in the hands of a girl in an old Russian saran and a celebration by the whole village until the morning. And then another 3-4 days, I don’t even remember exactly. But I personally will never forget that meeting. Okay, Grisha, he is a relative. But these people from a completely different Russia accepted Igorekha and me in exactly the same way as Grisha.


• There's not enough space. It's time to wrap things up, but nothing has been said yet! Okay, that's for another time. I'll tell you the most important thing. So, having visited Paraguay, all three of us, having sold our business in Russia, moved to this amazing country in 2001. We each found our own love there. We all have families, children, houses in the “Russian village”. We are engaged in the construction of roads in Paraguay and are incredibly glad that there was such an officer in the tsarist army, Serebryakov. And our Grishka. This is called: Real stories of our emigrants - life, problems, work in Paraguay without embellishment.

And if you knew How amazingly pure, frank, charming, unusually smart and educated these Russian ancestors of Grisha are. They showed us what a “true Russian person in Paraguay” is. And there are thousands of them here! Thank you, life. Thank you Paraguay. And, of course, General Ivan Belyaev, who created the “old Russian world” in this country, similar to a rainbow dream of joy.

There is a small state in South America - Paraguay. Sandwiched between the three giants of the continent - Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil - it fought for a long time, stubbornly, bloodily, either with all of them at once, or with each of them separately. The last major war occurred with Bolivia in 1932. And the big question is whether Paraguay would have survived that war or not if not for several dozen Russian White Guard officers and several hundred non-military personnel? These people brought courage, desperation, and discipline to the Paraguayan army. Plus - professional military knowledge and cruel, bloody experience of their own civil war.

The founder and core of the Russian core in Paraguay was General Ivan Timofeevich Belyaev. He was born in 1875 in St. Petersburg, where his father served in the Izmailovsky Life Guards Regiment. I spent my childhood in the village of Leontievsky, Gdov district. And now - a hint of fate: what drove young Vanechka Belyaev into the attic of the house, what forced him to lift the heavy lid of the dusty chest? What wind brought into this chest an ancient, 18th-century map of the city of Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay? The boy looked for a long time and in fascination at the wonderful drawing with incomprehensible names in an incomprehensible language...

What follows is the usual fate of a hereditary guardsman. Cadet Corps, Mikhailovskoe Artillery School, service in the Guards Artillery. Exercises, guards, parades, balls. And again a hint - while still in school, Belyaev became interested in geography and anthropology and for some reason began to study Spanish.

(I can’t resist making a small remark: fate very often gives us a signal about the future. And almost just as often we indifferently ignore this signal, as if we were turning the next page of a book. How to learn to catch them, signals? How to stop and think: should I do something or shouldn’t I? Someone succeeds!)

During the First World War, Belyaev was on the southern fronts: he took part in the famous Brusilov breakthrough, and received the officer's George. Then came the revolution. Belyaev in Kornilov’s Volunteer Army: the tragic “ice” campaign of the spring of 1918, when three thousand officers with an endless train of refugees “on their teeth” made their way from the Don to the Kuban through the flooded sea of ​​Red Guard detachments... ( One amazing detail. Some of the readers I've probably heard a song about Lieutenant Golitsyn and cornet Obolensky, it begins with the words “... squadrons are marching over the gloomy Don...”. So, in his notes about that time, Ivan Timofeevich mentions an officer’s feast after the battle near the village of Konstantinovka in the Kuban in 1918. And among those present he names... Lieutenant Golitsyn and Prince Obolensky! Such strange coincidences).

In 1920 - evacuation with the remnants of Wrangel's troops to Turkey, then ordeals across Europe, but fate, fate... In 1923, Belyaev ended up in Argentina, in Buenos Aires. He teaches German and French and publishes essays on the civil war in the newspaper El Liberation. And for some reason he stubbornly looks for opportunities to get to Paraguay. Finally, in March 1924, on a steamship along the Parana River, he arrived in the capital of Paraguay, the city of Asuncion.

From Belyaev’s notes: “... Asunción has only 5 cars, a tram, electric lighting and one paved street. The Paraguayan peso costs two pennies, but for five centavos you can buy bread, meat, and milk. Life is cheap and calm..."

Belyaev hatched the idea of ​​​​creating a “Russian Hearth” in Paraguay - this is the name he gave to his idea. This was supposed to be a whole region with a compact Russian population. I believe he wanted to do this on the model of the German settlements of the Volga region, where a real German enclave began to form since the time of Catherine the Great. Perhaps Paraguay was the most suitable country for the implementation of this idea. The almost complete absence of technical intelligentsia, undeveloped industry, backward agriculture - the field for the application of strength and knowledge is immense. Ivan Timofeevich receives a teaching position at the Higher Military School, the necessary contacts have been made - and he finally seeks permission for the arrival of two dozen specialists, for whom the government of the country has determined a very, very decent salary at the level of parliamentary deputies. Among the first to arrive were engineers Shmagailov and Pyatnitsky, traveler Avramenko, and surveyor Averyanov. Later others arrived, among whom were many military men. In Paris, under the chairmanship of General Bogaevsky, an old acquaintance of Belyaev, a committee was created to promote Russian emigration in Paraguay. The committee formed parties from those wishing to leave and chartered ships to Buenos Aires. Here the emigrants were met by representatives of Belyaev, and then along the Parana River to Paraguay. The settlers were allocated a large area near the cities of Encarnacion and Concepcion, and the first agricultural settlements arose here. But the conditions were not perfect; we had to start from scratch. Cossack officer Khapkov:

«… A strip of forest, absolutely impenetrable, you can’t take a step without an axe. But you can’t do anything at all with the stumps - don’t even try to uproot them; you can’t plow in such a field for several years. Somehow we loosen the ground with hoes and plant cassava between the stumps...”

Let us turn to one more side of the activities of Belyaev and the Russian officers, which was of great importance for Paraguay. In the north-west of the country, on the border with Bolivia, is the Chaco-Borrell region. In those years, it was an almost unexplored area; information about its geography and inhabitants was rather vague. It was inhabited by tribes different from the main population of Paraguay - the Guarani Indians. By the way, emigrant Karataev wrote about Guarani:

«… The prevailing belief is that the Guarani are a special people that have nothing in common with the Indians, whom every Guarani despises to the core. To call him an Indian is to insult him so much that he might use a knife or a revolver..."

