First Secretary of Belarus Masherov. Was the car accident involving the leader of the BSSR a set-up? He was the leader of the regional or all-Union scale

Member of the CPSU (b) since March 1943. First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus since 1965, candidate member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU since 1966.

Hero Soviet Union(15.8.1944), Hero Socialist Labor (1978).

Biography

Born in poverty peasant family Mashero Miron Vasilyevich and Darya Petrovna. Pyotr Mironovich's great-great-grandfather was a Frenchman, a soldier Napoleonic army remaining after the retreat in the territory of the Senno district in 1812.

Of the eight children born in the Masherov family, five survived: Pavel (general, head of the political department of the headquarters of the Belarusian military district), Matryona, Pyotr, Olga (endocrinologist, worked in Grodno medical institute), Hope.

In 1934 he entered the Pedagogical Faculty of the Vitebsk Pedagogical Institute. Since 1935, a student of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Vitebsk Pedagogical Institute named after S.M. Kirov, who graduated in 1939. By distribution, in 1939-1941 he worked as a teacher of mathematics and physics at a secondary school in the Rossony district center Vitebsk region.

During the years of the Great Patriotic War from the first days a volunteer in the ranks of the Red Army. He is surrounded, in August 1941 he escapes from captivity. Under the nickname Dubnyak - one of the organizers and leaders partisan movement in Belarus. In August 1941, he organized and led the underground in Rossony. Since April 1942, the commander of the partisan detachment named after N.A. Shchors. The detachment led by him in August 1942 committed major operation- the explosion of the bridge over the river. Drissa on railway Vitebsk - Riga. Since March 1943, the commissioner partisan brigade named after K.K. Rokossovsky. Since September 1943, the first secretary of the Vileika underground regional committee of the Komsomol of Belarus. In 1944 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

After the liberation of Belarus, from July 1944 he worked as the first secretary of the Molodechensk and Minsk regional committees of the LKSMB. Since July 1946, the secretary, and since October 1947, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Komsomol of Belarus. In July 1954 he was elected second secretary of the Minsk regional party committee, and in August 1955 first secretary of the Brest regional committee of the Communist Party of Belarus. He was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 3rd-5th and 7th-10th convocations.

From 1959 he was secretary, from 1962 second secretary, and from March 1965 first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus (on the recommendation of his predecessor, Kirill Mazurov, who was leaving for promotion). In 1978 he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.

Family: wife Polina Andreevna (née Galanova, a native of the Shklovsky district of the Mogilev region, died February 23, 2002), 2 daughters - Natalya and Elena.

Doom

Pyotr Masherov died on October 4, 1980 in a car accident on the Moscow-Minsk highway at the turn to the Smolevichi poultry farm: on the way of his cortege, accompanied by the traffic police, a dump truck loaded with potatoes (GAZ-SAZ-53B experimental base Zhodino) unexpectedly left. There were numerous rumors among the people about the involvement of the inner circle of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU L. I. Brezhnev in this tragedy (allegedly in order to remove a popular candidate for the post of General Secretary), but there was no reliable evidence of this. The catastrophe is not considered accidental by Vyacheslav Kebich, the first prime minister of independent Belarus.

During the investigation, it was found out that the traffic police officer on duty of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee was not warned about the passage of Masherov's motorcade along the highway of the Minsk Region. Therefore, the traffic police did not accept necessary measures. However, this fact is explained by the fact that Pyotr Mironovich usually determined the route already on the way. On the other hand, even if the traffic police on duty knew about the route, it did not play any role, Pyotr Masherov did not allow roads to be blocked for himself.

The driver of the GAZ-53, a certain N. Pustovit, was found guilty of an accident that killed 3 people - Masherov, his driver and a security guard. The court sentenced him to 15 years in prison, but five years later he was released early.

On the eve of May 9, Yaroslav Evdokimov took part in a government concert, where Peter Masherov was. The former partisan was captivated by the song "Field of Memory" by Leonid Zakhlevny and Vladimir Neklyaev, which the singer sang soulfully, and soon he ordered that Evdokimov be awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Byelorussian SSR.

Pyotr Masherov's daughter, Natalya Masherova, ran for the 2001 presidential election in Belarus, but subsequently withdrew from the elections.

