30 years ago, a string of deaths of the top leaders of the state abruptly changed the fate of the country.

There was not a word in the newspapers about the real circumstances of the sudden death of the first deputy chairman of the KGB of the USSR, a member of the Central Committee of the CPSU and General of the Army Semyon Kuzmich Tsvigun. But someone found out exactly how Semyon Kuzmich passed away, and the rumor that one of Brezhnev's most trusted people had put a bullet in his forehead quickly spread throughout Moscow.

Tsvigun's death was the first dramatic event in 1982. Following Tsvigun, the second person in the party unexpectedly dies - a member of the Politburo and Secretary of the Central Committee Mikhail Andreevich Suslov. And this decisive in history will end Soviet Union year by the death of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev himself. In the chair of the master of the country, he will be replaced by Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov, and a new era will begin.

Of course, at the beginning of the year, no one could have foreseen such a development of events. But the death of the first deputy chairman of the KGB left a dark imprint on everything that happened in the country. And immediately there was talk that not everything is so simple - General Tsvigun did not die of his own death ...

DEATH OF GENERAL ZWIGUN

The surest proof that Tsvigun passed away not quite the usual way, was the absence of Brezhnev's signature under the obituary. Everyone decided that there was something political behind Tsvigun's death. Moreover, Suslov died literally a few days later. Aren't their deaths related? Hasn't something secret happened in the country that cost the lives of both?

People who were more aware of the morals of the then Moscow came to the conclusion that Tsvigun was at the center of the scandal around the daughter of the General Secretary Galina Brezhneva. There was talk that it was Tsvigun who ordered the arrest of Boris Ivanovich Buryatse, an intimate friend of Galina Leonidovna. Boris Buryatse was called a "gypsy" because he sang at the "Romen" theater (in reality he was a Moldovan). After meeting Galina Leonidovna Buryatse became a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater, led an enviably cheerful lifestyle, drove a Mercedes ...

Shortly before all these mysterious deaths, on December 30, 1981, a loud robbery took place in Moscow. Unknown persons stole a collection of diamonds from the famous lion trainer, People's Artist of the USSR, Hero of Socialist Labor Irina Bugrimova. It was said that Boris Buryatse was among the suspects. He was arrested, but he seemed to have time to ask for help Galina. And the investigation into the case of stolen diamonds and other scams, in which Brezhneva's name appeared, was believed to be supervised by General Tsvigun. And when it became clear to him that all the threads lead to the Brezhnev family, Tsvigun, they said, collected materials about the dubious connections of the daughter of the general secretary and went to the Central Committee of the CPSU, to Suslov. Semyon Kuzmich laid out the results of the investigation team's work on the table and asked permission to interrogate Galina.

Mikhail Andreevich, they said, went into a rage and literally kicked Tsvigun out of his office, forbidding the Secretary General's daughter to be interrogated. The general came home and shot himself. And Suslov got so nervous that he had a stroke. He was taken unconscious from the Central Committee to a special hospital, where he soon died ...

Then, when Galina Brezhneva's husband was arrested and convicted - former first Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Yuri Mikhailovich Churbanov, talk that the secretary general's family was mired in corruption were confirmed.

ANDROPOV AND HIS DEPUTIES

Semyon Kuzmich Tsvigun was eleven years younger than Brezhnev. He graduated from the Odessa Pedagogical Institute, worked as a teacher, director of a school, since the fall of 1939 he served in the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs. In 1946, he was appointed to the Ministry of State Security of Moldova, where he met Leonid Ilyich, when he worked as the first secretary of the republican Central Committee from 1950 to 1952. Brezhnev was imbued with sympathy for Semyon Kuzmich, which he retained until the end of his life.

Leonid Ilyich did not forget old acquaintances, he helped them. He generally had an enviable gift to maintain good relations with the right people and they served him faithfully. Brezhnev attached particular importance to the state security personnel, he himself selected trusted people there. In this Brezhnev cohort, the leading role was played by two generals - Semyon Kuzmich Tsvigun and Georgy Karpovich Tsinev.

Before the war, Tsinev was the head of the department, and then the secretary of the Dnepropetrovsk city committee. Its chief was the secretary of the regional committee, Brezhnev. In 1941, both went to the army. After the war, Brezhnev returned to party work. Tsinev was left in the cadres of the Armed Forces, and in 1953, after the state security organs were cleared of Beria's people, he was transferred to the Lubyanka. When Brezhnev became the first secretary of the Central Committee, Tsinev headed the third department of the KGB - the military counterintelligence agencies.

Tsvigun and Tsinev had been working in the KGB for a long time by the time Brezhnev was elected head of the party. But with the then chairman of the committee, Vladimir Efimovich Semichastny, their relationship did not develop. Brezhnev replaced Semichastny with Andropov. And immediately asked to return Tsvigun from Azerbaijan. Yuri Vladimirovich understood Brezhnev perfectly. Three days later, Semyon Kuzmich became deputy chairman of the KGB. A day later, Tsinev was approved as a member of the KGB collegium. In 1970 he will become deputy chairman.

Tsvigun and Tsinev accompanied Andropov everywhere, unceremoniously settled in his office to be present during an important conversation. So Leonid Ilyich knew everyone about every step of the KGB chairman.

GENERAL LOVE FOR CINEMA

Tsvigun and Tsinev received the rank of general of the army, like Andropov, although they had to stand one step below the chief in the military hierarchy. Brezhnev gave both of them the Golden Star of the Hero of Socialist Labor. At the same time, Tsvigun and Tsinev did not get along with each other. This also suited Leonid Ilyich.

Having become the first deputy, Tsinev shouted at the generals. Georgy Karpovich was hated by many in the committee. He, without hesitation, broke the fate of people.

Good-natured by nature, Tsvigun did not particularly offend anyone, so he left a good memory of himself. Semyon Kuzmich was carried away by literary creativity. He began with documentary books about the intrigues of the imperialists. And soon novels and screenplays began to appear under the transparent pseudonym S. Dneprov. Informed people know the names of professional writers who "helped" Tsvigun.

Semyon Kuzmich's scripts were quickly embodied in feature films. Their main character, whom Tsvigun wrote from himself, was played by Vyacheslav Tikhonov. Semyon Kuzmich did not look like a popular artist, an idol of those years, but probably in his dreams he saw himself like that. Tsvigun (under the pseudonym "Colonel General S. K. Mishin") was also the main military consultant for the famous film "Seventeen Moments of Spring".

Brezhnev was not embarrassed by Tsvigun's passion for the fine arts. He was condescending to the petty human weaknesses of devoted people. And for Tsvigun and for Tsinev, the main criterion for evaluating people was loyalty and loyalty to Leonid Ilyich.

BIG EAR COMMITTEE

Georgy Karpovich Tsinev controlled the ninth directorate of the KGB (security of the Politburo) and, as they say, was in charge of wiretapping of the highest state officials. He also looked after the "politically unreliable" - not for dissidents, but for those officials who were suspected of insufficient loyalty to the general secretary.

Tsvigun was one of the most loyal people to Leonid Ilyich. Never in his life would he do anything that could harm him. Now it is already known that no case of Galina Brezhneva existed. But she did know some people who came to the attention of law enforcement agencies.

The head of the main department of internal affairs of the capital was then a native of the Komsomol Vasily Petrovich Trushin. “Somehow they detained a speculator,” General Trushin said, “through her they went to a gypsy from the Bolshoi Theater, who supplied her with goods. From the gypsy, traces led to Galina Brezhneva. "

"Gypsy" is the already mentioned Boris Buryatse. But he was not imprisoned for stealing diamonds. In 1982 he was sentenced to seven years in prison under Article 154, Part 2 (speculation) of the RSFSR Criminal Code. He will serve four years and will be released at the end of 1986.

Upon learning of the arrest of Boris Buryatse, Interior Minister Nikolai Anisimovich Shchelokov, a man devoted to Brezhnev, got scared. Trushin scorched:

- Do you understand what you are aiming at? How could you?

Shchelokov called Andropov - he wanted to consult. But the KGB chairman replied that such issues should be resolved with Leonid Ilyich. Shchelokov said with displeasure to Trushin:

- Solve questions about Galina with her husband, do not involve me in this matter.