Because of this area, there were constant disputes between Paraguay and Bolivia, it came to armed clashes. In 1924, the Minister of War instructed Belyaev to carry out the maximum possible reconnaissance of the area, make a topographical survey, identify locations for garrisons and defensive structures, and collect data on the local population. Belyaev made thirteen expeditions to this area. The expeditions, in addition to soldiers and guides, included Russian military specialists - the Orangereev brothers, captain Orefyev-Serebryakov, and topographer Ekshtein. The conditions were not easy: temperature changes, lack of roads, arid terrain. And hordes of mosquitoes! (I experienced firsthand what the mosquitoes of South America are, they are in no way inferior to our northern bloodthirsty midges. But in those years there were no repellents!). However, the problem was completely solved. Particularly valuable and successful, as it turned out later, were the established contacts with the Indians. Belyaev gave a detailed description of the main tribes of the region.

About the Samguay tribe: “... They are tall, have an impeccable build, energetic features and natural generosity. They are calm and balanced, provided that the traveler does not utter prohibited words in the presence of children and girls...”(we wish we could do that now!).

About the Chamacoco tribe: “... The men are short, but very hardy. Women are just as strong, but constancy in love is not their element. If the husband does not pay attention to them for a long time, they look for someone else...”

In May 1932, the Bolivians captured Fort Carlos Lopez in a surprise attack. Thus began a war that lasted three years (a very long period for expansive South America). In terms of technical equipment, the Paraguayan army was significantly inferior to the Bolivians. Bolivia has 60 planes, Paraguay has 17, Bolivia has several dozen tanks, Paraguay has none. Fivefold advantage in machine guns and automatic small arms. Only in artillery did the Paraguayans have a significant superiority. Its mobility, accuracy and coherence of work often decided the matter (the hand of General Belyaev, a military artilleryman, is clearly felt). And one more, very important circumstance - good knowledge of the area (Belyaev’s expeditions yielded results!) and the help of local tribes. Reconnaissance, cargo delivery, security of communications - things invaluable for any army - would be almost impossible without the help of local Indians. The Paraguayan army itself was full of Russian officers. Belyaev is the chief inspector of artillery, General Erna is the division commander (out of seven active ones), 12 regiment commanders, battalion commanders, companies, and batteries. We know the names of Major Korsakov, captains Kasyanov, Salazkin, Butlerov.

And again the crossroads of fate: Russian officers were opposed by German officers who fought on the Bolivian side. The main military adviser there was General Kundt, also a participant in the First World War; he fought against the Russians in Galicia while still a regiment commander. It was Kundt who planned the attack against one of the main strongholds of the Paraguayans - Fort Nanava. Was Belyaev not able to understand the significance of this fort? All forces were devoted to engineering preparation of the defense, and artillery was strengthened to the maximum possible. Having lost more than 2,000 people (versus 300 for the Paraguayans), the Bolivians retreated. And another significant event was the capture of Fort Bokeren. Here, during the attack, Belyaev’s longtime comrade-in-arms, Captain Orefyev-Serebryakov, died. These two battles decided the outcome of the war, and in early 1934 the Paraguayan army launched a successful offensive.

Let's imagine this picture. A barefoot Paraguayan detachment (barefoot - in the literal sense) enters the newly liberated town. The company commander, a former lieutenant of the Markov or Drozdov regiment of the Volunteer Army, turns around and commands: “Start up!” (I very much admit that he gave this particular command in Russian). And a song, translated by Belyaev into the Guarani language, thunders over the Paraguayan jungle:

“...Soldiers, brave boys

Who are your wives?

Our wives' guns are loaded

This is who our wives are..."

After the war, the flow of Russian emigrants began to dry up. The head of the Assistance Committee, Bogaevsky, died in Paris, and a series of military coups began in Paraguay itself. In 1937, Belyaev retired from military service as chief of the general staff; he was already over 60. He was appointed director of the National Patronage for Indian Affairs. And here he did a lot, but that’s another topic. Ivan Timofeevich died in June 1957. The entire Russian diaspora of Paraguay gathered for the funeral, and several hundred of his Indian wards arrived.

It was General Belyaev who sowed grains of Russian culture on the distant Paraguayan soil, the echoes of which are still alive today. In what other Asian or American capital will you come across the names “Avenida Rossii”, “Milyutinsky Proezd”, “Calle (i.e. street) Kasyanov”? And Orthodox Russian crosses are carved on the stone slabs of the graves. And you shouldn’t forget about them.

The Republic of Paraguay is the “Heart of South America”, this is what the country is called because it is located in the very center of the continent of South America, indeed the country is landlocked, but lies on both banks of the Paraguay River and borders Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil.

How people live in Paraguay

Today Paraguay is home to 6.5 million people, most of them concentrated in the southeastern region of the country. The capital and largest city is Asuncion, where a third of the country's total population lives. Paraguay is a country of Indians, the culture of the indigenous people dominates today, unlike many other Latin American countries, this, by the way, concerns not only language, ethnicity, but also language. the vast majority of people live in the eastern region near the capital and largest city of Asuncion, which accounts for 10% of the country's population. 60% of the territory is home to less than 2% of the population. About 56% of Paraguayans live in urban areas, making Paraguay one of the least urbanized countries in South America. In the country you can find small groups of ethnic Italians, Germans, Russians, Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, Arabs, Ukrainians, Poles, Jews, Brazilians, Argentines. Many of these communities have retained their language and culture, especially the Brazilians, who represent the largest and most important immigrant group, with some 400,000 Brazilian Paraguayans of German, Italian and Polish descent. There are no official data on the ethnic composition of the Paraguayan population; according to the 2002 census, indigenous people make up 1.7% of the total population of Paraguay. 95% of the population of Paraguay are mestizos, descendants of marriages between Europeans and Indians. 89.9% of Paraguay's population is Catholic. The Guarani language is understood by 95% of the population of Paraguay, while Spanish is understood by 90%, both languages ​​are official, the role of the Spanish language has been increasing in recent decades, so in the 1980s only 70% of the population spoke Spanish. 88% of Paraguayan youth have attended school at some point. The average life expectancy in Paraguay is quite high at 75 years.

