Elena Mikhnenko: Difference between revisions
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In 1925, the family moved to [[Paris]], where Elena lived for most of her formative years,{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|p=301}} going on to work in her mother's grocery store in [[Vincennes]].{{Sfn|Peters|1970|p=91}} The families of French anarchists often looked after the young Elena, giving her the [[Francization|Francised]] pet name of "Lucie". She thus grew up speaking the [[French language]], eventually forgetting how to speak [[Russian language|Russian]] and never even learning how to speak [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]].{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|p=408}} In 1929, Elena was taken on holiday by her father to the southern coastal town of [[Aimargues]], which was well-known for its relatively large anarchist community.{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|p=302}} Sick and in poverty, her father was financially supported by the French anarchist movement, but spent most of this money on Elena.{{Sfn|Malet|1982|p=188}} In March 1934, her father finally succumbed to his [[tuberculosis]], leaving his daughter with the final words "be healthy and happy, my daughter", before he died in his sleep.{{Sfn|Darch|2020|p=145}} Due to her father's political activities, Elena came to [[Apoliticism|reject politics]] at a young age, pledging that she would "take no interest in politics or newspapers".{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|p=409}} |
In 1925, the family moved to [[Paris]], where Elena lived for most of her formative years,{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|p=301}} going on to work in her mother's grocery store in [[Vincennes]].{{Sfn|Peters|1970|p=91}} The families of French anarchists often looked after the young Elena, giving her the [[Francization|Francised]] pet name of "Lucie". She thus grew up speaking the [[French language]], eventually forgetting how to speak [[Russian language|Russian]] and never even learning how to speak [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]].{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|p=408}} In 1929, Elena was taken on holiday by her father to the southern coastal town of [[Aimargues]], which was well-known for its relatively large anarchist community.{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|p=302}} Sick and in poverty, her father was financially supported by the French anarchist movement, but spent most of this money on Elena.{{Sfn|Malet|1982|p=188}} In March 1934, her father finally succumbed to his [[tuberculosis]], leaving his daughter with the final words "be healthy and happy, my daughter", before he died in his sleep.{{Sfn|Darch|2020|p=145}} Due to her father's political activities, Elena came to [[Apoliticism|reject politics]] at a young age, pledging that she would "take no interest in politics or newspapers".{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|p=409}} |
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In 1939, Elena graduated from [[secondary school]].{{Sfn|Darch|2020|p=146}} |
In 1939, Elena graduated from [[secondary school]].{{Sfn|Darch|2020|p=146}} Following the [[Battle of France|Nazi invasion of France]], she was conscripted into [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] and transferred to [[Berlin]]. On 14 August 1945,{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|p=408}} after the [[Battle of Berlin|fall of Berlin]], she was then arrested by the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]] and transferred to [[Kyiv]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Darch|1y=2020|1p=146|2a1=Skirda|2y=2004|2p=408}} While imprisoned in the Ukrainian capital, she [[Slapping (strike)|slapped]] a fellow inmate after they asked if her father was "the renowned bandit".{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|p=409}} |
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She was eventually sentenced to five years for "[[anti-Soviet agitation]]"{{Sfn|Darch|2020|p=146}} and subsequently exiled to [[Taraz|Jambyl]], in the [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Darch|1y=2020|1p=146|2a1=Skirda|2y=2004|2p=408}} While surveilled by the authorities, she found employment doing manual labour in the city's [[Cafeteria|canteens]], [[factory|factories]] and [[Intensive pig farming|pig farms]], but was often [[Dismissal (employment)|dismissed]] after her employers learnt that her father was Nestor Makhno. This fact also kept her [[Single person|single]] for most of her life, as men often left her upon discovering her father's identity.{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|p=409}} Following the [[Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin|death of Stalin]], she was joined in Jambyl by her mother, but it had been so long since they'd been together that they did not recognize each other upon Kuzmenko's arrival.{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|pp=408-409}} |