Galina's husband was Colonel General Yuri Mikhailovich Churbanov, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR. Trushin reported to Churbanov that the investigation needed Galina's testimony. The next morning, Yuri Mikhailovich sent him a statement signed by Galina Leonidovna, stating that she did not know Buryatse and had no business with him.

The history of Buryatse was not dealt with by the state security, but by the police. It never occurred to anyone in the KGB leadership to investigate the activities of the Secretary General's daughter. Semyon Kuzmich Tsvigun had nothing to do with it. So there was no need for him either to go to Suslov with mythical documents, or to shoot himself in the forehead because of Galina Leonidovna.

But the versions are endless ... It was whispered that Semyon Kuzmich was removed so that he would not interfere with the conspiracy against Brezhnev. And the conspiracy was allegedly organized by Suslov, who decided to take power.

MEMBER OF THE POLITBURO IN KALOSHI

Around Suslov, there are also a lot of rumors, versions, myths and legends. He was a complex person, with secret complexes, very secretive. There are writers who believe that it was he who Stalin wanted to proclaim as his heir, but did not have time.

Of all the versions, this one is the funniest. Stalin, firstly, did not intend to die at all, and secondly, he treated his assistants with disgust and contempt and could not imagine any of them in their place.

Mikhail Andreevich Suslov was born in November 1902 in the village of Shakhovskoy, Khvalynsky district, Saratov province. As a child, he suffered from tuberculosis and was mortally afraid of the return of the disease. Therefore, he always wrapped himself up and wore galoshes. The only one in Brezhnev's entourage, he did not go hunting - he was afraid of catching a cold.

Historians often wonder why Mikhail Andreevich Suslov, who sat in the chair of the secretary of the CPSU Central Committee for thirty-five years, putting absolute record, did not become the head of the party and state? The role of the country's leader requires the ability to make extraordinary and independent decisions without looking at the calendar. Khrushchev could do it. Brezhnev - until he started to get sick. And Mikhail Andreevich is used to strictly following the canons. Neither others, nor himself, he allowed any liberties, deviations from the general line. The thin-lipped secretary of the Central Committee with the face of an inquisitor remembered by heart all the ideological formulations and was pathologically afraid of the living word, afraid of change. I was always interested in how this or that issue was resolved in the past. If the word "for the first time" sounded, Suslov pondered and postponed the decision.

Other members of the Politburo were often mocked, Suslov did not give a reason for jokes. Only his addiction to galoshes and old cut suits caused a smile. His daughter Maya said that her father severely reprimanded her when she put on a trouser suit that was then fashionable, and did not let her in that look at the table.

Mikhail Andreevich's habit of driving at a speed of almost forty kilometers per hour was also amazing. No one risked overtaking his car. The first secretary of the Leningrad Regional Committee Vasily Sergeevich Tolstikov said in such cases:

- Today you will overtake, tomorrow you will overtake, and the day after tomorrow there will be nothing to overtake.

At meetings of the Politburo, Suslov sat to the right of the Secretary General. But he did not push himself out, he invariably repeated: "So Leonid Ilyich decided." Brezhnev knew that he didn’t need to be afraid of Suslov: he wouldn’t try to cheat on him. Mikhail Andreevich was quite satisfied with the place of the second person.

Suslov spoke briefly and only to the point. No jokes, no extraneous conversations. He addressed everyone by their last name, except, of course, Brezhnev. Apparatchiks admired him. But it is impossible to forget what Suslov did to the country. He was the chief conductor of a total mind-shaping that lasted for decades and created an incredibly distorted picture of the world. The Brezhnev-Suslov system perpetuated the habit of hypocrisy and hypocrisy - like stormy and prolonged applause at meetings, enthusiastic greetings from leaders - any leaders.

How would Mikhail Andreevich react to a visitor who would talk to him about the troubles in the family of the Secretary General? By unwritten rules Party ethics, all problems associated with the family of the General Secretary, the chairman of the KGB discussed with him one-on-one - and then, if he had enough determination. The highly experienced Mikhail Andreevich, all the more, would not get involved in the personal affairs of the secretary general. And no one would have dared to come to him with such matters.

"YOU WANT TO MAKE ME SICK"

So what happened to General Zwigun on that January day in 1982?

Semyon Kuzmich was seriously ill for a long time, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. At first, the doctors' predictions were optimistic. The operation went well. It seemed that the patient was saved, but, alas, cancer cells spread throughout the body, his condition worsened literally before our eyes. Metastases went to the brain, Tsvigun began to talk.

In a moment of enlightenment, he made a courageous decision to end his suffering. Semyon Kuzmich shot himself in the dacha village of Usovo on January 19, 1982. That day Tsvigun felt better, called a car and drove to his dacha. There they drank a little with the driver, who served as a security guard, then went out for a walk, and Semyon Kuzmich unexpectedly asked if his personal weapon was in order. He nodded in surprise.

- Show me, - ordered Tsvigun.

The driver pulled a weapon from his holster and handed it to the general. Semyon Kuzmich took the pistol, removed it from the safety lock, drove the cartridge into the chamber, put the pistol to his temple and fired. It happened at a quarter past five.

Brezhnev was shocked by the death of an old comrade. He was very worried, but did not put his signature under the obituary of a suicide, as priests refuse to service a suicide service.

And what happened to Mikhail Andreevich Suslov?

Suslov complained to the attending physician of pain in his left arm and behind the breastbone after even a short walk. Experienced doctors immediately determined that the pains were of a heart nature - Mikhail Andreevich developed severe angina pectoris. Conducted research, established atherosclerosis of the vessels of the heart and coronary insufficiency. But Suslov categorically rejected the diagnosis:

“You're making it up. I'm not sick. You want to make me sick. I am healthy, and this is my joint aches.

Maybe he didn’t want to consider himself sick, so that he would not be sent to retire, maybe he sincerely did not believe that he was able to get sick like other people. Then the doctors cheated: in the United States they ordered an ointment containing heart medications. And Mikhail Andreevich was told that she would relieve joint pain.

Suslov diligently rubbed the ointment into his sore arm. The medicine helped. Heart pains have diminished. Mikhail Andreevich was pleased, instructively remarked to the doctors:

- I told you that my hand hurts. They began to apply the ointment, and everything went away. And you told me: heart, heart ...

In January 1982, the second person in the party went to the examination. Initially, the doctors did not find anything frightening on him. And then there was a stroke right in the hospital, he lost consciousness and did not come to his senses. The cerebral hemorrhage was so extensive that there was no hope.

Unexpected guest from Ukraine

Having lost a reliable support, Brezhnev was looking for a replacement for Suslov. He seemed to have opted for Andropov, told Yuri Vladimirovich that he would return him from the KGB to the Central Committee. But month after month passed, and Brezhnev hesitated with a decision. Hesitated? Eyeing someone else for the role of the second person in the party?

At this time, a secret conversation about personnel matters took place between Brezhnev and the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine Shcherbitsky. Andropov was alarmed, realizing that he could be behind this. Shcherbitsky was one of Brezhnev's favorites.

Only four months after Suslov's death, on May 24, 1982, Andropov was finally elected secretary of the Central Committee. And the chairman of the KGB of the USSR, unexpectedly for everyone, was Vitaly Vasilyevich Fedorchuk, who was transferred from Kiev - he was in charge of state security in Ukraine. Fedorchuk's appointment was unpleasant for Andropov. He wanted to leave another person instead of himself on the Lubyanka. But he did not dare to argue.

Vitaly Vasilievich worked in Kiev for twelve years. In 1970, he was just as unexpectedly appointed head of the KGB of Ukraine. This was not an ordinary change in the leadership of the republican committee of state security, but a political action.

When Brezhnev became Secretary General, Ukraine was led by Pyotr Yefimovich Shelest. And Leonid Ilyich had his own candidacy for this post. Vladimir Vasilievich Shcherbitsky began his party career in the homeland of Leonid Ilyich, in Dneprodzerzhinsk. But apart from personal, Brezhnev had other motives.

In Moscow, Shelest was suspected of patronizing nationalists. Pyotr Efimovich, perhaps more than other Kiev politicians, loved Ukraine, the Ukrainian language. He relied on the sentiments of a large part of the Ukrainian intelligentsia, who spoke with bitterness about the fate of their people. And Shcherbitsky, as he himself said, stood on "the positions of Bohdan Khmelnitsky," that is, he was completely oriented towards Moscow. At plenums and conferences he spoke in Russian. He made sure that Moscow liked everything he did.