Natural and climatic conditions, weather in Paraguay

Paraguay has a subtropical climate, there are dry and wet seasons with high winds, so from October to March in Paraguay there are warm winds from the Amazon basin, and from May to August cold winds blow from the Andes mountains. There are no high mountains in Paraguay that could block the path of strong winds, which can reach values ​​of 161 kilometers per hour. January is the hottest summer month, with an average daily temperature of 28.9 degrees. Rainfall varies very sharply throughout the country, the wettest part of Paraguay is the east, the drier west.

Salaries, income and jobs in Paraguay. Average and minimum wage in Paraguay

The Paraguayan economy has been relatively stable throughout its history; Paraguay has unusually low inflation, like for Latin American countries or the Third World in general. The GDP is twice as large as the external public debt, in addition, Paraguay is aimed at developing renewable energy sources, since it cannot boast of such oil reserves as, for example, Venezuela. Since the 1970s, Paraguay has had the fastest economic growth in the entire Latin American region, with GDP growth of 14% per year. Paraguay's mining industry accounts for about 25% of gross domestic product, employs a third of the country's population, and also produces cement, iron ore and steel. The pharmaceutical and food industries are especially well developed. In agriculture, high yields of stevia, soybeans, tung oil, corn, wheat and beef production can be noted.

Paraguay has serious social problems, despite the relatively prosperous state of the economy, since 10% of the population controls 66% of the land, while 30% of rural residents do not have land, such inequality has caused many tensions between the landless and landowners. Rural rich people and land owners can leave their lands unused, while the majority of villagers who do not have their own land cannot find work.

There is a high gap in social indicators between rural and urban residents; in rural areas, more than half of the population lives below the poverty level; in cities, the same figure does not exceed 27%.

The richest 10% of Paraguayans earn half of the national income. Half of Paraguay's Indian population cannot read or write, compared with 7.1% in Paraguay as a whole. Only 2.5% of Paraguay's indigenous population has access to clean drinking water and only 9.5% have electricity.

Crime and safety in Paraguay

Paraguay's homicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 population is on par with Costa Rica and Nicaragua; even this relatively high figure is still a long way from Honduras' 95.2.

09.07.2013 ,

Russians of Paraguay. Or - how the Whites won the war in America

“If it was impossible to save Russia, it was possible to save its honor.”

Who do you think these words belong to? Regular readers of the blog have probably already guessed it. They belong to Ivan Timofeevich Belyaev, a tsarist general and national hero of the Republic of Paraguay, the younger brother of my great-great-grandfather. This year marks the 85th anniversary of the consecration of the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin in the capital city of Asunzon, and I again have a long and exciting journey ahead of me. Since every reader of the blog is directly in contact with the life of the author, I try to talk about all the interesting events along the path of life. And in anticipation of the trip, I am again going to continue publishing materials about our family and the historical significance of the Russian people in the history of the distant Latin American state.

Today I am publishing material written by Alexander Azarenkov, the name of which is included in the title of the post. It was published on December 15, 2012 on the Russian Line website.

"…Street Official Serebriakov; city Fortin-Serebriakov ...Latin America.Paraguay...

The sound is unusual for the Russian ear, Spanish letres and palabras.

From what America Latina embosses Russian names dear to us in bronze font? Orthodox domes of chapels, old Russian script, carefully written letters - now more and more often in churchyards - no, no, but you will meet them in a foreign land...

Foreign land. “The wild goose has no intention of leaving a mark on the water. Water has no desire to hold the reflection of a goose,” said the ancient Chinese. A beautiful proverb. Not for our white emigrants.

Valery Levushkin, artistic director of the Bim-Bom ensemble, writes: “Asuncion... The road, or rather the street, is divided into two parts, in the middle there is a grassy alley, where along the entire perimeter there are busts of military men on pedestals, well, in a word, everything is like ours, a kind of “Alley of Heroes”. I don’t know what made me read the names, written, of course, in Spanish, but the first name I saw was Belov. I thought that I had made a mistake in reading the Latin letters, but the next bust with the inscription “Malyutin” left no doubt. And then there were busts of Serebryakov, Kasyanov... etc. I, and everyone on the bus, did not immediately understand where we were... The mysterious situation was resolved...

As is known, in Russia the Red regime defeated the resistance of the White movement. The remaining troops were evacuated and received by different countries... But the last few Cossack divisions, which held back the Red assault almost to the end, could no longer be received by any city in Europe. And the command decided to go to Argentina. Argentina also did not agree to accept the Cossacks, but provided a “corridor” for the passage of troops with full weapons to Paraguay.

So, in 22, the first Cossack settlement was formed in Paraguay. And when Bolivia attacked little Paraguay, since the country did not have a regular army, the government turned to the Russians asking for help. And the Cossacks organized everything for them. Russian white emigrants formed the backbone of the high command of the Paraguayan army, leading it to victory in the Chaca War. The first commander-in-chief is Russian, the first chief of the general staff is Russian and, naturally, the best trained regiments are Russian Cossacks.

A few years later, Paraguay emerged from the war with honor, having driven out the invaders. After this, the “Alley of Heroes” was created in honor of the soldiers and officers who died in this war, which is highly revered by the local population, and indeed by all the ruling regimes of the country.

Old men and women, children and grandchildren of those Russian soldiers who could not defend their native Fatherland, but were able to defend someone else’s and found their second homeland in distant Paraguay, came to our concerts.

About “full armament” it may not be entirely true, and about the “last Cossack divisions” it’s beautiful... After all, in fact, the first Russian mass settlement with a population of about 2 thousand people was officially called a “stanitsa...”. But, Levushkin, he’s still a good guy. To be honest, I did not expect such a wonderful story from the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation. There is a little inaccuracy in his story, but well, there were no diplomatic relations between Paraguay and the USSR, and the entry of Soviet citizens into that country was strictly prohibited. In the 2nd M.V. the republic chose neutrality, and only this period was somehow mentioned in passing in the Soviet press. Hence the lack of information, but that story is extremely interesting.

Several packages with photocopies were sent to me by the son of the White Drozdov officer, S.V. Khlistunov, who lives in Australia, therefore I am publishing some information with his permission and they formed the basis of this article.

The very first Russian officer in the Paraguayan service was Guard Captain Komarov. In 1912, he had the opportunity to take part in the civil war there...

