Valery Sablin
Encyclopedia
Captain 3rd Rank
Valery Mikhailovich Sablin (1 January 1939 – 3 August 1976) was a Soviet Navy
officer and a member of the Communist Party
. In November 1975, he led a mutiny
on the Soviet warship the Storozhevoy in the hope of starting a Leninist political revolution in the Soviet Union
. His mutiny failed and he was shot for treason nine months later.
Valery Sablin seized the Storozhevoy, a Soviet Burevestnik Class missile frigate
, and confined the ship's captain and other officers to the wardroom. Sablin's plan was to take the ship from the Gulf of Riga
north into the Gulf of Finland
and to Leningrad
, through the Neva River
, moor by the decommissioned cruiser Aurora, a symbol of the Russian revolution, from where he would, by radio and television, protest against the rampant corruption of the Brezhnev era. In that address, he was going to say what many were saying privately: the revolution and motherland were in danger; the ruling authorities were up to their necks in corruption, demagoguery, graft, and lies, leading the country into an abyss; the lofty ideals of Communism had been discarded, and there was a pressing need to revive the Leninist principles of justice (Sablin was a strong believer in Leninist
values and considered the Soviet system to essentially have "sold out"). However a junior officer escaped from confinement and radioed for assistance. When the Storozhevoy cleared the mouth of the Gulf of Riga, she did so with 10 bomber and reconnaissance airplanes and thirteen warships in pursuit. Sablin surrendered after several bombs were dropped in front of and behind the ship.
He was arrested and, in May 1976, tried before a military court. Sablin was found guilty of "treason to the Motherland." Although this crime usually carried a 15-year prison sentence, he was executed on 3 August 1976. His second in command during the mutiny, Alexander Shein, received an eight-year prison sentence. All of the other mutineers were freed.
In 1994, the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court
reviewed the sentences with a possibility of Posthumous rehabilitation
. The court partially rehabilitated Sablin rather than fully exonorating him and his comrade Seaman Shein (who had by that time served his sentence).
is impassable to the north, closed off by the Estonia
n islands of Saaremaa
and Hiiumaa
. A ship making for Leningrad from Riga needs to initially head west towards the Swedish island of Gotland
, then steer northwest towards Stockholm
, and then finally turn east and head into the Gulf of Finland
and then to the port of Leningrad. This course gave the mistaken impression that the Storozhevoy was heading to Sweden
instead of Leningrad. Until the end of the Cold War
western intelligence believed that the crew was going to defect.
American author Tom Clancy
was inspired by the event to write the 1984 novel The Hunt for Red October
(later made into a 1990 film
starring Sean Connery
).
- Valery Sablin's last letter to his son before his execution.
- Valery Sablin's farewell letter to his parents.
Corvette Captain
Corvette captain is a rank in many navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette . The equivalent rank in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and USA is lieutenant commander...
Valery Mikhailovich Sablin (1 January 1939 – 3 August 1976) was a Soviet Navy
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
officer and a member of the Communist Party
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
. In November 1975, he led a mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
on the Soviet warship the Storozhevoy in the hope of starting a Leninist political revolution in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. His mutiny failed and he was shot for treason nine months later.
Early life
Sablin was born in 1939, the son of a Navy officer. He graduated from the Frunze Naval Institute in Leningrad in 1960 and served in the Soviet Northern Fleet. In 1973, he graduated from the Lenin Political Military Academy and was appointed a political officer.The mutiny
On 7 November 1975, Captain 3rd RankCorvette Captain
Corvette captain is a rank in many navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette . The equivalent rank in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and USA is lieutenant commander...
Valery Sablin seized the Storozhevoy, a Soviet Burevestnik Class missile frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
, and confined the ship's captain and other officers to the wardroom. Sablin's plan was to take the ship from the Gulf of Riga
Gulf of Riga
The Gulf of Riga, or Bay of Riga, is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. According to C.Michael Hogan, a saline stratification layer is found at a depth of approximately seventy metres....
north into the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
and to Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, through the Neva River
Neva River
The Neva is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length , it is the third largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge .The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake...