After Fedorchuk moved to Kiev, a wave of arrests of dissidents, real and imaginary, took place in Ukraine. After perestroika, many of them will become prominent cultural figures, deputies of the Ukrainian parliament. As they said then in Ukraine: "When they cut their nails in Moscow, they cut their hands in Kiev." The "criminal shortcomings" revealed by Fedorchuk in the sphere of ideology helped Brezhnev to vacate the chair of the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine for his friend. He cleverly removed Rustle. Shcherbitsky became the master of the republic.

Knowledgeable people say: after Suslov's death, Leonid Ilyich reassured his Kiev friend: "Andropov will not become my successor, after me you, Volodya, will be the general secretary."

SUCCESSORS AT THE FOOT OF THE THRONE

Brezhnev made a choice in favor of Fedorchuk, whom he himself did not know, on the advice of General Tsinev. Georgy Karpovich himself, due to his age and state of health, could not head the KGB. But the appointment of Fedorchuk could have been a more significant step than it seemed from the outside. Once he ensured the transfer of power in Ukraine into the hands of Shcherbitsky. Maybe now he was to fulfill the same mission in Moscow?

The former secretary of the Central Committee for personnel, Ivan Vasilyevich Kapitonov, assured that in mid-October 1982 he was summoned by Leonid Ilyich.

- Do you see this chair? - asked Brezhnev, pointing to his own. - Shcherbitsky will sit in it. Solve all personnel issues with this in mind ...

Having become the chairman of the KGB of the USSR, Fedorchuk continued to look back at the Ukrainian leadership. I called back with Shcherbitsky, listened to his advice and requests. The apparatus noted the increased activity of Shcherbitsky. Andropov saw it. Yuri Vladimirovich knew how much in personnel matters depends on the KGB.

Fedorchuk practically did not communicate with Andropov. Yuri Vladimirovich was wary of his replacement. He knew that new people were in charge of government communications, and he suspected that the Chekists were now tapping his phones as well.

Yuri Vladimirovich knew what advances were made to Shcherbitsky, and this made him extra nervous. Who else could qualify for the General Chair? Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko, permanent head of the general department of the Central Committee?

Brezhnev in last years he trusted Chernenko so much that, as they say, he signed the papers he brought, without delving into their essence. There were rumors in the Central Committee that in one of the conversations with Chernenko, Brezhnev confided in him:

- Kostya, get ready to take business from me.

In reality, Leonid Ilyich was not going to leave at all. And, like any normal person, he did not think about an imminent death, so no one took his talks about a successor seriously. It was, rather, a trial balloon. He wanted to see who would support the idea of ​​retirement. But the people in the Politburo were experienced, worn out, no one made a mistake ... It was beneficial for everyone around him that he stayed at his post as long as possible, although those who had the opportunity to see him up close understood how bad he was.

The country and the world wondered what the new leader of the country would bring with him, what ideas he would put forward. And few people understood that the main office on the Old Square was occupied by a seriously ill person, whose earthly time was already running out ...

In the death of General Tsvigun, and Mikhail Andreevich Suslov, and Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev himself in 1982, as we see, there was nothing mysterious. If it comes to that, the main mystery is how all these people of very modest capabilities and abilities, a huge layer of officials - illiterate dogmatists or extreme cynics - generally ended up at the head of our state. And they naturally brought it to decay.

In 1982, Spartak Moscow started in the UEFA Cup, and after stunning victories in the 1/32 finals over the formidable London Arsenal from England with an aggregate score of 8: 4 (3: 2 and 5: 2) entered the next round to Dutch "Haarlem" from the city of the same name. Far from being an outstanding club without much success. It can only be noted that the young Ruud Gullit played in its line-up last season. But this future "star" of world football has already been pulled over by one of the three "whales" of Dutch club football - Feyenoord from Rotterdam. And then came the day of the first duel of the two-legged confrontation at the Central Lenin Stadium in Luzhniki. On Wednesday, October 20, there was a big frost in Moscow. The day before, a lot of snow fell, which managed to be covered with an ice crust. But even in such non-football weather, 15 thousand true fans of Spartak gathered at the sports arena in Luzhniki. They fervently supported their favorites, and, as best they could, warmed up at sub-zero temperatures. And how is it done in Muscovy from the end of the century? Right. The vodka that the housekeeper made. The police were instructed not to allow such an outrage in the stands. Like, what can foreign guests think of us? The keen eyes of the valiant cops looked out among the crowd of fans, who were herded into one western stand for compactness, violators of socialist legality and tried to snatch them out for explanatory conversations somewhere in the bullpen (preliminary detention cell). To which the youth responded by bombarding people in the form of snowballs. The law enforcement officers did not like this disgrace at all. The tension between the fans and the police grew by the minute.

A ticket to that fateful match.

Before the start of the game "Spartak" - "Harlem" team captains Oleg Romantsev and Pete Hoig greet each other and exchange pennants.

Football players on the field, and indeed no one in general, still do not know what horror will soon begin at the exit from the stadium.

And at this time, Spartak attacked their rivals on the frosty field and tried to come out ahead. After a few lost opportunities swipe Edgar Hess's free-kick reached his goal - 1: 0. This score lasted until the last moments of the meeting. About three or four minutes before the end of the match, the fans rushed from the stadium to the exits. For some reason, only one of them turned out to be open. There our valiant militia drove people from all sectors. There was an incredible crush. The fans inside couldn't even move. They were only carried by the human stream, squeezing more and more. And here Sergey Shvetsov also scores the second winning goal. Many reached back to see how the Spartak team was celebrating their success. People began to fall on the slippery stairs. Under the pressure of the crowd, other Spartak fans immediately attacked them. Many were simply flattened against an iron fence. One witness said that with his own eyes he saw how his father, in furious despair, until the last tried to push the approaching crowd away from his little son pressed against that ill-fated fence. So they were crushed together on the iron bars.

This horror did not last long, about five minutes. But in these three hundred-odd seconds, three hundred-odd Soviet citizens have said goodbye to their lives. Of course, according to the official version of the dead, 67 people were counted. But ordinary people, seven victims, claimed that the figure was more than three hundred crushed alive. The valiant police officers, sensing their direct guilt in the tragedy that happened in Luzhniki, began to get out as best they could. All the corpses were laid near the monument to Lenin. When, according to the documents of the deceased, they found out that they were not Muscovites, they quickly wrote down the completely left cause of death. And it turned out that the poor guests of the capital did not die at the stadium. Who knows where you can say goodbye to life in the bustling capital? A citizen walked to himself along its streets, slipped, fell and did not come to himself, because he hit his head. An ice icicle could have fallen from the roofs of high-rise buildings and pierced through the skull. And there are enough bandits with hooligans. So several dozen corpses can already be attributed to other reasons than death at the stadium. Relatives of the victims from other cities claim that their son asked for two rubles and fifty kopecks for a ticket and a small ticket for travel? And where is the guarantee that their kinder went to such a frosty to play football, and not in any of the capital's bars to lock himself in with his comrades, who then began to brawl with the local punks, for which they paid with their lives? No guarantee? So that's it!

After the final whistle. The Dutch are shocked by what they saw.

And at this time, at one open exit from the stadium, such a terrifying picture was observed.

Here is the staircase on which dozens, if not hundreds, of Spartak fans said goodbye to their lives.

Now, on every anniversary of the "black" environment, fans place fresh flowers and carnations on the stairs where Spartak fans died.

And although in place of that iron fence, which literally flattened living people, there is now another one. Anyway, every year on October 20, fresh flowers stick out there in memory of those who untimely departed on that "black" Wednesday.

