How the loudest escape from the GULAG ended: the Ust-Usinsk uprising

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The first and largest uprising in the Gulag took place in 1942 on the banks of the Pechora near the village of Ust-Usa in the Komi Republic. The armed Ust-Usinsk uprising of prisoners went down in history under the name "Retyunin mutiny" in honor of its organizer and inspirer Mark Retyunin. During the riot, over 70 guards and rebels were killed. 50 prisoners who participated in the mutiny were sentenced to be shot.

Who was the inspirer and organizer of the uprising

The largest mutiny took place on January 24, 1942 in the Lesoreid camp in Vorkutlag. At the time of the uprising, there were more than 200 prisoners, half of whom were "political" and were serving sentences for counter-revolutionary activities under Article 58.

The thirty-three-year-old head of the camp point, Mark Andreevich Retyunin, in the past was himself a prisoner convicted of banditry. In 1939, he was released and stayed to work in the camp, and soon he headed it. People who knew the basics personally characterized him as a strong person and an unconditional authority among the prisoners and guards, which helped him make a career in the camp system. It was Retyunin who became the organizer of the largest armed uprising of the GULAG. He was forced to act by persistent rumors about the impending mass executions of those convicted under Article 58.

Thorough training of conspirators

The insurgents' ideologist was political prisoner Aleksey Makeev, formerly the manager of the large Komiles trust. Among the instigators of the uprising were officers - "Trotskyists" Ivan Zverev and Mikhail Dunaev. The first held the position of a caretaker in the camp, the second worked at a construction site.

Preparations for the riot began in August 1941, and three organizational meetings were held in December. No more than 20 people knew about the upcoming action, the camp management trusted Retyunin, so no suspicions arose. The task was facilitated by the absence of operatives from the NKVD in the camp - agents from among the prisoners would not have been able to report on the preparation of the speech.

For the riot, they chose the winter period, since at other times of the year movement on winter roads would be difficult. Retyunin, taking advantage of his position, ordered large quantities of food and clothing from the base, including white fur coats. He explained his inquiries by the need to replenish stocks in case of isolation of the camp site during the spring flood.

What plan were the prisoners going to act on?

The organizers of the uprising drew up a clear plan of action, according to which it was first supposed to release all the prisoners and to disarm the guards with joint forces. The unexpected seizure of Ust-Usa was supposed to paralyze the local administration and give the rebels additional time to further implement the plan. The main detachment was supposed to reach Kozhva, where the railway passed, and from there, having divided, move in two directions - to Kotlas and Vorkuta.

In a short time, the rebels planned to form a powerful army, freeing all the camps in their path and replenishing the ranks of the rebellious prisoners. Makeev assured that special settlers and local residents would join the army if they were agitated for the abolition of collective farms and food ration cards by giving out food from warehouses. The initiators were confident that if everything worked out, the Ust-Usinsk rebellion would gain gigantic proportions, uniting tens of thousands of Gulag prisoners and local residents dissatisfied with the Soviet regime.

How the rebels managed to get out of the camp

On January 24, 1942, a group of prisoners led by Retyunin managed to neutralize the paramilitary guards (VOKHR) by tricking them into the bathhouse. The captured and disarmed Vokhrovites were locked in a vegetable store, while one of them was killed, and the other was wounded. The invaders opened the camp area and announced to everyone about the beginning of the riot. The overwhelming majority of the prisoners joined the uprising, and the remaining 59 people were afraid of the consequences and fled. The number of the detachment, together with the organizers, was over 80 people, and for such a number of people there were only 12 rifles and 4 revolvers. Having changed into the winter clothes of the Vokhrovites, the rebels, calling themselves "Special Forces No. 41", gathered a food supply train, lined up in a column and moved towards Ust-Usa.

In the village, the rebels seized the post office and cut communications. A group led by Retyunin released 38 prisoners from the local bullpen, of whom 12 decided to join the uprising.

Until midnight, battles were fought at various facilities in Ust-Usa. Attempts to seize the shipping company, the police department and the airfield turned out to be a failure, but several more weapons were obtained.

During the fighting, 9 rebels were killed and one was seriously wounded. There were much more victims among the local population - 14 dead and 11 wounded. The head of the neighboring camp Polya-Kurya, who received a message about an emergency in Ust-Usa, was sure that a German landing had landed there and sent 15 VOKhR riflemen to help. In addition to rifles, the Vokhrovites had a light machine gun, and as soon as they entered the battle, Retyunin decided to retreat. Approximately half of the disarmed insurgents were detained, about 20 more people voluntarily surrendered, including prisoners who escaped from the bullpen.

Of the entire detachment, 41 people remained, and they still hoped to break through in the direction of Kozhva, as planned. The rioters did not yet know that the inhabitants of the village reported about the attack in Syktyvkar, all the district committees of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks were notified of possible raids, the leaders were warned, and forces were already actively gathering to suppress the rebellion.

The last attempt of the doomed

From Ust-Usa, the rebels in two groups moved south, towards Kozhva, and attacked the wagon train with weapons, which stopped for the night in the village of Akis. One of the guards was killed and the other was wounded. The rioters were now well armed, with 40 rifles and 23 revolvers at their disposal. On January 25, the group entered the village of Ust-Lyzha, where food and household equipment were taken from the general store warehouse, and a receipt was left to the shop assistant on behalf of the "Special Forces Detachment No. 41".

On January 27, the Vokhrovites, sent to search and destroy the rebels, found Retyunin's detachment not far from Ust-Lyzha, and on January 28 a battle began, during which 16 prisoners were killed, including the ideologist Makeev. Due to the fact that the Vokhrovites were poorly equipped and most of them were frostbite, the remaining rioters managed to escape to the upper reaches of the Lyzha River. But their pursuit was continued by other units of the camp guard. The last council of the rebels was held in the hunting hut.

There were only 26 of them left, emaciated, tired, almost without ammunition. Despite this, they decided not to give up and split into small groups to try to get lost in the forest. The rebels had no chance of salvation. Lined on all sides, they were in a bare winter forest without the opportunity to find food and without the support of the local population, who considered them bandits.

From January 30, scattered groups of insurgents were gradually caught in the forest by the VOKHR forces. On the evening of February 1, the main group led by Retyunin was overtaken. The battle lasted almost a day, and when all the ammunition was used up, the organizers of the uprising (Retyunin and Dunaev) and four other rioters shot themselves. The last group was eliminated on March 6, 1942.

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