, moor by the decommissioned cruiser Aurora, a symbol of the Russian revolution, from where he would, by radio and television, protest against the rampant corruption of the Brezhnev era. In that address, he was going to say what many were saying privately: the revolution and motherland were in danger; the ruling authorities were up to their necks in corruption, demagoguery, graft, and lies, leading the country into an abyss; the lofty ideals of Communism had been discarded, and there was a pressing need to revive the Leninist principles of justice (Sablin was a strong believer in Leninist
Leninism
In Marxist philosophy, Leninism is the body of political theory for the democratic organisation of a revolutionary vanguard party, and the achievement of a direct-democracy dictatorship of the proletariat, as political prelude to the establishment of socialism...
values and considered the Soviet system to essentially have "sold out"). However a junior officer escaped from confinement and radioed for assistance. When the Storozhevoy cleared the mouth of the Gulf of Riga, she did so with 10 bomber and reconnaissance airplanes and thirteen warships in pursuit. Sablin surrendered after several bombs were dropped in front of and behind the ship.
He was arrested and, in May 1976, tried before a military court. Sablin was found guilty of "treason to the Motherland." Although this crime usually carried a 15-year prison sentence, he was executed on 3 August 1976. His second in command during the mutiny, Alexander Shein, received an eight-year prison sentence. All of the other mutineers were freed.
In 1994, the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court
Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR
Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR was created in 1924 to the Supreme Court of the USSR as a court for the higher military and political personnel of Red Army and Fleet...
reviewed the sentences with a possibility of Posthumous rehabilitation
Rehabilitation (Soviet)
Rehabilitation in the context of the former Soviet Union, and the Post-Soviet states, was the restoration of a person who was criminally prosecuted without due basis, to the state of acquittal...
. The court partially rehabilitated Sablin rather than fully exonorating him and his comrade Seaman Shein (who had by that time served his sentence).
Reports of the mutiny in the West
The Kremlin did not want news of the uprising to spread and were therefore willing, perhaps even prepared, to present it to world public opinion as an attempted defection to the West—something that could not be further from the truth. The Gulf of RigaGulf of Riga
The Gulf of Riga, or Bay of Riga, is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. According to C.Michael Hogan, a saline stratification layer is found at a depth of approximately seventy metres....
is impassable to the north, closed off by the Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n islands of Saaremaa
Saaremaa
Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring 2,673 km². The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago...
and Hiiumaa
Hiiumaa
Hiiumaa is the second largest island belonging to Estonia. It is located in the Baltic Sea, north of the island of Saaremaa, a part of the West Estonian archipelago. Its largest town is Kärdla.-Name:...
. A ship making for Leningrad from Riga needs to initially head west towards the Swedish island of Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
, then steer northwest towards Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, and then finally turn east and head into the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
and then to the port of Leningrad. This course gave the mistaken impression that the Storozhevoy was heading to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
instead of Leningrad. Until the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
western intelligence believed that the crew was going to defect.
American author Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
was inspired by the event to write the 1984 novel The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October is a 1984 novel by Tom Clancy. The story follows the intertwined adventures of Soviet submarine captain Marko Aleksandrovich Ramius and CIA analyst Jack Ryan.The novel was originally published by the U.S...
(later made into a 1990 film
The Hunt for Red October (film)
The Hunt for Red October is a 1990 thriller film based on the novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. It was directed by John McTiernan and stars Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius and Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan...
starring Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
).
Quotes
- "Trust the fact that history will judge events honestly and you will never have to be embarrassed for what your father did. On no account ever be one of those people who criticise but do not follow through their actions. Such people are hypocrites—weak, worthless people who do not have the power to reconcile their beliefs with their actions. I wish you courage, my dear. Be strong in the belief that life is wonderful. Be positive and believe that the Revolution will always win."
- Valery Sablin's last letter to his son before his execution.
- "I am convinced that a revolutionary consciousness will catch fire among our people."
- Valery Sablin's farewell letter to his parents.