The victims were sent to hospitals, where they took a nondisclosure agreement about the horror they had endured. Nobody counted those who died as a result of injuries inflicted during a stampede at the central sports arena in Luzhniki. Rumors spread throughout Moscow. I had to print in the newspaper "Vechernyaya Moskva" that on October 20, 1982, after a football match at the large sports arena named after Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, an accident occurred when spectators were leaving as a result of disruption of the order of movement of people. There are victims. An investigation into the circumstances of the extraordinary event is underway. Not a word about the number of victims. After an operational "investigation", they quickly discovered the "main culprit" of the tragedy in Luzhniki - junior police officer Yuri Panchikhin. The families of the victims were not even allowed to bury their sons, daughters and husbands in a human way. The coffins were loaded onto trucks and quickly transported to the cemetery, where there were ten times more people in identical gray suits than relatives and friends of the victims. The KGB officers did their job. They had an order to prevent information leakage from the outside. We can say that they have achieved their goal. The whole truth about the tragedy that happened late in the evening On October 20, 1982, the Soviet people found out almost seven years later. Only at the beginning of April 1989, that is, in the midst of "perestroika" with its "glasnost" and "pluralism of opinions", a large article by Mikulik and Toporov "The Black Secret of the Luzhniki" appeared on the pages of the all-Union newspaper "Soviet Sport" with a circulation of nine million. in which it was told about the tragedy that occurred on October 20, 1982 at the central stadium of the country.

32 years have passed since that black Wednesday. But until now, no one knows the exact number of victims. One expert proves that on the night after the tragedy in the morgues, he personally observed 66 corpses brought from the stadium in Luzhniki. He did not have time to go to another morgue. What, the death toll was less than a hundred? This we will never know. Although I personally, on the evening of December 8, 1982, heard the number of victims at the Spartak - Haarlem match from the Radio Liberty broadcast. Just Spartak, after a 0: 0 home draw in Tbilisi, were supposed to play the second leg of the 1/8 final of the UEFA Cup with Valencia in Spain. That match was not broadcast on TV. Again, as in September, when the Spartak team played in London, our TV crews failed to agree with theirs about the price of the broadcast. “Here are the damned imperialists. They would have to rake in all the “loot” with a shovel! ”I thought when in the sports section of the Vremya program all the fans were told that instead of a TV broadcast there would be a report on Mayak radio. Well at least so. If we don't see it, we'll hear it - and running with Batya into our room with my brother, tune the radio. And then they lay on the bed with their father and listened to how Spartak lost to Valencia with an equal game - 0: 2 and flew out of the UEFA Cup. What a pity! Good music, perhaps, to cheer up to look? And I went to the radio, took hold of the tuning knob, the scale of which was gleamed by the dim light of the light bulb, and began to scroll it smoothly.

Through the creak of interference and the noise of jammers, a quiet knock was heard, as if someone asked you to spend the night with light blows of the hand at the door of the house. And now a voice, seemingly from another world, announced that today the Moscow "Spartak" lost in Valencia. I only waved my hand. “I’m also an enemy voice. I already know about this! " But then it was reported that in response to numerous questions from journalists to Soviet athletes regarding the victims of the tragedy in Luzhniki, the latter denied themselves and tried to get on the bus faster. They say that the players were afraid of the KaGeBists, who always accompany delegations from the Union of any rank and are always nearby. Therefore, our athletes did not want to talk on such a painful topic for the prestige of the whole country. When the commentator from the enemy voice announced the death toll on that black October Wednesday, more than three hundred people - I could not believe my ears. They lie, of course. What do you get from those damned capitalists? So they want to discredit the present Soviet reality by hook or by crook. Although, according to unofficial sources, the number of victims was exactly the same as reported by the enemy radio voices.

Yes, no one wanted to kill Spartak fans in the late evening of October 20, 1982. But people died! And precisely because the valiant policemen began to let everyone pass through only one exit.

But high-ranking militiamen still continue to “sculpt the hunchback” and claim that the crush began because, when leaving the stands in the aisle, a drunken man stumbled and fell at the feet of the people, thus dragging the tragedy. Spartak fans, they say, have long been known for their unworthy behavior and only did that throughout the game that they “warmed up” with alcohol in the cold. Based on the current situation, the valiant Soviet militia resolutely suppressed such actions of such shameless "red-white" fans. “Why do we need to concentrate such a mass of people on one way out? - continued to speak "the truth and only the truth", as in court, the general of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, probably retired, Nikolai Merikov, to the creators of the documentary "Moscow Night of 1982", - No. Because everyone froze and ran. We ran, do you understand? Here is such an influx here. And there one stumbled while drunk and fell on him! " Since one of the main cops of that time twice in a row in one interview claims that the whole tragedy happened because of some unknown drunkard, it means that everything was so in reality! Why then did the young policeman Yury Panchikhin suffer? It was necessary to hang everything on an inanimate drunkard. So no. They were frightened of the people's anger, and found a "scapegoat" among the living, and even among their colleagues. Of course, for the sake of a big idea and the peace of the people, and at the same time to preserve your soft ministerial seats in high-ranking offices, you can sacrifice a simple pawn. We will always find a replacement for him. And you still need to look for good bosses. And since the perpetrators have been found, it means that no one needs to prove anything! The cops' chiefs reported to their leadership, and calmly took a breath - it carried away!

But the Spartak team, so that they would not be swept past the UEFA Cup, in Haarlem had to prove that they could win the local team not only thanks to the Russian frost. The coach of the Dutch team complained about him, making the big cold the main culprit for the away defeat of his players. Well then. In such a statement, he is not an innovator. As soon as foreign "guests" experience a collapse in Russia in winter, the notorious Moroz Ivanovich immediately becomes the culprit of their failure. They gave a kick in the ass to Napoleon, who had already stopped in Paris: “That I quickly ran so far for sugrevu, because I was very cold in that barbaric Russia!”. Hitler disgraced himself near Moscow in the winter of 1941 and immediately: "General Frost stopped us!" It seems that there was no courage of the entire people, who stood in the way of the brave Napoleonic fellows and the German fascist invaders. Now the coach of "Haarlem" Hans van Dornefeld became like the great conquerors and nodded to the cold at the first opportunity. No. Spartak just had to win. And not only to put the rival in place, but also for the sake of the memory of the "white-red" fans who died two weeks ago in Luzhniki.

"I wish I hadn't scored that goal!" - Sergei Shvetsov said in his hearts after the first confrontation against "Haarlem" in Moscow, when he learned about the tragedy in Luzhniki at the end of that meeting. When, after his strike in the first half of the away confrontation against the Dutch club, the score became a draw - 1: 1, Sergei would hardly have repeated such words. In the second half of the game, Spartak players, through the efforts of Shavlo and Gavrilov, brought their class advantage over the home team to quite comfortable - 3: 1. “We dedicate this victory to you, our loyal fans,” said the Spartak team after the game. And since in Soviet times people had already learned to read between the lines of newspapers, and to look for an allegorical meaning in the statements of public people, everyone understood perfectly well what the players meant. The Spartak team dedicated the victory over "Haarlem" not only to the fans of their team, but also to those who passed away after the match in Luzhniki, on that "black" Wednesday, October 20, 1982. May the earth rest in peace.

Every year on October 20, the survivors of that terrible tragedy gather near the monument to their dead comrades and honor their memory. Indeed, in the place of those who have gone to another world, they could well be.

On that frosty evening in Luzhniki, relatives of the victims, from wives and mothers to grandchildren and granddaughters, are laying flowers near the monument to those killed on October 20, 1982.

Nobody is forgotten, nothing is forgotten! Yes, those who died not of their own free will football fans will forever remain in the memory of their colleagues in sickness, both peers and future generations. Rest in Peace!

P.S. Today, October 20, 2014, in Moscow, on the eve of the Champions League match CSKA - Manchester City, the temperature dropped sharply and snow began to fall. Russian TV channels say that this weather is typical for the end of November, but not like October. I hope that no one is going to step on the same rake twice, and the tragedy in Luzhniki that happened 32 years ago will never happen again.

Kostenko Alexander Alexandrovich.

1982 - the year of which animal? The question asked is of interest to many who believe and always follow horoscopes. In this regard, we decided to devote the presented article to this particular astrological topic.

1982 - the year of which animal?

By Chinese calendar the year 1982 was dominated by the Black Water Dog. However, in the East, her arrival was celebrated not on January 1, but on January 21. Moreover, they said goodbye to this symbol only in 1983.

In this article, we will tell you in detail about 1982 - the year of which animal. The horoscope of those born this year, their character, compatibility with other signs will also be described.

Character of Dogs

Representatives of the Year of the Dog have been in search of their entire life, and it is very depressing for them. Such people with early childhood and until very old it seems that they did not use all the chances given to them and could not realize their potential. Even when everything is going well for the Dogs, they think about whether it could have been done better.

Having found out, 1982 is the year of which animal, it should be noted that the symbol of this period carries with it reliability, loyalty and decency. Representatives of this sign are precisely such people.