On June 29, 1924, I. T. Belyaev was given permission from the President of Paraguay to create a Russian Hearth. He was also entrusted with attracting Russian specialists to improve the economy of the republic. From surveyors to agronomists. Among (atención!) first twelve was V.F. Orefyev-Serebryakov. Having read in the Belgrade newspaper General Belov’s appeal to Russian emigrants “to everyone who dreams of living in a country where he can be considered Russian” and free from the Bolshevik infection, he left to meet his fate.

The Paraguayan government was guaranteed that the new arrivals were not part of the Red Army under any circumstances. A little later, a similar 1948 amendment to the US Displaced Persons Act was approved by Congress and signed by Harry Truman in April 1950 (Article 14).

Brief information:

I. T. Belyaev (1875 † 1957) Guard Major General. In the White Army - artillery inspector of the Caucasian Army. Scientist, geographer, anthropologist, ethnographer, linguist. He studied Indian tribes in Chaco Boreal, a vast but little-studied province of the Gran Chaco. Until 1931 he made 13 expeditions. Compiler of Spanish-Indian dictionaries...

Among the first Russians to arrive were surveyor Averyanov, designer Makovetsky, forestry engineer S.S. Salazkin and others.

Orenburg Cossack of the Chelyabinsk district N.A. Cherkanin, arrived in Paraguay in October 1926 from Argentina with 12 pesos in his pocket. He was appointed director of agriculture in the colony of San Lazaro (960 hectares of land). The main goal, according to him, is to establish a Russian-Cossack settlement in the colony. “We must say frankly that this is not Mother Russia. Not the rich, watery Kuban, not the flowery Quiet Don, and not my dear Siberia,” wrote a Cossack colonist a little later. According to other sources, his last name is Chernin, since in 1928 he was listed as “Administrator of the colony of San Lazaro, near the Brazilian border.”

Offers to accept the Cossacks, given their great colonization skills, came from Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and even the Antilles. It was also important that the governments of the countries recipients accepted such colonization on the principle of Cossack identity, i.e., the Cossacks were allowed to wear uniforms, weapons, and preserve Cossack self-government... The positive, centuries-old experience of the Cossack pioneers was taken into account “without exams.” Abroad, the Cossacks brought with them loyalty and natural uniqueness, and from the first steps of refugee they began to organize villages built on the principles of mutual revenue, equal land use, and collectivity. For a number of reasons, the plan was not fully realized, but back in the late forties and early fifties, Cossacks arrived in Paraguayan lands from all over the world. Even in the godforsaken town of Miranda, in the middle of the twentieth century, there was a Cossack group.

The first White Guard officer in Paraguayan service was a Cossack from the village of Novocherkassk, VVD, Golubintsev. He began his service in the Paraguayan Army as a junior officer in the dragoons at the end of 1921. The last rank of the Cossack Sacro Diablo is captain.

In publications of Cossacks abroad, I looked for various notes on a topic that interested me. Here are some extracts. “Cossack Union” (report No. 2, Dec. 1925-Jan. 1926). “M.B.T. wishes to enter into negotiations with the government of Paraguay to find out the possibility of placing in this country colonists who will be suitable in their moral and physical qualities. The Government of Paraguay is aware that most of the refugees do not have any means and that the sections located resources very limited. But we can count on finding funds if solid foundations for the said colonization are established. [Among them there are many Russian land surveyors, Ch. arr. Cossacks and German colonists from the Volga region, p. 43].”

"Paraguay. The mission arrived at Assuntsion May 1st and accepted by the President and Ministers... Paraguay is rightly called the country of eternal spring. It lies between two rivers, the Paranoya and the Paraguay. It is a country of hills covered with virgin forests and rich pastures, without high mountains. The fertility is almost incredible: cotton, tobacco, rice, cassava, bananas, oranges, sugar cane and many other tropical and subtropical plants grow without care.

Gg. Belyaev and Ern said that the climate of Paraguay is quite suitable for Russians and that it is less hot there than in the Caucasus “K. S.”, page 35.

Information close to the topic is from Colonel V. Kovalev’s letter to the magazine: “There are now more than a dozen Cossacks, mostly Don people. There is no [Cossack] organization yet, but everyone is close and friends, although there are different political beliefs. The majority are Cossacks in soul and body, then Russian..."

“The Paraguayan government is interested in the Cossacks and is ready to provide the Cossacks with good lands along the new railway on very favorable terms” (p. 49). The pages of the publication contain excerpts from a letter from Gen. I. T. Belyaev in the name of Donskoy Ataman (p. 53). About the territory of the Paraguayan Chaco, Belyaev casually reports: “The dispute over the borders has not yet been resolved, and it is impossible to bring the Cossacks into the disputed zone.”

The life of the Russians gradually improved, and the interests of their second homeland were accepted here as their own. Living and active participation in the life of the state was the contribution of our compatriots. Since 1933, it was for the Russian colonies that the government allocated lands between the Paraguay and Parana rivers. “The name of the South American river Paraguay (para + guay) means “river” + “river”, only in different languages” (Pospelov E. M., 1988).

During the Paraguayan winter, on June 15, 1932, the 2nd Chac War broke out between Bolivia and Paraguay. The conflict mainly took place over the disputed territory (Gran Chaco, 230 thousand sq. km), rich, as they thought, in oil, which later turned out to be not commodity quality. However, that territory was huge and the age-old question of its ownership was more than once resolved with the help of weapons. The war was started by the Uruguayan military. In August, Belyaev and a detachment of volunteers go up the Paraguay River to liberate Fort Carlos Antonio Lopez in the lagoon. Pitiantuta, captured by the Bolivians. Within a month, the valiant Ivan Timofeevich received the Paraguayan military rank - division general.

It should be noted that Belyaev actively recruited Indians into service as partisan saboteurs. The commander-in-chief himself was of Guarani origin. Allied tribes, to some extent, helped prevent Bolivian expansion. The death of the Indian leader Chiquinococ at the above-mentioned fort was later included in Belyaev’s libretto for the grandiose performance, which was successfully staged in the countries of South America. By the way, I have an extract that “a message appeared in American newspapers that an English expedition in the wilds of South America encountered an Indian tribe, whose leader turned out to be Russian. According to him, he is a Terek Cossack.”

By this year, all Russians lived in the republic about one hundred people. A military sailor of the old princely family, Tumanov, reports: “At the moment, 19 officers, 2 doctors and 1 veterinarian are serving in the service of the Military Department, the Army and the Navy, in other words, the Russian colony has mobilized more than 20 percent of its available personnel to defend the country. Of this number, 14 people are in Chaco, the majority are in the ranks of active troops, taking an active part in battles with the Bolivians...” But this is the very, very beginning of the war.