She was eventually sentenced to five years for "[[anti-Soviet agitation]]"{{Sfn|Darch|2020|p=146}} and subsequently exiled to [[Taraz|Jambyl]], in the [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Darch|1y=2020|1p=146|2a1=Skirda|2y=2004|2p=408}} While surveilled by the authorities, she found employment doing manual labour in the city's [[Cafeteria|canteens]], [[factory|factories]] and [[Intensive pig farming|pig farms]], but was often [[Dismissal (employment)|dismissed]] after her employers learnt that her father was Nestor Makhno. This fact also kept her [[Single person|single]] for most of her life, as men often left her upon discovering her father's identity.{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|p=409}} Following the [[Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin|death of Stalin]], she was joined in Jambyl by her mother, but it had been so long since they'd been together that they did not recognize each other upon Kuzmenko's arrival.{{Sfn|Skirda|2004|pp=408-409}} |
Revision as of 09:22, 9 June 2023
Elena Mikhnenko | |
---|---|
Елена Михненко | |
Born | |
Died | 1993 | (aged 70–71)
Nationality | French Ukrainian |
Other names | Lucie |
Criminal charges | Anti-Soviet agitation |
Parents |
|
Elena Nestorovna Mikhnenko (Russian: Елена Несторовна Михненко; 1922–1993) was the daughter of the Ukrainian anarchist revolutionaries Nestor Makhno and Halyna Kuzmenko. Born in exile, she spent her early life in France, where she was found at the outbreak of World War II. Following the occupation of France, Mikhnenko was captured and conscripted into forced labour by Nazi Germany. She was subsequently arrested by the Soviet Union, which first imprisoned her for "anti-Soviet agitation" and then exiled her to Kazakhstan, where she died.
Biography
Elena Mikhnenko's parents, Nestor Makhno and Halyna Kuzmenko, met in 1919, while Makhno was fighting in the Ukrainian War of Independence. They were leading figures in the Makhnovist movement, which attempted to establish anarchist communism in southern Ukraine.[1] The Makhnovists were defeated by the Bolsheviks in 1921, forcing Makhno and Kuzmenko to flee into exile.[2] They briefly stayed in Romania, before moving on to Poland, where they were interned separately on charges of plotting an anti-Polish uprising in Galicia.[3]
On 30 October 1922, Mikhnenko was born in Pawiak prison, where her mother was being held, while her father was himself imprisoned in Mokotów Prison.[4] At their trial the following year, the couple were acquitted, released from prison and permitted to stay in Poland.[5] The strain of life in exile caused the family to quickly fall apart, with Makhno and Kuzmenko frequently separating.[6] Elena spent most of her early years with her mother, rarely ever getting a chance to connect with her father.[7]
In 1925, the family moved to Paris, where Elena lived for most of her formative years,[8] going on to work in her mother's grocery store in Vincennes.[7] The families of French anarchists often looked after the young Elena, giving her the Francised pet name of "Lucie". She thus grew up speaking the French language, eventually forgetting how to speak Russian and never even learning how to speak Ukrainian.[9] In 1929, Elena was taken on holiday by her father to the southern coastal town of Aimargues, which was well-known for its relatively large anarchist community.[10] Sick and in poverty, her father was financially supported by the French anarchist movement, but spent most of this money on Elena.[11] In March 1934, her father finally succumbed to his tuberculosis, leaving his daughter with the final words "be healthy and happy, my daughter", before he died in his sleep.[12] Due to her father's political activities, Elena came to reject politics at a young age, pledging that she would "take no interest in politics or newspapers".[13]
In 1939, Elena graduated from secondary school.[14] Following the Nazi invasion of France, she was conscripted into forced labour and transferred to Berlin. On 14 August 1945,[9] after the fall of Berlin, she was then arrested by the Soviets and transferred to Kyiv.[15] While imprisoned in the Ukrainian capital, she slapped a fellow inmate after they asked if her father was "the renowned bandit".[13]
She was eventually sentenced to five years for "anti-Soviet agitation"[14] and subsequently exiled to Jambyl, in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic.[15] While surveilled by the authorities, she found employment doing manual labour in the city's canteens, factories and pig farms, but was often dismissed after her employers learnt that her father was Nestor Makhno. This fact also kept her single for most of her life, as men often left her upon discovering her father's identity.[13] Following the death of Stalin, she was joined in Jambyl by her mother, but it had been so long since they'd been together that they did not recognize each other upon Kuzmenko's arrival.[16]
In 1968, Elena reluctantly accepted to be interviewed by the Russian historian Sergey Semanov , who described her as "edgy, irritated and trusted no one." During the interview, Elena reportedly spoke Russian with a thick Parisian accent. She declared that she felt she had no homeland, neither in France nor the Soviet Union, but nevertheless asked Semanov to send her some French newspapers, which she was unable to get in Kazakhstan.[17]
Elena remained unmarried and childless into old age, declaring that she never wanted children, as she feared they would "share the same fate as me".[13] She eventually enrolled at the city's Hydro-Melioration Institute, where she worked until her death.[14] In 1993, Elena Mikhnenko died in Jambyl, at the age of 71.[18]
References
- ^ Malet 1982, p. 187; Peters 1970, p. 102; Skirda 2004, p. 303.
