Mikhail Matveyev: Difference between revisions

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After completing two years of education at a village school, the young Matveyev moved to St Petersburg where he held various occupations: he was a doorman at an apartment block, for instance, before becoming in 1913 an assistant to a metal-worker at the Vulcan works. Following the 1917 February Revolution he joined the Bolsheviks and soon was serving as a [[Cheka]] executioner. In 1923 he took a few years away from his new occupation. From 1927 onwards Matveyev was back with the successor organisations, the OGPU and NKVD, as an executioner in the Leningrad Region.

On 28 ~~November~~ 1936, together with two other future Sandarmokh executioners (A.P. Polikarpov and P.D. Shalygin)—and the notorious [[Vasily Blokhin]]—Captain Matveyev received the Order of the Red Banner for his "struggle to secure the [[communist]] system", viz. they acted as executioners of those supposed to be its enemies.

On November 28th, 1936, together with two other future Sandarmokh executioners (A.P. Polikarpov and P.D. Shalygin)—and the notorious [[Vasily Blokhin]]—Captain Matveyev received the Order of the Red Banner for his "struggle to secure the [[communist]] system", viz. they acted as executioners of those supposed to be its enemies.

==Biography==

Matveyev was personally involved in the shooting of the prisoners of the "lost Solovki transport" between 27 October and 3 ~~November~~ 1937, who included many members of Ukraine's Executed Renaissance.

Matveyev was personally involved in the shooting of the prisoners of the "lost Solovki transport" between 27 October and November 3rd, 1937, who included many members of Ukraine's Executed Renaissance.

The Sandarmokh killing field was only found in July 1997 after lengthy searches and at first it was not known how many thousands had been shot and buried there. The identity of the 1,111 prisoners brought from the Solovki "special" prison in the White Sea was first established in the summer of 1996.

The Sandarmokh killing field was only found in July of 1997 after lengthy searches and at first it was not known how many thousands had been shot and buried there. The identity of the 1,111 prisoners brought from the Solovki "special" prison in the White Sea was first established in the summer of 1996.

Their deaths were followed over the next 13 months by those of a further 3,500 inhabitants of Karelia and 4,500 workers from the White Sea Canal, leading to a total of 9,500 killings, with the bodies buried in 236 communal pits. The executions were part of the Great Purge that ran from 1936 to 1938.

On 20 ~~December~~ 1937, Captain Mikhail Matveyev was given a commemorative gift, a radiogram and a set of gramophone records, for his "selfless work in the struggle against counter-revolution", i.e. his work at Sandarmokh between 27 ~~October~~ and 10 ~~November~~ that year.

On December 20th, 1937, Captain Mikhail Matveyev was given a commemorative gift, a radiogram and a set of gramophone records, for his "selfless work in the struggle against counter-revolution", i.e. his work at Sandarmokh between October 27th and November 10th that year.

On 11 ~~March~~ 1939 he was himself arrested on the orders of the new head of the NKVD [[Lavrentiy Beria]] and sentenced to 10 years in a corrective [[Concentration Camp|concentration camp]]. (On hearing this news, his fellow executioner [[Alexander Polikarpov]] shot himself.) Matveyev was not deprived of his awards and medals, however, and soon his sentence was reduced to three years, which he served in a camp in the Vologda Region.

On March 11th 1939 he was himself arrested on the orders of the new head of the NKVD [[Lavrentiy Beria]] and sentenced to 10 years in a corrective [[Concentration Camp|concentration camp]]. (On hearing this news, his fellow executioner [[Alexander Polikarpov]] shot himself.) Matveyev was not deprived of his awards and medals, however, and soon his sentence was reduced to three years, which he served in a camp in the Vologda Region.

Released early when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, during the Leningrad Blockade Matveyev was made komendant (chief executioner) of the NKVD internal prison in the city. He later received the highest Soviet award, the Order of Lenin, for his work in those years. He retired in December 1949.