“In August 1932, a group of officers met to discuss the current situation. Nikolai Korsakov took the floor. “Almost 12 years ago we lost our beloved Imperial Russia, occupied by Bolshevik forces,” he said, addressing his compatriots. – Today Paraguay, this country that lovingly sheltered us, 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!”

The officers of the Russian Imperial Army and the White Guards rendered the greatest, and simply grandiose, service to the state, which was called Paraguay! Many, many of them were awarded the highest awards of the republic. In Paraguay there are streets, towns and cities named after Russians who gave their lives for this country.

Without exaggeration, we can write that in a foreign land our officers were the bearers of Russian military culture. Widely educated, with enormous life, military, combat and administrative experience, from this experience they draw their wise and calm attitude towards life, in the most fantastic situations and in the most exotic countries.

What names! General Staff Lieutenant General Stepan Leontievich Vysokolyan. At 1 M.V. on the Caucasian and Northwestern fronts, served in the White Army. Mathematician, and they say that he was the first in the world to solve Fermat’s theorem (dedicating this work to the murdered Royal Family). In Czechoslovakia he studied at the university and military academy (1933). During this war, starting with the rank of captain, he became commander of the artillery of the Paraguayan army. He was born near Kamenets-Podolsky, and died in Asunción in 1986. Professor at the Higher Military Academy, the Higher Maritime Academy and the Cadet Corps. He passed away at the age of 91, with the rank of army general, and National Mourning was declared in the state. Major General Ern died in the same city in 1972. Baron Wrangel held the post of p.d. general. army headquarters. Nikolai Frantsevich is an officer of the Life Guards Cossack Regiment, in exile one of the compilers of the History of his regiment. Since 1930, he was the head of the South American Department of the EMRO and all Russian formations in South America. Professor of the Academy of the General Staff, Inspector General of the Paraguayan Army... it is impossible to count everything, even the highest positions.

His brother, Colonel S. F. Ern, built fortifications in Paraguayan service. Markovets N.I. Gol(b)dshmidt became the head of the Cartography Department at the General Staff with the rank of major, and was killed at Cañada Stronguest on May 22, 1934. In total, of the Russian staff officers in senior positions in the Paraguayan ranks, there were, as they say, 4 lieutenant colonels, 8 colonels, among them Joseph Pushkarevich, but there were more Russian colonels in other ranks of Paraguay. For example: I. Astrakhantsev, E. Lukin, Prokopovich, Rapp, Chistyakov, Shchekin.

General of the Medical Service of Paraguay A.F. Weiss and Doctor (with a capital letter) M.I. Retivov, Major K. Gram(m)atchikov; Colonel-Markovite L.L. Lesh, and vice versa - General Staff Colonel of the Paraguayan service S.N. Kern, captain-Markovite (by the way, there are quite a lot of Markovites). In Ei Carmen, on May 29, 1934, Colonel Victor Kornilvich died. Colonel Kornilovets [b. beginning Kornilov Military School] N.P. Kermanov and, who later became Paraguayan Colonel A.N. Fleish(n)er, son of b. Terek Cossack Ataman. The Cossack officer Yesaul Khrapkov arrived, but not for long, as did Captain Ardatov...

Later, brigadier generals became: Alexander Andreev, Nikolai Shimovsky, Nikolai Shchegolev.

Sailor N.F. Zimovsky, who served in high positions in the White Army of the Northern Region, came to Paraguay in 1936, his last rank being major general. Another sailor, V.N. Sakharov, became a telegraph teacher.

Esaul-shkurinets (1920) Yu. M. Butlerov, began his service with the rank of major (descendant of the great academician Butlerov), finished his service with the rank of headquarters officer. A street in the capital is named after him: “Colonel Butlerov.” Captain 1st Rank Vsevolod Kanonnikov. “In the center of Asuncion, on Comandante Kanonnikov Street, named after Lieutenant Vsevolod Kanonnikov, hero of the Chak War of 1932-1935, in house No. 998 there is the office of the son of the hero of Paraguay Svyatoslav Kanonnikov, vice-chairman of the Association of Russians and Russian-speaking residents of Paraguay. Svyatoslav (Stanislav) Vsevolodovich is 67 years old. Since 1967, he led this association and was its chairman for many years” (Internet). On December 13, 1993, a story about him aired on our television.

The son of the famous Russian polar explorer, participant in the first voyages of the icebreaker "Ermak" Georgy Eckstein - Alexander von Eckstein-Dmitriev, Baron von Ungern-Sternberg, lieutenants, brothers Lev and Igor Orangereev (the latter - captain of the Paraguayan army), captains: B. Dedov, Yu. Shirkin, I. Grushkin, Milovidov, Bogdanov, captain B. Kasyanov. Captain Nikolai Khodoley, captain of the Kyiv Hussar Regiment, Baron Blomberg (in Paraguay - land surveyor).

Majors: N. Chirkov, commander of the 9th Cavalry Regiment N. Korsakov (former captain-ulan), Vladimir Sryvalin. The commander of the artillery regiment, Colonel A. Andreev...

The street "Engineer Krivoshein" is named after another national Paraguayan war hero. Name b. Don Medical Inspector Weiss is on another metropolitan street, and there are 17 of them in total! Pioneer in Paraguay Director of Public Works A. Bashmakov, participant in the Chak war, builder of strategic bridges.

...Captain 2nd rank of the Paraguayan service Prince Tumanov wrote:

“One of them has already thanked the country that sheltered him, sacrificing his life for it. On September 28, during the assault on Fort Boqueron [in Chaco], the battalion commander of the Corrales infantry regiment, captain of the Paraguayan service Vasily Fedorovich Orefyev-Serebryakov, former captain of the Don Cossack Army, died a heroic death.” The letter is dated October 12, 1932, Assunsion.

Here's a small digression. What is the name of our Cossack hero?

Tumanov writes "Vasily". Natalya Gladysheva, “Corner of Russia in Paraguay”, wrote down – “Vladimir”. Maybe brothers? Here we have examples: Lev and Igor Orangereev; Nikolay and Sergey Erny; Ivan and Nikolai Belyaev. But no, at the beginning of that war two Serebryakovs were killed, that’s too much.