Awards

Hero of the Soviet Union (1944)
Hero of Socialist Labor (1978)
Seven orders of Lenin
Soviet and foreign medals

Memory

Many objects in Belarus are named after Peter Masherov.

In 1980, the Park Highway, one of the central avenues of Minsk, was named after him (however, in 2005 it was renamed Pobediteley Avenue, and three other streets were named Masherov Avenue).
In 1998 Vitebsk state university named after P. M. Masherov.
Every year, marathons dedicated to the memory of Peter Masherov are held in the Senno region.
Every year in the city of Vitebsk and the Vitebsk region competitions are held in orienteering dedicated to the memory of P. M. Masherov.
The name of P. M. Masherov is given to the State Enterprise "Sovkhoz named after Masherov" (the village of Moshkany, Senno district, Vitebsk region), as well as the SPK "Masherovskiy" (the village of Krytyshin, Ivanovo district, Brest region).

Documentaries

. Documentary from the cycle "The investigation was conducted" with Leonid Kanevsky.
. Documentary film from the cycle " Kremlin funeral».

Pyotr Mironovich Masherov(Belor. Pyotr Mironavich Masherau, born Maschero(Belarusian Mashera); January 31 (February 13), 1918, Shirki village, Senno district Western region(now the Senno district of the Vitebsk region) - October 4, 1980) - a prominent Soviet and Belarusian party leader.

Hero of the Soviet Union (15.8.1944), Hero of Socialist Labor (1978).

Biography

Born into a poor peasant family Mashero Miron Vasilyevich and Daria Petrovna. The great-great-grandfather of Pyotr Mironovich was a Frenchman, a soldier of the Napoleonic army who remained after the retreat in the territory of the Senno district in 1812.

The great-great-grandfather of Peter Mironovich Masherov was a French soldier by the name Maschero, who lagged behind in 1812 due to a wound from his unit and remained after the retreat of the Napoleonic army on the territory of the Senno district of the Mogilev province ... He remained to live near Vitebsk and even converted to Orthodoxy. Then he married a local peasant woman ... Newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda", 02/21/2008

Of the eight children born in the Masherov family, five survived:

Pavel (general, head of the political department of the headquarters of the Belarusian military district),

Matryona, Pyotr, Olga (endocrinologist, worked at the Grodno Medical Institute), Nadezhda.

In 1934 he entered the Pedagogical Faculty of the Vitebsk Pedagogical Institute. Since 1935, a student of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Vitebsk Pedagogical Institute named after S. M. Kirov, from which he graduated in 1939. According to the distribution in 1939-1941, he worked as a teacher of mathematics and physics at a secondary school in the district center of Rossony, Vitebsk region.

During the Great Patriotic War from the first days he volunteered in the ranks of the Red Army. He is surrounded, in August 1941 he escapes from captivity. Nicknamed Dubnyak- one of the organizers and leaders of the partisan movement in Belarus.

In August 1941, he organized and led the underground in Rossony. Since April 1942, the commander of the partisan detachment named after N. A. Shchors. The detachment led by him in August 1942 carried out a major operation - the explosion of a bridge across the river. Drissa on the railway Vitebsk - Riga.

Since March 1943, the commissar of the partisan brigade named after K.K. Rokossovsky. Since September 1943, the first secretary of the Vileika underground regional committee of the Komsomol of Belarus.

In 1944 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In an atmosphere of unprecedented terror, when many local workers lost faith in the victory of our country, Comrade. Masherov, with great determination and exceptional caution, united the youth of Rossony around him ... The first organizer of the partisan movement in the Rossony district of the Vitebsk region, which later grew into a nationwide uprising and created a huge partisan region of 10 thousand square kilometers, completely throwing off the German yoke and restoring Soviet power. Twice wounded, Comrade Masherov showed personal courage and courage during the two-year struggle against the German invaders, giving all his strength, knowledge and abilities to this struggle and not sparing his life. Worthy of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. From the nomination for the title

After the liberation of Belarus, from July 1944 he worked as the first secretary of the Molodechensk and Minsk regional committees of the LKSMB.

Since July 1946, the secretary, and since October 1947, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Komsomol of Belarus. In July 1954 he was elected second secretary of the Minsk regional party committee, and in August 1955 first secretary of the Brest regional committee of the Communist Party of Belarus. He was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 3rd-5th and 7th-10th convocations.