Features of Dogs

Dogs born in the year accurately and clearly set goals and plans for the near future. Very often they achieve their goals, but often at the same time their relations with loved ones and relatives deteriorate quite badly. This is partly due to the fact that such people are often reserved, withdrawn, stubborn and stingy with the manifestation of any feelings and emotions.

Dogs in communication

Whose year is 1982 according to the horoscope? Water Black Dog. It should be especially noted that the representatives of this sign are not very sociable. But if you get to know such people more closely, then they can become your most loyal and reliable friends.

As you know, Dogs are principled and observant. If a controversial issue arises between you and such a person, then he will stand his ground to the last. At the same time, the Dog always gets to the bottom of the smallest details, which sometimes border on heartlessness and even cynicism. But such a negative trait is smoothed out by devotion, poise, hard work and a heightened sense of duty of the representatives of this sign.

Why are there so many who are interested in chinese horoscope? 1982 - during this period, a huge number of popular and quite ordinary people were born. And each of them wants to know what awaits him in the future, and what to watch out for. In this regard, astrologers decided to give useful advice representatives of this mark.

Dogs born in 1982 should not look for problems where there are none and cannot be. In addition, they are highly discouraged from taking on an insurmountable and quite often someone else's burden. In order for the life of Dogs to develop more than successfully, they need to rejoice in their own achievements, successes and attention from the people around them.

Weak spots

If your partner is a Dog, then you are probably also interested in him. Eastern horoscope... The year 1982 gave the world a huge amount of amazing strong people... But each person has their own weak spots... We will talk about them in this section.

All their lives, representatives of this sign are dissatisfied with something. In this regard, they may develop a self-critical, uncompromising and straightforward character. If the Dog is overtaken by obvious failures or problems, then it often shows rudeness, ruthlessness and even cruelty.

Not always such people can do without outside help, realize your potential and correctly define your life priorities. That is why people born in 1982 need a smart and reliable friend.

If the Dog can designate the main one for itself, then it will seek it with great stubbornness.

Personal life

Now you know which Dog is 1982. We will consider the compatibility of this sign with others in detail below. In the same section, we will talk about exactly how such people behave in relationships with the opposite sex.

In personal life, Dogs always find a situation (often unconsciously) where attachment first breeds friendship, and only then deeper feelings appear. In the presence of reciprocity and a successful combination of circumstances, such representatives are able to love selflessly and be loyal to their partner. If necessary, they can even sacrifice themselves for the sake of their soul mate.

1982 - the year of which animal? We talked about this a little higher. Now I would like to note that people born under the Eastern tend to constantly protect their partner and even have him alone. Sometimes this behavior puts pressure on their soul mate. However, this does not lead to quarrels, because they are gullible and always open with their beloved.

By nature, the personality of Dogs is fairly easy to understand. A person born this year will never complain about anything or compare their partner with anyone. According to Dogs, their spouse will never do anything wrong. If your significant other was born this year, then you must know that all she wants is to be always there, no matter whether the times are good or bad.

General information about the Water Dog

What sign is the year 1982, 1922 and 2042? According to these periods, the Water Dog ruled or will rule. People born in this year are freedom-loving, lead a comfortable life for them and never bother to follow the established rules.

One cannot ignore the fact that such representatives of the sign always try to please their relatives and friends, as well as just good people (if, in their opinion, they are). In addition, they are ready to lend any money, just to make a gift to their loved one or just a loved one.

The Water Dog is considered to be quite economical and sensible. Thanks to such qualities, she can effortlessly provide herself and her family with a good income.

Male horoscope

1982 is the year of birth of such popular people as Adam Lambert, Evgeni Plushenko, and many others.

It should be noted that the representatives of the Year of the Dog are very gifted. However, they are not always self-confident, passive and constrained. If such qualities from early childhood have mastered a person, then in life he will go with the flow and will not reach professional heights. That is why, from their youth, Dogs should be involved in activities that suit them and correspond to their abilities. Only in this case they will show excellent results in the future.

It is good to have a Dog Man as a friend. After all, he is able to protect the interests of all his loved ones, without demanding anything in return. Such representatives of the stronger sex relate to love easily and can have several intrigues at the same time. However, family and children remain the main value in life for them.

If a Dog-man suffers a failure in his personal life, then he will easily and without much regret break up, considering only himself to be guilty.

Female horoscope

1982 - the year of whom? We gave an exhaustive answer to this question at the very beginning of the article. It should be noted that such famous representatives of the fair sex as Vera Brezhneva, Kate Middleton, Irina Dubtsova, Natalia Vodianova, Kirsten Dunst, Sati Kazanova, Anna Sedokova and many others were born this year.

Girls born under this sign have a huge number of wonderful qualities. In combination with an unusual appearance and natural charm, they manage to achieve great heights in life. Strong intuition, developed intellect, good logic, perseverance, hard work, perseverance and patience - this is not the whole list of the advantages of a Dog woman. However, increased demands on themselves, inertia and unreasonable doubts about their own abilities quite often prevent them from realizing their leadership potential.

Such representatives take the chosen case seriously and, to some extent, even scrupulously. Thanks to this, they always achieve their goals. The Dog girl is loyal to her friends, but she tries in every possible way to limit their number. In society, such people want to remain invisible, although they have organizational skills.

Children and family for Dog women are the most important and important thing in life. However, in love, they are fickle, especially if there is a weak man or a man who does not correspond to their ideals nearby.

Compatibility of Dogs with other signs

Now you know, 1982 is the year of the Dog. The compatibility of this sign with other oriental symbols is also of interest to fans of horoscopes. Let's consider them in more detail.