Vasily Fedorovich Orefyev-Serebryakov, riding Cossack of the village of Archadinskaya, Ust-Medveditsky District of the Don Army. The last rank is esaul. After the evacuation he lived in Yugoslavia, and from the mid-20s in Paraguay. According to some sources: the last Paraguayan rank is major. Street Official Serebryakov; city Fortin-Serebryakov(Fort Serebryakov) - immortalized the name of the brave Cossack. He led the chains into a bayonet attack, himself in front, with a drawn saber... The last words of the Don: “I carried out the order. A beautiful day to die!” (“lindo dia para morir”), Major Fernandez recalled about that unprecedented battle. The hero was buried with full honors in Isla Poi. Then the coffin was transferred to Asuncion, to the Recoleta cemetery. According to other sources, in November 1932, the name “Oreffieff” was given to the former Bolivian fort of Haicubás, northwest of Boquerón...

Another captain lived and worked in Paraguay - D. A. Persianov, an active figure in the All-Cossack Association and the Russian Military-National Liberation Movement named after. Generalissimo A.V. Suvorov (Suvorov Union).

A bust of Commander Malyutin, who served with the rank of lieutenant (then captain), is installed in the capital. The cornet (centurion) of the 1st Yekaterinodar Regiment of the Kuban Cossack Army, Vasily Pavlovich - capitan Basilio Malutin, was killed at Paso Favorito (Pozo Favorito) on September 22, 1933. Don Cossack N. Blinov, fought with the rank of captain. Street "Captain Blinoff" in Asuncion, eternal memory of the romantic Cossack.

The road “named after Kasyanov”, “Kasyanov Bridge” and “Major Kasyanoff” street. Captain of the Life Dragoon of Pskov E.I.V. Empress Maria Feodorovna regiment, B.P. Kasyanov died near Saavedra, February 16, 1933. Major of the Paraguayan service and his name is forever cast on a memorial plaque in the Pantheon of Heroes: “CAP. HC BORIS KASIANOV."

…Street Comandante Salazkin, in honor of “hc Sergio Salaski” a play was written: “Major Salazkin”. Captain S.S. Salazkin - Kornilovets-Tekin, died on October 30, 1933, commanding a regiment.

A correction should be made at this point: in Spanish, comandante is translated as commander; exactly major, or how commandant. That is, there are three options. It is possible that some of the narrators from whom I took information make an arbitrary translation. I tried to choose the most correct one, with help from my relative living in Spain.

In total, of the White Guard officers in the officer ranks of the Paraguayan service at that time, as they write, there were 23 captains, and 13 majors.

Today's Russian press reports that there were six dead Russian officers. But the data, as I understand it, was taken and put into circulation from the Sentinel magazine, published towards the end of 1933 (p. 28). The war had only lasted for six months. Other data is provided by the gene's report. Stogov, for 1936 (“Sentry”, NN 174, 175). But, during the war (and after), according to unverified data, about three thousand Cossacks and officers from the White Armies served in the Paraguayan army. The Lord knows how many Russian ordinary ranks were killed or died (from wounds or “chucha” fever). Very difficult climatic conditions in Chaco - crazy temperature changes - have played a cruel joke more than once. How many Russians came after the war?

Esaul Persianov reports to the magazine that by the 60s, the Paraguayan army included: “gen. -Lieutenant N.F. Ern, general. - majors S. L. Vysokolyan and N. F. Zimovsky, colonels Andreev, Frey, lieutenant colonels Fleisher and Butlerov, captain b. Odessa cadet Ossovsky and others. There are two Unions: one is headed by General. N.F. Ern, another retired major of the Paraguayan army N.A. Korsakov. There is a Russian library, which is headed by the widow of Severets S. M. Dedova, and the chairman of the library society is Odessa Ulan A. V. Nikiforov. There is a ladies' charitable society headed by the daughter of the general. Erna, widow of N.N. Retivova. The rector of the church is our Don Cossack b. Hieromonk Varlaam arrived..."

By the end of 1933, the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the Paraguayan Republic Belyaev and his brother created the “Colonization Center for Organizing Immigration to Paraguay.” The center was located in Paris, and guardsman, Lieutenant General (1918) Bogaevsky was elected honorary chairman of the General Staff (1900). And if not for the death of Ataman, who knows how those events would have unfolded further.

“In March 1934, Belyaev received a letter from the president of the Russian Emigration to Africa society, Fedorov, with a request to assist in the departure to Paraguay of 1000 families of Russian Old Believers and Cossacks who had settled in Lithuania. At first they intended to go to Morocco, but after reading Belyaev’s manifesto in the magazine “Cossack”, calling for departure to Paraguay, they decided to try their luck on South American soil.

Since 1934, pioneer officer and poet Pavel Bulygin has been organizing the Russian Old Believer colony “Baltika”. A man of amazing destiny, like most Russian Paraguayans. In the Great War - an officer of the Life Guards, in the Civil War he participated in the 1st Ice Campaign, then the commander of the security detachment of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (recently reburied in St. Petersburg), through Harbin he arrived in the Kolchak Army: chief assistant to investigator Sokolov in the murder investigation Royal family. Belgrade-Paris-Berlin-Riga-Kaunas... from 1924 to 1934. - military instructor of the Emperor (Negus) of Abyssinia H. Selassie. And finally, in Paraguay, where he died and was buried in 1936 in the Russian cemetery in Asuncion.

In April 1934, the first steamship with our emigrants, and now immigrants [about 100 people. The eldest is Colonel Gessel]. In a letter to Belyaev, the chairman of the Colonization Center, Ataman Bogaevsky, noted the “confidence of the Cossacks in the patronage” of Belyaev and expressed hope for the “unimpeded continuation of the begun process” (Natalya Gladysheva “A Corner of Russia in Paraguay”). In May, letters of arrival were received from this Cossack group addressed to the editors of the Sentinel. The magazine is in my personal archive. Here are extracts: “...On the shore, stood a military man in a Prussian-style uniform, in general’s stripes - a general. Belyaev... The location of our village is 10 km away. from the city of Encarnacion... How unique everything is here, how different it is from the European... “and then there is a list of prices (everything is cheap), everyday sketches, about horses and service rations (a kilo of meat per person per day), etc. Army service was not touched upon in the correspondence.

