Ataman Pyotr Krasnov (1869-1947)
The Orthodox Church doesn’t consider the rehabilitation of Cossack Ataman Pyotr Krasnov an urgent matter, despite recent moves by representatives of the Don Cossacks. “At present, what’s more pressing is not the individual rehabilitation of the victims of the communist regime, but, rather, the censure of the system as a whole and the characterisation of its policy as criminal”, stated Fr Georgi Mitrofanov, a well-known church historian and professor at the St Petersburg Theological Academy, in an interview with Interfax on Monday. As regards the fate of Ataman Krasnov in particular, Fr Georgi noted, “He was handed over to Stalin’s agents by the Allies in spite of agreements made at Yalta, so, he was undoubtedly the victim of illegal violence. Unfortunately, under the communist regime, there were many such victims”. Along with Ataman Krasnov, Fr Georgi mentioned General Andrei Shkuro and General Helmuth von Pannwitz of the Wehrmacht as similar victims. “The story of General von Pannwitz, the last leader of the Don Cossacks, shows that individual rehabilitations didn’t remove the main problem, which is that we didn’t condemn the communist regime until now”, he said.
General Andrei Shkuro (left) and General Helmuth von Pannwitz (right)
He thought it would be more profitable for the Cossack representatives to press for a censure of the general communist policy towards the Cossacks. Fr Georgi emphasised, “The victims of the communist regime must be acknowledged in our country as the victims of a criminal system, and we shouldn’t seek a mere individual rehabilitation. It’s necessary to condemn the entire communist policy”. The move to rehabilitate Ataman Krasnov was led by Viktor Vodolatsky, Ataman of the Don Cossack Host and Deputy of the State Duma. “Ataman Krasnov was merely the most famous Cossack to suffer under the communist repressions. We feel that by rehabilitating Ataman Krasnov we atone for the undeserved fate of our ancestors”, an aide to Mr Vodolatsky said to Interfax.
Ataman Pyotr Krasnov (1869-1947) was a Russian soldier and political figure, a leader of the White Guard movement, and a writer and publicist. In 1941, he was associated with the German ministry for the occupied eastern territories. He proposed the formation of Cossack units in the Wehrmacht in 1942. In March 1944, he became the chief of the Cossack units in the German service and organised a Cossack cavalry division. He advocated the creation of an autonomous Cossack state as a protectorate of Germany.
21 January 2008
Interfax-Religion
Voices from Russia 
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