- ^ Skirda 2004, pp. 259–260.
- ^ Darch 2020, pp. 130–134; Malet 1982, pp. 183–185; Peters 1970, pp. 89–90; Skirda 2004, pp. 268–269.
- ^ Darch 2020, p. 134; Malet 1982, p. 185; Skirda 2004, p. 269.
- ^ Darch 2020, pp. 135–137; Malet 1982, pp. 185–186; Peters 1970, p. 90.
- ^ Darch 2020, p. 137.
- ^ a b Peters 1970, p. 91.
- ^ Skirda 2004, p. 301.
- ^ a b Skirda 2004, p. 408.
- ^ Skirda 2004, p. 302.
- ^ Malet 1982, p. 188.
- ^ Darch 2020, p. 145.
- ^ a b c d Skirda 2004, p. 409.
- ^ a b c Darch 2020, p. 146.
- ^ a b Darch 2020, p. 146; Skirda 2004, p. 408.
- ^ Skirda 2004, pp. 408–409.
- ^ Skirda 2004, pp. 409–410.
- ^ Darch 2020, p. 146; Skirda 2004, p. 410.
Bibliography
- Darch, Colin (2020). Nestor Makhno and Rural Anarchism in Ukraine, 1917-1921. London: Pluto Press. ISBN 9781786805263. OCLC 1225942343.
- Malet, Michael (1982). Nestor Makhno in the Russian Civil War. London: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-333-25969-6. OCLC 8514426.
- Peters, Victor (1970). Nestor Makhno: The Life of an Anarchist. Winnipeg: Echo Books. OCLC 7925080.
- Skirda, Alexandre (2004) [1982]. Nestor Makhno–Anarchy's Cossack: The Struggle for Free Soviets in the Ukraine 1917–1921. Translated by Sharkey, Paul. Oakland: AK Press. ISBN 978-1-902593-68-5. OCLC 60602979.
Further reading
- Moiseeva, Olga (7 November 2022). "Почему дочери Нестора Махно в Советском Союзе не разрешали учиться в институте" [Why Nestor Makhno's daughter was not allowed to study in the Soviet Union]. Novy Ochag (in Russian). Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- Syromyatnikov, Nikolai (27 January 2021). "Елена Михненко: что стало с дочерью Нестора Махно" [Elena Mikhnenko: what happened to Nestor Makhno's daughter]. Russkaya Semerka (in Russian). Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- Zdorovets, Natalya (27 April 2023). "«Продлить срок ссылки оснований нет»" ["There is no reason to extend the period of exile"]. Nasha Gazeta (in Russian). Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- 1922 births
- 1993 deaths
- Forced labourers under German rule during World War II
- French people of Ukrainian descent
- People from Warsaw
- Prisoners and detainees of the Soviet Union
- Ukrainian exiles
- Ukrainian expatriates in Kazakhstan
- Ukrainian people imprisoned abroad
- Ukrainian prisoners and detainees
- Ukrainian victims of human rights abuses