In the same 1934, Prince Karachevsky, doctor-engineer M.D. Karateev, a future writer, arrived, however, then he was an “ordinary” Knight of St. George, a staff captain. He confirms: “with the incredible cheapness and record low currency of Paraguay (one dollar at that time cost 440 Paraguayan pesos).”

What uniform did the Paraguayan military wear? Very similar to the Austrian or German, both in color and cut. Shoulder straps are of the same German type. Steel helmets, like tropical ones - the latter for some reason were not liked by the locals - were German. Army Regulations, in general, too.

The armament ranged from old (7.65 mm) Argentine repeating Mauser rifles of the century before last to the Werke 1933 Mauser, and to be fair, it must be said that only a certain number of rifles purchased directly from the Arms Factory in Oberndorf, “Brothers Wilhelm and Paul Mauser”, model 1907 turned out to be the best! Local officials were in charge of procurement.

...Subsequent parties, several hundred people each, arrived periodically. A group of about 40 people left the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg that same year. Among them is Ossovsky. Within a few months, three groups left. The Sentinel magazine (N 135-136) reports: “To Paraguay!” On September 14, a group of the Kornilov Military School and EMRO officials in the city. Wiltz departed via Paris for Paraguay. The Luxembourg government complied with the group's wishes and gave them travel money and things to set up in a new place, including tents and hunting rifles. Before leaving Paris, a prayer service was served in the Gallipoli church... The commander of the Kornilov regiment blessed the head of the group [and the head of the Kornilov military school] regiment. Kermanov icon." And soon, the second group of Russians left Luxembourg.

“Europe has not lived up to our hopes. Paraguay - the country of the future" - under this motto, the bi-weekly Russian-language newspaper "Paraguay" "Le Paragoay" began to appear on the first page. However, few numbers were published. And in Paris, Gorbachev published a brochure.

That war (1932-35) claimed the lives of forty thousand Paraguayans and wounded three times that number. An order of magnitude more Bolivians died, and an incredible number were taken prisoners! The army defended its former borders and the war ended. In August 1935, a truce was signed between the countries.

The participation of White warriors - Cossacks and officers in the Chak War, played a positive and greatest role in the victory of the republic. Although the Cossacks never took part in dashing horse attacks, but still... The submachine gun turned out to be more handy here.

Generals, headquarters and chief officers, Russian and Paraguayan ranks. Fearless and brave warriors. No other country in the world knew such a significant contribution of Russian officers to the defense of a foreign country, which became a second Motherland. Two dozen of our heroes were awarded the Cross of Chaco medal, and six gentlemen received the Order of the Cross of the Defender of the [Motherland].

Karateev writes how he tried to compile a complete list of Russian participants in this war, and he managed to collect 86 names, but I think, he says, that this is not all. “Among them, two or three were chiefs of large headquarters, one commanded a division, twelve regiments, and the rest battalions, companies and batteries. Seven were killed in this war, many were wounded, some became famous for their exploits.”

“Paraguay appeared before them as undeservedly persecuted, fighting a just war.” And the White Cossacks and officers not only did not forget how to conduct combat operations, but also brilliantly showed the skill and greatest school of Russian Weapons - the Russian Imperial Army. After all, by the beginning of the 30s, the Paraguayans had small paramilitary squads instead of an army. By the end of the war, Russian officers created a fifty-thousand-strong regular army and navy. Doctors, artillery technicians and specialists, cartographers, veterinarians... Repair shops and laboratories for explosives, instructors for all types of weapons and specialists in the manufacture of aerial bombs. Only planes were purchased in France or Italy (by the way, the White Guards abolished the red stars in Paraguayan aviation as an identification mark - in all likelihood, Captain V. Parfinenko, a former naval pilot, had a hand in this).

“Invaluable assistance was provided to the Paraguayans by military doctors and, together with them, nurses: Vera Retivova, Natalya Shchetinina, Sofia Dedova, Nadezhda Conradi... Physicists, mathematicians, architects and engineers developed weapons and bombing systems that were new to Paraguay, instructed pilots, and trained their colleagues basics of advanced fortification" (A. R. Carmen). Professor General S.P. Bobrovsky, who arrived at the Academy of Engineering back in 1925, later founded the “Union of Russian Technicians in Paraguay.” From this Union subsequently arose the National Department of the Ministry of Public Works.

The rear service worked very well in collecting military booty - captured weapons, etc. Vickers and Colt machine guns; light machine guns ZB-26/30 and Madsen; mortars, etc. greatly supplemented the meager weapons of the Paraguayans.

Excellent training in schools, educational buildings, schools, academies, general staff courses and civilian institutions of the Russian Empire, plus the experience of the Great War, Civil War and additional study in countries that sheltered Russian exiles, gave brilliant results. After all, the Bolivian army absolutely dominated in military technology. By the beginning of the 20s, the Paraguayans had only one general!

It may be a small thing, but the Paraguayan soldiers even marched to drill songs translated from Russian. Model 1907 Mauser repeating rifle on the shoulder... bare feet. Golubintsev recalls how he, a cavalryman, was initially shocked by the locals wearing spurs over their bare heels! Let us note at the same time that, according to Karateev, the Paraguayans were very clean. He testifies that he saw Asuncion War Museum original certificate. This is an inscription in crayon on a board: “If it weren’t for the damned Russian officers, we would have driven your barefoot army across the Paraguay River long ago” (p. 39, cit. cit.).

Exoticism intertwined with reality. Esaul Serebryakov served in a regiment called “Corals”, other regiments were called Mono negro - “Black Monkey”, Hormiga muerta - “Dead Ant” (“Dead Ant” - hormiga muerta, as the Russians joked), etc.

As Prince Y. K. Tumanov wrote:

“The Paraguayan Government and people highly value the selflessness of the Russians and their participation in the defense of the country. Recognition of the merits of the Russian colony was revealed in the decrees of the Government, according to which the Russian Major Generals Ern and Belyaev were enlisted in the ranks of the Paraguayan Army with the ranks of Lieutenant General "honoris causa" [honorary title - A.A.], with all the rights and privileges of Paraguayan generals. The opinion of the Paraguayans about the courage of Russian officers in battle is unanimously enthusiastic. The heroic death of captain (esaul) Orefyev was marked by deeply sympathetic articles in the local press.” The prince himself, captain 1st rank of the Russian Imperial Navy, by 1936 had the rank of sea captain in the Paraguayan service. Later - Chairman of the Paraguayan branch of the EMRO. Princess Nadine Tumanova founded the School of Lyrical Singing.