Tragedy at Luzhniki on October 20, 1982- a mass stampede with human casualties that took place at the Grand Sports Arena (BSA) of the Central Stadium. V. I. Lenin (now - the Luzhniki stadium) in Moscow at the end of the first match of 1/16 of the UEFA Cup between football clubs Spartak Moscow (USSR) and Haarlem (Netherlands).
66 Spartak fans died in the stampede, many of whom were still teenagers. This crush was the most tragic event in the history of Soviet and Russian sports.
Information about the number of victims of this tragedy appeared in the Soviet press only seven years later, in 1989.
The first snow fell on the eve of the match in Moscow. And the day of the game itself, Wednesday, October 20, 1982, turned out to be extremely frosty (-10 ° C) for mid-October. Therefore, out of 82,000 tickets for the match, only about 16,500 were sold (according to some sources, 16,643 tickets). In 1982, the stadium was not yet equipped with a roof over the stands. By the beginning of the game, only two stands were cleared of snow and opened for the fans: "C" (east) and "A" (west). Both stands seated 23,000 spectators, significantly more than the number of tickets sold. During the match, there were only about 4 thousand spectators on the “A” tribune, the majority of the fans (about 12 thousand) preferred the “C” tribune, which is located closer to the metro. The overwhelming majority of fans came to support Spartak, there were only about a hundred Dutch fans. From each stand to the exits from the stadium there were two staircases located at different ends of the under-stands corridor.
The match started at 19:00. Already in the 16th minute of the game, Edgar Hess scored the first goal against Haarlem from a free-kick. Towards the end of the match, not expecting more goals, a significant part of the (quite frozen by that time) fans began to leave their seats in the stands and went to the exits. Most of the fans in Grandstand "C" moved to staircase number 1, which was closer to the metro. Just 20 seconds before the final whistle, Sergei Shvetsov scored the second goal against Haarlem. Around the same time, a stampede began on Ladder No. 1 of Grandstand "C" in the space under the stadium, which led to the death of 66 fans.
The victims in a stampede were taken by ambulance cars to the emergency room of the Institute of Emergency Medicine named after Sklifosovsky. The next day, Yu. V. Andropov, secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, visited the institute, where he met with some doctors and relatives of the victims. The bodies of the dead were first transferred to the Lenin monument near the stadium, and then were transported to Moscow morgues and, after a forensic examination and identification, were returned to their relatives for burial.
The only message about the tragedy was published the next day on the last page of the newspaper "Vechernyaya Moskva" under the heading "Incident":
“On October 20, 1982, after a football match at the Big Sports Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium, an accident occurred when spectators were leaving as a result of disruption of the order of movement of people. There are victims. An investigation into the circumstances of the incident is underway "
The newspaper "Soviet Sport" and the weekly "Football-Hockey" after the tragedy published (October 21 and 24) detailed articles about this match (under the titles "Cold weather - a hot game" and "Count on seconds"), but they did not mention which - or a misfortune that happened to the fans.
The Spartak footballers learned about the tragedy from the head of their team, Nikolai Starostin, the day after the match. According to some recollections, the Voice of America radio station may have reported the incident on the evening of October 20. However, the Haarlem players claim that they first learned about what happened only seven years after the tragedy.
After the investigation of the tragedy by the investigators of the Moscow City Prosecutor's Office, the case was referred to the court. All representatives of the victims were familiarized with the case materials. At an open session of the Moscow City Court on February 8, 1983, under the chairmanship of Judge V.A.Nikitin, the criminal case was heard. The trial lasted only a day and a half.
The director of the Bolshoi sports arena stadium them. Lenin V. A. Kokryshev and chief commandant Yu. L. Panchikhin. On November 26, they were indicted and detained in Butyrka prison for the remainder of the investigation. Yuri Panchikhin was appointed commandant of the BSA just two and a half months before the tragedy. Viktor Kokryshev, two days after the tragedy, was expelled from the ranks of the CPSU members. Kokryshev and Panchikhin were both sentenced by the court to 3 years in prison, which was the maximum punishment under Article 172 of the RSFSR Criminal Code on responsibility for negligent performance of their official duties. However, at this time an amnesty was issued in connection with the 60th anniversary of the formation of the USSR. Kokryshev fell under the amnesty as a person with government awards and was released from punishment. Panchikhin, in connection with the amnesty, the term of imprisonment was reduced by half. He was sent to forced labor in the Moscow region, and then to Kalinin.
Also subject to criminal liability were the deputy director of the BSA K. V. Lyzhin and the commander of the militia unit that ensured the protection of public order on the “C” platform, Major S. M. Koryagin. But due to the illness of both (the first, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, went to the hospital with a heart attack; and the second was seriously wounded - the crowd threw him on the concrete when he tried to stop the blockage), their materials were separated into a separate production. Later, both also fell under the amnesty as recipients of government awards.
The trial took place in the Builders' Palace of Culture in the Kuntsevsky District, near the Molodezhnaya metro station. At the end of the trial, the materials of the criminal case were deposited in the archives of the Moscow City Court.
Although the trial of the perpetrators of the incident was open, however, it was not reported in the press. The first publication about the circumstances and victims of this tragedy appeared in the press only six years later, on July 8, 1989 - with the onset of the era of glasnost.
In the modern Western press, the Luzhniki tragedy is often compared to the tragedy at the Ibrocks stadium in Glasgow (Great Britain) on January 2, 1971, due to the surprising similarity in some circumstances of these disasters. In both cases, the tragedy occurred in the last minutes of the match, when hundreds of spectators began to descend the stairs and one of them stumbled and fell, causing a chain reaction of falls and the ensuing crush. Also, in both cases, the same number of fans died in the stampede - 66. And, finally, both accidents coincided with an unexpected goal scored in the last seconds of the match.
As established by the investigation, two of the four stands of the BSA: "C" and "A", with a capacity of 23,000 spectators, were opened for the fans. However, the majority of Spartak fans preferred the C grandstand, as it was closer to the metro station. Therefore, only 3-4 thousand of the approximately 16 thousand spectators at the stadium were on the “A” podium during the match. Considering the small number of tickets sold, as well as the need to clear the stands of snow in a short time before the match, and the excessive number of seats for fans in the two open stands, the decision of the administration to use two stands out of four was recognized by the investigation as justified.
The situation in the stands, according to the testimony of the witnesses interrogated by the investigation, was rather tense: the stands did not have time to be completely cleared and there was still snow and ice in many places, and many fans, trying to keep warm, took a significant amount of alcohol. They began to throw snowballs and pieces of ice at the policemen en masse, trying to hit them on the head in order to knock off their caps. Sometimes bottles were also thrown at the policemen. During the match, 150 hooligans were taken to the police rooms, but this only provoked other fans.
A few minutes before the end of the match, many fans reached the exit. The materials of the case confirmed that all the exits from both working stands were open, as the fans themselves wrote in the newspapers years later. But the bulk of the spectators from the podium "C" moved along the Ladder No. 1. Since people were freezing and many were lightly dressed, everyone wanted to get on the metro as soon as possible; a stream of people tightly pressed to each other was moving down this staircase.
According to eyewitnesses, a girl fell on the last steps of the stairs. The front ones stopped and tried to help her up, but the people from behind pressed on and those who tried to help were immediately crushed by the stream, knocked down and trampled. Others continued to stumble over them, and the mountain of bodies grew.
When the collapse occurred, the crowd pressure became so great that the metal stair railings buckled under the pressure of human bodies and people began to fall down onto the concrete floor. This saved some people from death, and some were crushed under a pile of falling bodies.
According to the investigation, Shvetsov's goal did not aggravate the situation, and, perhaps, even made it easier, since some of the spectators - who just left the numerous "hatches" of the upper floor of the stadium to the gallery to the stairs - rushed back and, thereby, weakened the pressure on already walking up the stairs. Below, in the compressed mass of people, with a crush, it was absolutely impossible to turn around and, moreover, create a counter flow.
The investigation established that during the crush there were only fans on the stairs, there were no police officers, as evidenced by the fact that there were no police officers among the dead. It was also found that the staircase where the collapse occurred was under a canopy and was completely dry. Ice and snow were in the stands, but not on the stairs where the tragedy occurred. There was also no evidence that any of the BSA or police officers urged fans to the exit. On the contrary, the investigation noted that the decision of the administration to continue video broadcasting on the stadium scoreboard, showing, after the final whistle, the teams leaving the field and a small cartoon, was able to keep some of the fans in the stands, which was confirmed by the survivors themselves.
After a thorough investigation (150 witnesses were questioned, the materials of the criminal case occupy 10 volumes), the Moscow prosecutor's office referred the case to the court for consideration.
According to some publications, investigator A. L. Shpeer, in conversations with the defendants' defense lawyers, admitted that the investigation did not find any compelling reasons for bringing charges against their clients, but had to do this in order to “calm public opinion”. For the same reason, according to these publications, and to prevent the possibility of lynching on the part of Spartak fans, VA Kokryshev and Yu. L. Panchikhin were taken into custody during the investigation.

Memorials and commemoration
On October 22, 1992, to the tenth anniversary of the tragedy, a monument "To the victims in the stadiums of the world" was erected at the western stands of the Luzhniki Stadium.
On March 20, 2007, the NTV television company showed a documentary film "Fatal Goal" from the series "Victors of Death", which tells about the tragedy in Luzhniki.
On October 20, 2007, on the day of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the tragedy, the Luzhniki stadium hosted a memorial match between the veterans of the Moscow "Spartak" and the Dutch "Haarlem".
In October 2007, the only book about this tragedy was published in Holland - "Drama in het Lenin-stadion".
On the 25th anniversary of the tragedy, Andrei Aleksin, Sergei Fisun and Anton Khabibulin recorded a song called "The Twentieth Number".
In 2008, the ESPN Classic TV channel broadcast the documentary Russian Night, the hidden football disaster in Europe.

The tragedy in Luzhniki (on the Bolshoi Sports Arena) - a mass crush with human casualties, occurred on Wednesday 20 October 1982 at the end of the UEFA Cup match Spartak Moscow - FC Haarlem.

With the score 1: 0 in favor of Spartak (the first goal was scored by Edgar Hess), a few minutes before the final whistle, some of the fans began to leave the stands. At that moment, Sergei Shvetsov scored the second goal into Haarlem's goal, and many fans turned back. For the fans that day, only one - the eastern - tribune was open, and all the gates that led from it to the street, except for one, were closed by the police in order to avoid riots; this prompted many fans to leave the stadium ahead of schedule, rather than waiting for the opportunity to leave for a long time after playing in the cold air. It was in these only open gates that two streams of people collided - leaving the podium and returning to it.