In 1978 he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.

Family: wife Polina Andreevna(nee Galanova, a native of the Shklovsky district of the Mogilev region, died February 23, 2002), 2 daughters - Natalya and Elena.

Doom Monument on the grave of P. M. Masherov at the Eastern Cemetery in Minsk

Father did not live to see the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU less than two weeks. Everything was decided. He went to Kosygin's place. I understand that my father interfered with many. It was then, in October 1980, that Gorbachev's star rose. N. P. Masherova Now that I know what technical means owned by the KGB, I am inclined to the version of the organized nature of the accident that led to the death of Masherov. In front of the cortege, at a distance not noticeable for escort, a car is moving, stuffed with special equipment designed to influence the driver and passengers of car X with radiation. It only remained to find an obstacle on the road where the irradiated driver would crash. V. I. Kalinichenko, investigator No response to main question- about the tragic death of the leader. Not everything is clear, but the versions of this accident are different. Why does the escort car come off 150 meters at that intersection? Arkady Rusetsky, Dr. Sciences

During the investigation, it was found out that the traffic police officer on duty of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee was not warned about the passage of Masherov's motorcade along the highway of the Minsk Region. Therefore, the traffic police did not take the necessary measures. However, this fact is explained by the fact that Pyotr Mironovich usually determined the route already on the way. On the other hand, even if the traffic police on duty knew about the route, it would not play any role, Pyotr Masherov did not allow roads to be blocked for himself.

The driver of GAZ-53 is a certain N. Pustovit was recognized as the culprit of the accident, which killed 3 people - Masherov, his driver and security guard. The court sentenced him to 15 years in prison, but five years later he was released early.

On the eve of May 9, Yaroslav Evdokimov took part in a government concert, where Peter Masherov was. The former partisan was captivated by the song "Field of Memory" by Leonid Zakhlevny and Vladimir Neklyaev, which the singer sang soulfully, and soon he ordered that Evdokimov be awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Byelorussian SSR.

Pyotr Masherov's daughter, Natalya Masherova, ran for the 2001 presidential election in Belarus, but subsequently withdrew from the elections.

Awards

Hero of the Soviet Union (1944)
Hero of Socialist Labor (1978)
Seven orders of Lenin
Soviet and foreign medals

Memory

Postage Stamp Republic of Belarus, 1998

Many objects in Belarus are named after Peter Masherov.

In 1980, the Park Highway, one of the central avenues of Minsk, was named after him (however, in 2005 it was renamed Pobediteley Avenue, and three other streets were named Masherov Avenue).
In 1998 Vitebsk State University was named after P. M. Masherov.
Every year, marathons dedicated to the memory of Peter Masherov are held in the Senno region.
Every year in the city of Vitebsk and the Vitebsk region, orienteering competitions dedicated to the memory of P. M. Masherov are held.
The name of P. M. Masherov is given to the State Enterprise "Sovkhoz named after Masherov" (the village of Moshkany, Senno district, Vitebsk region), as well as the SPK "Masherovskiy" (the village of Krytyshin, Ivanovo district, Brest region).
In honor of P. M. Masherov, a cargo round-the-world ship attached to the Baltic Shipping Company was named.

Documentaries

"Kill the reformer!" "The investigation was conducted" with Leonid Kanevsky.
Kremlin funeral. Petr Masherov. Documentary from the cycle "Kremlin funeral".

Masherov's death was declared an accident. Unfortunate driver found guilty in crash truck named Pustovit. However, Masherov's daughter was one of the first to suggest that her father had been killed. The main motives for the crime could be Masherov's real position or his upcoming appointment: allegedly, he was the main contender for the post of head of the USSR government. The same point of view was shared not only by ordinary residents of Belarus, who respected their head, but also by some representatives of the then elite. For example, Ermek Ibraimov, the son of the chairman of the Council of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, also claimed that Masherov's death was not an accident.

Many facts speak in favor of this version. Firstly, Masherov's car was accompanied by ordinary civilian cars without flashing beacons and sirens, and his subordinates did not inform the traffic police about the official's departure in violation of all the rules. Secondly, shortly before the accident, the head of Masherov's bodyguard, who had held this position for more than 12 years, for some reason suddenly transferred to another job. Thirdly, on the day of the disaster, Masherov got into the Chaika, and not into another working ZIL car, which would certainly have withstood the blow.

