Vladimir V. Tchernavin
Encyclopedia
Vladimir V. Tchernavin (alternative transliteration: Chernavin) (Russian
: Чернавин Владимир Вячеславович) (1887–1949) was a Russia
n-born ichthyologist who became famous as one of the first and few prisoners of the Soviet Gulag
system who managed to escape abroad.
, the Tian Shan
Mountains, the Amur River region, and the Ussuriysk
region on the Siberian-Manchurian border and to Lapland
.
but his studies were interrupted by the war and the October Revolution
. He married Tatiana, an arts major. Their son Andrei was born in 1918.
Tchernavin took a post as visiting lecturer at the Agricultural Institute. He completed a thesis and obtained an advanced degree.
In 1925 he moved to Murmansk
as Director of Production and Research Work of the North State Fishing Trust, the State-owned industry which had been set up to deal with the fishing sector in the region along the Arctic Ocean. Here he conducted economic, industrial and scientific-research work. His family remained in Leningrad
(Saint-Petersburg). In 1930 some of his colleagues were arrested by the secret police, the so-called Gosudarstvennoye Politicheskoye Upravlenie (State Political Directorate) or 'GPU'. He was also questioned by GPU officers. While on a visit to Moscow, 48 leading figures and intellectuals in charge of Russia's state food industry were convicted in show trials and executed for 'wrecking
' activities. A number of the executed persons were personal friends and colleagues of Tchernavin.
On 25 April 1931, Tchernavin was convicted for 'wrecking' under Article 58
, Paragraph 7 of the Soviet Penal Code and was sentenced to deportation to a concentration camp for a term of 5 years. He was able to have a brief rendezvous with his son before his deportation.
He was able to arrange that as part of his prison work he could travel extensively throughout Kem district without an escort with the purpose of setting up new fishing points and study the possibility of using fish for animal feed. He used these travels to make further preparations for his family's escape. He had a first meeting with his wife and son in November 1931.
For a while he was 'rented out' by the prison authorities as a lecturer and trained the managers of collective fish farms. The better treatment that he received during this period allowed him to remain fit for his planned escape.
.
In 1934 Tchernavin and his family moved to England where he continued his scientific work as an ichthyologist. His book I Speak for the Silent Prisoners of the Soviets and his wife's book Escape From The Soviets published in 1934 were among the first to give testimony of life under the Soviets, the GPU 's operations and the Gulag and include a description of their escape.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Чернавин Владимир Вячеславович) (1887–1949) was a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-born ichthyologist who became famous as one of the first and few prisoners of the Soviet Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
system who managed to escape abroad.
Early life
Tchernavin was born in 1887 into a noble family of modest means. After his father died in 1902 he took part as a collector-zoologist in expeditions to the Altai region with the Russian explorer V. V. Sapozhnikov. Later he became the leader in a series of scientific expeditions to the Altai Mountain and Sayanskii Mountain, MongoliaMongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, the Tian Shan
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan , also spelled Tien Shan, is a large mountain system located in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Victory Peak , ....
Mountains, the Amur River region, and the Ussuriysk
Ussuriysk
Ussuriysk is a city in Primorsky Krai, Russia, located in the fertile valley of the Razdolnaya River, north of Vladivostok and about from both the Chinese border and the Pacific Ocean. Population: -Medieval history:...
region on the Siberian-Manchurian border and to Lapland
Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the northwestern part of Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Murmansk.-Geography:...
.
Studies and work
In the period from 1912-1917 Tchernavin studied at St. Petersburg UniversitySaint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University is a Russian federal state-owned higher education institution based in Saint Petersburg and one of the oldest and largest universities in Russia....
but his studies were interrupted by the war and the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
. He married Tatiana, an arts major. Their son Andrei was born in 1918.
Tchernavin took a post as visiting lecturer at the Agricultural Institute. He completed a thesis and obtained an advanced degree.
In 1925 he moved to Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
as Director of Production and Research Work of the North State Fishing Trust, the State-owned industry which had been set up to deal with the fishing sector in the region along the Arctic Ocean. Here he conducted economic, industrial and scientific-research work. His family remained in Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
(Saint-Petersburg). In 1930 some of his colleagues were arrested by the secret police, the so-called Gosudarstvennoye Politicheskoye Upravlenie (State Political Directorate) or 'GPU'. He was also questioned by GPU officers. While on a visit to Moscow, 48 leading figures and intellectuals in charge of Russia's state food industry were convicted in show trials and executed for 'wrecking
Wrecking (Soviet crime)
Wrecking , was a crime specified in the criminal code of the Soviet Union in the Stalin era. It is often translated as "sabotage"; however "wrecking" and "diversionist acts" and "counter-revolutionary sabotage" were distinct sub-articles of Article 58 , and the meaning of "wrecking" is closer to...
' activities. A number of the executed persons were personal friends and colleagues of Tchernavin.
Arrest and conviction
He then decided not to return to Murmansk but to join his family in Leningrad. Here he was arrested at his home and his apartment was searched. He was imprisoned in the Shpalernaya prison in Leningrad. He was interrogated and threatened with execution should he refuse to confess. To put more pressure on him, the GPU also arrested his wife in January 1931. He refused to confess in the knowledge that a confession would mean certain death. He was later moved to the Kresti prison.On 25 April 1931, Tchernavin was convicted for 'wrecking' under Article 58
Article 58 (RSFSR Penal Code)
Article 58 of the Russian SFSR Penal Code was put in force on 25 February 1927 to arrest those suspected of counter-revolutionary activities. It was revised several times...
, Paragraph 7 of the Soviet Penal Code and was sentenced to deportation to a concentration camp for a term of 5 years. He was able to have a brief rendezvous with his son before his deportation.
Gulag life
He was put on a prison transport to the Solovetsky labor camp on 2 May 1931. Initially sharing with other inmates hard labour such as loading logs he was subsequently translated to the camp of Kem where he worked as an ichthyologist in the Fishery Department of the camp. Here he started making preparations for his escape. He learned that his wife had been released from prison.He was able to arrange that as part of his prison work he could travel extensively throughout Kem district without an escort with the purpose of setting up new fishing points and study the possibility of using fish for animal feed. He used these travels to make further preparations for his family's escape. He had a first meeting with his wife and son in November 1931.
For a while he was 'rented out' by the prison authorities as a lecturer and trained the managers of collective fish farms. The better treatment that he received during this period allowed him to remain fit for his planned escape.
Escape
In August 1932 his wife and son visited him again and they then set out on their epic escape. After a few weeks of trekking through rugged terrain and suffering hardships due to a lack of provisions and poor weather, they were finally able to reach FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
In 1934 Tchernavin and his family moved to England where he continued his scientific work as an ichthyologist. His book I Speak for the Silent Prisoners of the Soviets and his wife's book Escape From The Soviets published in 1934 were among the first to give testimony of life under the Soviets, the GPU 's operations and the Gulag and include a description of their escape.
External links
- Biographical information page (in Russian).
- Obituary Nature 163, 755-756 (14 May 1949).
- Gulag - Many Days, Many Lives Vladimir V. Tchernavin