The match was played to the end and ended with the victory of "Spartak" 2: 0. Upon learning of what had happened, Shvetsov said that he regretted the goal he had scored. The only message that appeared in the press (the newspaper Vechernyaya Moskva) looked like this: “Yesterday at the Luzhniki Stadium, after the end of the football match, there was an accident. There are casualties among the fans "

The investigation of the disaster was carried out by order of Yu. V. Andropov (three weeks after the event, who became the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee) in an extremely short time. According to official figures, 66 people died; unofficially, only the number of seriously wounded exceeded 300. The leadership of the Bolshoi Sports Arena was found guilty. Fans consider police actions to be the main reason for the events; there is an old fan song, the lyrics to which were written a few days after the tragedy.

The twentieth is a bloody Wednesday;
We will remember this terrible day forever.
The UEFA Cup match was ending.
Played by "Haarlem" and our "Spartak" (Moscow).
Not missing a real chance, Shvetsov scored a beautiful ball,
And the final whistle sounded - the death match was over.
And we were all very happy, because we won today.
We didn't know even then about the dirty trick of the vile cop
We were all allowed in one pass,
Fifteen thousand is power
And there were steps in the ice,
And all the railings broke.
Hands stretched out there pitifully,
Not one fan died there
And from the crowd there were sounds:
"Back, guys, all back!"
When the crowd parted there
There were screams, there was blood
And so much blood was shed there;
And who will be responsible for this blood?
Who's guilty? Who are all the requests from?
I can no longer answer.
The cops hushed up all the questions
And only friends lie in the graves.

In history, sooner or later, everything comes to the surface. Even what they are trying to drown under the thickness of the years. But to the surface modern days the secret itself does not emerge. She was hidden for seven years. And in today's material, we open the curtain over the tragedy that happened in Luzhniki on October 20, 1982. We will reveal it a little, because in the black secret of Luzhniki there are still many mysterious circumstances ... Guided by this thought, the editors of "Soviet Sport" instructed their correspondents to raise from the bottom of the years one secret hidden from the people.

The tragedy at the stadium in Sheffield shocked the world. The world's largest television companies broadcast hours of reports from the scene. The domestic Gosteleradio also did not disappoint, showing us football stadium, which became infamous all over the world in a matter of hours.

And we ... We looked at the screen, saw on it a football field covered with flowers, a field of human sorrow. And a completely different stadium emerged in my memory ...

Do you know why football matches are not held in Luzhniki at the end of October? Official references to the poor condition of the turf can hardly be considered solid - on “Dynamo”, for example, at this time the turf is not better, but the games are going on. Even international ones. So the grass is not a cause, but a reason. The reason, long and carefully hushed up by the initiates, lies elsewhere: these initiates are very much afraid of seeing flowers on the Luzhniki football field. Flowers in memory of the victims.

We knew and did not know about this tragedy. They believed and did not believe. And how could you believe that at the main stadium of the country, with its experience in hosting major events, dozens of people could die in a matter of minutes?

But that was it. It was on a frozen, icy day on October 20, 1982. Then the Moscow “Spartak” met in the Luzhniki Stadium in the UEFA Cup match with the Dutch “Haarlem”. On that rainy day, the first autumn snow fell in the morning. An icy wind howled, mercury in thermometers dropped to minus ten. In a word, the weather suddenly became the one in which the good owner of the dogs regrets.

And yet the true fans did not stay at home. After all, the last match of the international season was played. And that they are cold and bad weather - “Spartacus” will warm you.

That evening, however, only about ten thousand tickets were sold out. The Luzhniki administration decided that all spectators could well be accommodated in one podium - podium "C". This makes it easier to keep order. They gathered the youth in separate sectors, and then cordoned off them as a "potentially disturbing element" with a double police ring. And there was no need to worry about possible disturbances at the stadium.

Yes, in essence, there were no riots. True, the police detained a dozen or two people who were trying to compensate for the lack of degrees on the street by the number of degrees taken inside. But, recall, this happened before the start of the real fight against drunkenness, so there was nothing out of the ordinary in this fact. Moreover, the fans tried to wave the red and white flags a couple of times. But since the fight with the fans, unlike the drinks, was already in full swing, the law enforcement officers quickly forced them to roll up the banners and pulled out ten people from the crowd. For an accent. The youth sectors quieted down, showing emotions in the future only for annoying reasons. And there were a lot of them for the match - Spartak turned out to be too wasteful that day in the implementation of scoring situations. So until the very last minute the gates of the Dutch club, it must be said, of the middle class, were taken only once.

From this last, ninety minute of the match, a new countdown begins - the time of the tragedy. Sergei Shvetsov, the hero of the match, in a conversation with one of us somehow escaped: "Oh, I wish I hadn't scored that goal! .."

Many fans have already ceased to believe in the luck of the Muscovites and allowed themselves to shorten the match time by a few minutes - they reached for the exit. At minus ten, an hour and a half on the podium is not an easy test ... The militia, chilled in the wind, very actively invited them to this. As soon as the first spectators began to descend the stairs, a living corridor of uniforms was immediately formed, where young fans were especially persistently escorted (in other words, pushed).

Oh, this notorious police corridor! How many copies have already been broken around it, but no - after every football or hockey match we are forced to walk cautiously along this corridor, no one knows who and when.

Yes, you understand, - the commander of a special-purpose militia detachment at the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs of the Moscow City Executive Committee, militia colonel D. Ivanov convinced one of us, - such a corridor is a forced measure. And its only purpose is to ensure the safety of people. After all, the capacity of metro stations is limited. So our specialists made an accurate calculation of how wide this corridor should be for the metro to work quietly.

Well, the reasons are clear. But is there really no other way out? We have an offer to those specialists who "calculated" the required width of the corridor. Let them calculate how many buses will be needed to take some of the fans to neighboring metro stations - this will significantly increase the capacity of those located next to the stadium. Yes, of course, additional costs will be required. And considerable. But is a police cordon really cheap? After all, it consists of several thousand law enforcement officers, who at this very time should not pretend to be a wall, but fight crime. Who counts the damage from bruises and bumps inevitably received in a crowd? And who, finally, will calculate the moral damage from humiliation that people experience in such corridors?

Anyone who has ever been to Luzhniki knows: when leaving the upper sectors, spectators first enter the site between the first and second floors, and from there a flight of stairs leads straight to the street. There are many of these marches at the stadium. But on October 20, 1982, in the sector where mainly young people were gathered, only one was not locked. One single narrow passage for several thousand people. This can only be explained by the desire of the stadium workers to make their life easier. To yourself - but not to others.

It is known what this policy leads to. Let us recall only one case, also hidden from the people, the events at the Sokolniki Sports Palace in 1976. One of us was present then at hockey match between Soviet and Canadian juniors, which ended tragically. And then most of the exits were closed and several dozen people died in the resulting crush. This story still awaits its chroniclers. But one thing is certain: no lessons have been learned from it. True, someone was punished, someone was fired. But not about these lessons in question... We affirm: if the necessary conclusions were drawn from what happened in 1976, then the tragedy would not have happened in 1982 ...

So, as soon as the first spectators got up from their seats, the police, in cooperation with the administration, launched an operation that is called “cleansing” in the specific jargon of law enforcement agencies. One can argue about the stylistic merits of this term, but he conveys the essence of the actions quite accurately - the fans began to be pushed to the exit. People flowed down, orderly pushing and sliding down the icy steps. And at that very time, a cry of delight was suddenly born in the frosty air. Shvetsov didn’t let “Haarlem” go home light. Twenty seconds before the final whistle, he nevertheless drove the second ball into the guests' goal. And the success of the favorites was enthusiastically welcomed in the stands.

And those who have already reached the lower steps? Naturally, they wanted to know what happened twenty seconds before the end of the match at the stadium that they had left at the wrong time. Almost abandoned. And they turned back.

At that moment, a cry of delight turned into a cry of horror. For, recall, only one exit was open. And from above, more and more people continued to be pushed into the twilight passage of the tunnel. Those who tried to stop were hurriedly told: "It's over already. They scored - well, enjoy yourself on the street. Home, home. Don't stop in the aisle!" And those who did not rush into the crush even after that were helped - pushed in the back.

Above, the crowd was accelerated. From below, she accelerated herself. And two uncontrollable streams met on the same unfortunate narrow staircase.

It was something terrible. We could not budge, and the crowd pressed from above and below. There was no longer any way to cope with the distraught people. I saw some police officer, I think a major, jumped into the crowd to stop her. But what could he do? It was already late. And he stayed in the crowd.

