"I don't take a bribe - I'm sorry for the state": who was the prototype of the customs officer Vereshchagin
"I don't take a bribe - I'm sorry for the state": who was the prototype of the customs officer Vereshchagin

Video: "I don't take a bribe - I'm sorry for the state": who was the prototype of the customs officer Vereshchagin

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Left: Mikhail Pospelov, right: actor Pavel Luspekaev
Left: Mikhail Pospelov, right: actor Pavel Luspekaev

“I don’t take a bribe - I feel sorry for the state” - for these words the people fell in love with the character of Pavel Vereshchagin from the movie “White Sun of the Desert”. Few people know that the stern screen customs officer had a real prototype to be proud of - an officer of the Russian border guard Mikhail Dmitrievich Pospelov.

Mikhail Dmitrievich Poslelov is a real prototype of Vereshchagin's screen customs officer
Mikhail Dmitrievich Poslelov is a real prototype of Vereshchagin's screen customs officer

When work began on the film, which had already become a cult, the screenwriter Valentin Yezhov was severely limited in time. He had only 1, 5 months to write the script. But Yezhov, being a responsible person, went to Central Asia to talk with veteran border guards and better understand their life. It was then that he learned the story of the Russian officer Mikhail Dmitrievich Pospelov. Many facts from his biography formed the basis of the screen border guard Pavel Vereshchagin.

Mikhail Pospelov was born in 1884. He graduated from the Tiflis Infantry School, after which he served in several regiments for several years, until in 1913 he got into the 30th Trans-Caspian Brigade, whose task was to guard the border with Persia and the Caspian coast.

Mikhail Pospelov is a Russian officer who served at a border post in Central Asia
Mikhail Pospelov is a Russian officer who served at a border post in Central Asia

There was enough work. The border guards often had to repel the raids of bandits who captured the girls for sale into slavery. Pospelov was not just an executive officer, he was worried about his subordinates, local residents. It is worth noting that the Turkmen were grateful to Pospelov, and from this he formed a whole spy network. When the smugglers were caught in the most unexpected places, they began to think that Pospelov possessed some kind of magical powers. It was then that the officer received his nickname "Red Shaitan". It was the best fit for Pospelov because of his bright red lush mustache.

Pavel Luspekaev is an actor who played the role of the border guard Vereshchagin in the movie "White Sun of the Desert"
Pavel Luspekaev is an actor who played the role of the border guard Vereshchagin in the movie "White Sun of the Desert"

Vereshchagin's house is almost certainly written off from Pospelov's dwelling: the same fruit trees, a pond with carp. When lawlessness began in Russia in 1917, no one thought about the Central Asian borders. The soldiers rushed home to their families. Mikhail Pospelov was also offered to move, but he stayed. “I am a border guard, and my job is to guard the border of the Fatherland. I'm not going anywhere from here,”was the firm response of the officer. The bandits were already operating in the open, and Pospelov with the remnants of his regiment had to defend not the border zone, but his house. Some Basmachi attacked the officer's dwelling, but received such a rebuff that they no longer meddled.

Mikhail Pospelov, nicknamed "The Red Shaitan"
Mikhail Pospelov, nicknamed "The Red Shaitan"

After almost two years of such a life and "flooding" melancholy with moonshine, Pospelov decided to put things in order himself, without waiting for outside help. He recruited a detachment from among the volunteers of local villages, trained them, armed them and soon gave such a rebuff to the bandits that they preferred to get away from the "Red Shaitan". Mikhail Pospelov had to think not only how to train his people, but also how to feed them. For this, the officer sold all his carpets and bought provisions.

Mikhail Pospelov with his daughter
Mikhail Pospelov with his daughter

With the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, Mikhail Pospelov was appointed to command posts, and in 1925 he was sent on indefinite leave of age. But due to his colossal experience, he was often called into service, either as a consultant or as a guide in the desert. Mikhail Dmitrievich Pospelov died at the age of 78 in 1962.

Mikhail Dmitrievich Pospelov is a famous border guard of the first half of the 20th century
Mikhail Dmitrievich Pospelov is a famous border guard of the first half of the 20th century

Very often, screen or cartoon characters have real prototypes under them. For example, the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor became an exact copy of the fireman Frank Feegle.

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