After the death of the Honorary Citizen of Paraguay and so on and so forth... Belyaev, National Mourning was declared. The funeral service took place in the capital's Russian Church of the Holy Intercession (Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where on the walls you can see memorial plaques with the names of Russian officers), in the presence of numerous high-ranking officials and Russian emigrants. Interestingly, Indians stood at the church and sang Our Father, as the general taught them.

The Guarani Indians (Tiger clan, to be more precise - Jaguars, Chimacocas) proclaimed the Russian general as their leader - Katsik. The general, in fact, was a member of this clan. They “carried an honor guard for two days, and when the coffin with Belyaev’s body on a warship was taken to an island in the middle of the Paraguay River, which he had chosen as his final resting place, when the military salute died down and the funeral speeches were heard, the Indians dismissed the whites. In the hut where their leader taught the children, they sang their funeral songs over him for a long time. After the funeral, they wove a hut over the grave and planted rose bushes around it” (N. Gladysheva). I found an additional extract in my old drafts. “After his death, the Indians asked for the body to come to them, built a wooden fence around the grave, declared a taboo and enrolled him in the god of their tribe...” Later, the Indians erected a bronze bust with their own money.

On the hero’s grave, “without a hill,” there is an inscription: “Here lies Belyaev.” Later, a monument was erected resembling a rocket from books of the first half of the 20th century. And the inscription on the sign: “General Belaieff 19 enero 1957.”

On February 21, 1999, there was a Paraguayan television report by Yu. Senkevich, who reported that during passportization all Indians Macca took the surname “Belyaev”!

The newspaper La Tribuna, among others, published an obituary on January 23, signed “Captain B. Dvinyanin”: “...Russian by birth and Paraguayan at heart.”

A memorial sign to Russian soldiers stands at the crossroads near Federacion Rusa Square.

In the post-war and subsequent years, Russian emigration boosted the country's economy. Culture, science (a number of departments at the University of Asuncion were headed by Russians, for example, the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics). Russian professors organized the Higher Polytechnic School, the first in the country. Road construction works, defense enterprises, energy, everything, right up to high positions in the Ministries - Russian White emigrants are everywhere, “Rusos Blancos”!!! Even the first Paraguayan female engineer and that Russian one was N. Sryvalina.

An example of fortification, Fort Nanava, was turned into an impregnable fortress connected by fortified areas. Minefields, areas with barbed wire; machine guns, mortars, flamethrowers, tanks and aircraft. The science of constructing defensive structures and practice have yielded extremely positive results. From January 10 to July 14, 1933, a grandiose battle for that time took place there, which ultimately ended in the complete victory of the Russian military school, as well as other episodes of that military campaign (for example, the battle of Campo Via).

The famous Paraguayan artist Jorge von Horosh also has Russian roots. His father fought in the Civil War against the Bolsheviks, and in the Chak War he served on the General Staff.

…Nuestra Senora Santa Maria de la Asuncion there is Profesor Sispanov street... But that’s another topic.

It should also be noted that the surge of emigration occurred during World War 2 and after 1949, when a new wave of old Russian emigrants or their descendants poured out of China. Among them are L. -Gv. Preobrazhensky Regiment Colonel Vedenyapin (in the Volunteer Army from November 1917). And even later, like, for example, the family of the elder of the Asunción church, Sergei Vasilyevich Karlenko (Korlenko), who fled from the Maoists. In the fall of 1949, several dozen people arrived from the island of Tubabao, the last refuge of Russian Far Eastern emigration. They in turn fled to the Philippines among five thousand Russian refugees, fleeing the Chinese Red Army. And now Latin America.

According to official data from the international organization in charge of refugees (IRO), two thousand people signed up to move to Paraguay in 1947.

From the European emigration there were people with interesting destinies, for example, Colonel of the Paraguayan Army N.M. Piven. In 1920, being a cadet of the Vladikavkaz cadet. corp., while still in Crimea, he entered the Crimean Cadre. corp., as part of which he was evacuated to Yugoslavia. He graduated from military school in 1931 as an infantry second lieutenant. Then his fate changes dramatically. Piven becomes a military pilot. During the war he was in the national detachments that fought against the communists. In 1945 he went to Austria, then to Germany and finally to Paraguay, where he entered military service. Nikolai Piven died three days earlier than Vysokolyan, and rests also in the Southern Russian Cemetery Recoleta of Asuncion.

According to the testimony of Viktor Davydenko, David Yakovlevich Sokotun (01.07.1897 † 27.05.1953), centurion of the Ussuri Cossack Army, was buried nearby.

At the beginning of 1953, among the Don and Kuban Cossacks (initiative group: A. Frolov, A. Sokotun, I Kovalev) a decision was made to establish a “Free Cossack village in Paraguay,” which was soon created.

When the article, in general, was already written, I sent it to the USA, N.L. Kazantsev, for analysis and consideration. God bless! The response from the old Russian emigration was positive. Moreover, in a personal letter dated 03.09.2006, the editor-in-chief of the oldest Russian Monarchist newspaper abroad, put forward a resolution: “Congratulations on the wonderful article about Paraguay...” and a wonderful addition that “Fr. John (Petrov), whom the authorities treated with great respect, later became Bishop of Argentina-Paraguay. During the Civil War, he was one of the first to break into the Ipatiev House when the Whites captured Yekaterinburg, and all his life he kept a piece of plaster from the wall under which the Royal Family was killed. Before his ordination he served in the Russian Corps in the Balkans.”

At one time, Major General Ern and Captain Persianov sent a welcoming letter to the Sentinel magazine, where they say that since 1939 there has been a “Russian Union” in Asuncion, approved by decree of the President of the Republic. In 1949, the chairman was N.F. Ern, the chairman’s comrades were Dr. M. Retivov and Colonel I. Astrakhantsev, the treasurer was engineer A. Lapshinsky, the secretary was D. Persianov. Among the members of the Union there was a surname: cornet B. N. Ern.

Nowadays, of Cossack origin, Nikolai (Nicholas) Ermakov headed the association of Russian emigrants and their descendants in Paraguay (1989), which is called the ARIDEP Association.

Alexander Azarenkov, member