Since then, Volodya Andreev no longer goes to football. He, an avid Spartak fan in the past, bypasses the stadiums and switches the TV to another program if he sees a green rectangle on the screen football field... But he was lucky: he remained alive in that human meat grinder ...

On the unforgiving evening of October 20, one of us played basketball in the hall of Luzhnikov's Small Sports Arena. Another accidentally drove along the Moskva River embankment shortly after the end of the match. One saw how the mutilated bodies of people were piled on the frozen stone ground, but two policemen quickly took him outside the stadium. Another was pushed back to the sidewalk by a line of ambulances racing with beacons on. We were then twenty years old, and we, not alien to sports, could well be on the "C" podium. We realized that something terrible had happened at the stadium. But what? Luzhniki in the blink of an eye was cordoned off by militia and internal troops - the tragedy was surrounded.

And it is still guarded.

We know many journalists who tried to write about her. But before today only "Evening Moscow" on October 21, 1982 told about the incident. And even then in passing: "Yesterday in Luzhniki after the end of the football match there was an accident. There are victims among the fans." A taboo was imposed on the topic - unspoken, of course, but no less effective.

At that time, it was believed that everything is fine in our state. And it just can't be bad. And suddenly - this! So they pretended that nothing had happened. In the meantime, doctors were picking up dozens of corpses in Luzhniki on October 20. And from there "ambulances" drove through the morgues.

That was, if you remember, the time of the apotheosis of the fight with the fans. You can't shout in the stands - you should sit decorously, as if in a theater. To put on a hat with the flowers of your favorite team or a "rose" (as the fans call scarves) is almost a criminal offense. Why is there a "rose"! Try who at least put on a badge - already a fan. Atu him!

The outfits of the militia tripled in size without any reason (the intrusive "patronized" spectator was not too eager for football at the turn of the 70s and 80s), were not idle at all. Fans - both true and suspected - were taken to the police station rooms, registered, rewritten, fined, reported to work or institutes. In other words, they tried with all their might to make them outcasts of society, so that they could point the finger at someone on occasion. And they succeeded in this.

It's scary to say, but the Luzhniki tragedy helped the Komsomol youth affairs officials. "The fans are to blame for everything" - this version became official. And in the 135th police station, stationed in Luzhniki, everyone was shown red and white jerseys, allegedly picked up at the stadium after the match. But for some reason no one thought that at a temperature of minus ten, only a rare, excuse me, individual can go to football in a T-shirt. Well, then nobody cared about such trifles.

So it turned out that this rainy day not only killed many parents' children - everything was done to kill the good memory of them.

We have met many of these prematurely aged fathers and mothers. They cried and talked about those who did not let these tears dry for all seven years after the tragedy.

Their sons were ordinary guys - workers, students, schoolchildren. Moderately diligent, sometimes without measure careless - this is so characteristic of youth. Many, very many of them, their fathers and mothers tried to persuade them not to go to Luzhniki on such a terribly cold and windy day. Oh, if only they had obeyed that good advice!

When night fell on Moscow, none of them returned home. Parents rushed to the police station, but there they could not answer - there was no information. Then they rushed to Luzhniki, to the stadium, which was cordoned off. They were not allowed through the cordon, and they stood behind the police line, lost in the unknown.

Then, towards morning, they rushed about the capital's morgues, trying to identify and being afraid to identify the bodies of their sons. And then they waited for thirteen long days, because only then, on someone's nameless, but clearly high-ranking order, they were allowed to bury their children. "Bad" children who have given everyone so much unnecessary trouble and trouble.

The coffins with their bodies were allowed to be brought home on the way to the cemetery. Exactly forty minutes - no more. Say goodbye in the presence of police officers. And then in an organized way, with an escort - on the last journey. The only thing they were allowed to do themselves was to choose the cemeteries. They chose different ones, and now, after the passage of years, they regret that there is more than one - if it happened to any of them, the sisters and brothers in misfortune would have looked after the grave as they looked after their son's. However, even here, it seems, everything was thought out - the authorities did not need a memorial, and it is not easy to find graves in different cemeteries.

On the most main question parents: who is to blame for the death of their children? - they were immediately answered: the children themselves. They created a tense atmosphere. Therefore, the blood was shed. Are you hungry for someone else's blood? Wait, there will be a trial.

Until its meeting, until February 8, 1983, they fought in search of lawyers. Nobody undertook to protect the dead. So no lawyers were found. Now the failed defenders unanimously urged us to remember what the time was then.

"Whom," they asked, "would you like us to blame? Courage, civil and professional, also, you know, has its limits ..." Well, they have become bolder now - then they refused without explanation.

The court presented Panchikhin, the commandant of the Big Sports Arena, as the main culprit, who had worked in this position until the terrible day for two and a half months, and sentenced him to 1.5 years of correctional labor. The cases of the then leaders of the stadium - Lyzhin, Kokryshev, Koryagin - were taken into separate proceedings and did not end with a guilty verdict. The question of why such an inexperienced worker was entrusted with ensuring the safety of the exit of thousands of people from the stadium remained unanswered in court. The actions of the police officers did not receive any assessment at all - Judge Nikitin did not take into account the testimony of the surviving victims too much. They wanted, they say, blood - get Panchikhin.

But the parents of the deceased children did not want blood. It wasn't about revenge, it was about a lesson. So that this tragedy does not repeat itself. But, alas, no one heard their voices - letters addressed to high authorities remained unanswered. Let us hear them today, almost seven years later.

We want and wanted only one thing - to know the true culprits of the death of our children, - the voice of Nina Aleksandrovna Novostroeva, who lost her only son on that fateful day, trembles - A person who has worked at the stadium for a week without a year cannot be responsible for everything. But the truth has been surrounded for us all these years by a conspiracy of silence and lies. We have never been able to find the truth. As we could not find the personal belongings of the victims - the guys were given to us completely undressed. As we have not been able to get on the unfortunate staircase on the day of the anniversary of their death, they have been shutting it off from us on purpose. How could they not get help in erecting monuments on their graves - all the promises of help on the day of the funeral turned out to be an empty sound. They were called hooligans. Which of these people knew our children during their lifetime, in order to expose them as outcasts after death? How to break through this routine of callousness, ossification, indifference? "Why did you let them go there?" - The then chairman of the Moscow City Court answered all these questions calmly. Not really remembering myself anymore, I told him that, apparently, we can talk on equal terms only when grief comes to his family. Of course, not everyone was as rock-hard-hearted. We remember with what pain some police officers told us about the tragedy. We remember those of them who tried, without sparing their lives, to graze our children. But we cannot forgive those who tacitly approved of the dirty fuss around this tragedy.

After the Sheffield tragedy, "Soviet Sport" published a black list of football victims who died at different times in stadiums around the world. The Luzhniki was then put in this row, but, of course, they could not give the exact number of the dead. Unfortunately, we cannot do this even now, although our readers ask us about it. The Luzhniki mystery remains a black secret. The exact number of victims was not named at the time by the court. It is almost impossible to define it: today, as you know, our archives are closed and guarded, perhaps, more tightly than defense factories. The prosecutor's office claims that 66 people died. The parents of the deceased children say that there were more victims and we have no reason not to believe that.

We are indebted to those guys who died seven years ago in Luzhniki. And therefore we promise that on October 20, in spite of everything, we will come to the stairs where the tragedy occurred. And put flowers on it. From U.S. And hopefully from all of you.

The time has come to tell the truth about those who died, and about those who are guilty of the tragedy, about those who hid this tragedy from us. Justice, after all, has no statute of limitations.

Not so long ago, one of us had to visit a friendly football match between Soviet and British diplomats. And when the referee interrupted the meeting and announced a minute of silence in memory of those killed in Sheffield, the thought came painfully: "Why hasn't a minute of silence been announced at any game of the USSR championship for six seasons? Why do we honor the memory of the fallen Englishmen and forget our compatriots who died? Why?" .. "

"Do not stir up the old, guys, - they gave us advice more than once while we were preparing this material. - Why do you need this?"

Then, so that the tragedy does not repeat itself.

March 1989. Cold spring evening. Ice-covered steps underfoot. Police corridor. "It's over already. Come in. Home, home. Don't stop in the aisle!" This is a picture of the current football season... Sounds like it, doesn't it?

This is the worst thing - to forget the lessons of the past.

Sergey Mikulik, Sergey Toporov