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 After completing two years of education at a village school, the young Matveyev moved to St Petersburg where he held various occupations: he was a doorman at an apartment block, for instance, before becoming in 1913 an assistant to a metal-worker at the Vulcan works. Following the 1917 February Revolution he joined the Bolsheviks and soon was serving as a [[Cheka]] executioner. In 1923 he took a few years away from his new occupation. From 1927 onwards Matveyev was back with the successor organisations, the OGPU and NKVD, as an executioner in the Leningrad Region.
-On 28 November 1936, together with two other future Sandarmokh executioners (A.P. Polikarpov and P.D. Shalygin)—and the notorious [[Vasily Blokhin]]—Captain Matveyev received the Order of the Red Banner for his "struggle to secure the [[communist]] system", viz. they acted as executioners of those supposed to be its enemies.
+On November 28<sup>th</sup>, 1936, together with two other future Sandarmokh executioners (A.P. Polikarpov and P.D. Shalygin)—and the notorious [[Vasily Blokhin]]—Captain Matveyev received the Order of the Red Banner for his "struggle to secure the [[communist]] system", viz. they acted as executioners of those supposed to be its enemies.
 ==Biography==
-Matveyev was personally involved in the shooting of the prisoners of the "lost Solovki transport" between 27 October and 3 November 1937, who included many members of Ukraine's Executed Renaissance.
+Matveyev was personally involved in the shooting of the prisoners of the "lost Solovki transport" between 27 October and November 3<sup>rd</sup>, 1937, who included many members of Ukraine's Executed Renaissance.
-The Sandarmokh killing field was only found in July 1997 after lengthy searches and at first it was not known how many thousands had been shot and buried there. The identity of the 1,111 prisoners brought from the Solovki "special" prison in the White Sea was first established in the summer of 1996.
+The Sandarmokh killing field was only found in July of 1997 after lengthy searches and at first it was not known how many thousands had been shot and buried there. The identity of the 1,111 prisoners brought from the Solovki "special" prison in the White Sea was first established in the summer of 1996.
 Their deaths were followed over the next 13 months by those of a further 3,500 inhabitants of Karelia and 4,500 workers from the White Sea Canal, leading to a total of 9,500 killings, with the bodies buried in 236 communal pits. The executions were part of the Great Purge that ran from 1936 to 1938.
-On 20 December 1937, Captain Mikhail Matveyev was given a commemorative gift, a radiogram and a set of gramophone records, for his "selfless work in the struggle against counter-revolution", i.e. his work at Sandarmokh between 27 October and 10 November that year.
+On December 20<sup>th</sup>, 1937, Captain Mikhail Matveyev was given a commemorative gift, a radiogram and a set of gramophone records, for his "selfless work in the struggle against counter-revolution", i.e. his work at Sandarmokh between October 27<sup>th</sup> and November 10<sup>th</sup> that year.
-On 11 March 1939 he was himself arrested on the orders of the new head of the NKVD [[Lavrentiy Beria]] and sentenced to 10 years in a corrective [[Concentration Camp|concentration camp]]. (On hearing this news, his fellow executioner [[Alexander Polikarpov]] shot himself.) Matveyev was not deprived of his awards and medals, however, and soon his sentence was reduced to three years, which he served in a camp in the Vologda Region.
+On March 11<sup>th</sup> 1939 he was himself arrested on the orders of the new head of the NKVD [[Lavrentiy Beria]] and sentenced to 10 years in a corrective [[Concentration Camp|concentration camp]]. (On hearing this news, his fellow executioner [[Alexander Polikarpov]] shot himself.) Matveyev was not deprived of his awards and medals, however, and soon his sentence was reduced to three years, which he served in a camp in the Vologda Region.
 Released early when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, during the Leningrad Blockade Matveyev was made komendant (chief executioner) of the NKVD internal prison in the city. He later received the highest Soviet award, the Order of Lenin, for his work in those years. He retired in December 1949.