In addition, the circumstances of the accident itself raise suspicions. In reality, there were 2 trucks. They moved one after another towards the cortege. The driver of the second truck, Pustovit, claimed that the driver of the first truck behaved very strangely, either reducing the speed to 60, or increasing it to 80 km / h. He simply did not let Pustovit overtake him (N. Zinkovich, "Assassination and staging from Lenin to Yeltsin"). Then the truck in front braked sharply, thereby forcing Pustovit to drive into the oncoming lane, where he collided with Masherov's Chaika. It is noteworthy that, according to eyewitnesses, shortly before the accident, one of the escort vehicles - a white Volga - briefly left the column, as if giving a signal to someone. Some think that this signal was intended for the driver of the first truck.

Pyotr Mironovich Masherov is one of the most famous statesmen of the Soviet Union. long time heading the Byelorussian SSR, he established himself as a competent manager and, perhaps, was rightfully considered the most beloved leader of the republic of that period. A remarkable fact is his high popularity among the citizens of already independent Belarus. According to many of them, Masherov is an erudite and experienced politician, under whose leadership the BSSR achieved a leap in development and reached its peak.

The date of his birth is not known for certain. It is generally accepted that the future politician was born on February 13 or 26, 1918. The parents of Peter Mironovich Masherov were ordinary peasants who lived in the Senno district Soviet Russia. The life of the peasant people at that time was extremely difficult. This confirms the fact that out of the eight children born, only five survived. In 1934, Peter graduated from high school, after which he almost immediately entered the Vitebsk Pedagogical Institute at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. After graduation, he worked in his specialty as a teacher of physics and mathematics.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he immediately went to the front as a volunteer. Back in 1941 he was surrounded and captured. But he managed to escape. He created and led a number of cells of the partisan movement that worked underground. supervised important transactions. Including undermining several large bridges and other objects. Was wounded several times. For his courage and activities in 1944 he was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union.

Immediately after the liberation of the BSSR began political activity: secretary of regional committees, then deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. In 1965 he was appointed to the highest public post in the republic - the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus. He was recommended for this post by his predecessor, Kirill Mazurov. During the period of Masherov's rule, the growth of national income increased by 2 times, industry and agriculture were actively growing. In 1978 it was awarded honorary title Hero of Socialist Labor. In addition, he had 7 orders of Lenin, various Soviet and foreign medals.

Masherov's death has acquired conspiracy theories. The fact is that he died in a car accident near Smolevichi. Moving in the direction of Zhodino, a truck loaded with potatoes crashed into the car in which the head of the republic was, which decided to overtake another truck that had stopped in front of the cortege. As a result of the collision, Masherov himself, his driver and security guard died. The official investigation carried out Prosecutor General's Office USSR, did not reveal the premeditated nature of the commission of a crime and the murder of a high-ranking official. Nevertheless, there are still rumors that because of the popularity and imminent possible appointment as the leader of the Union Cabinet, and then possibly the chairman of the Central Committee of the CPSU, representatives of the group that fought for power after Brezhnev's departure decided to deal with him. in honor of the famous statesman streets, a hospital, an enterprise, a lyceum, a school are named.

		tombstone
		Bronze bust in Vitebsk
		Annotation board in Minsk
		Stand in the Museum of the Hero City of Minsk
		Awards on the stand in the Museum of the Hero City of Minsk
		Memorial plaque in Brest (on the house where he lived)
		Memorial plaque in Brest (on the house where he worked)
		Memorial stand in Brest
		Bust in the museum

Masherov Pyotr Mironovich - commander of the partisan detachment named after N.A. Shchorsa, commissar of the partisan brigade named after K.K. Rokossovsky, first secretary of the Vileika underground regional committee of the Komsomol of Belarus; first secretary Central Committee Communist Party of Belarus.
Born on February 13, 1918 in the village of Shirki, now the Senno district of the Vitebsk region of the Republic of Belarus, into a peasant family. Belarus. In 1939 he graduated from Vitebsk pedagogical institute named after S.M. Kirov. From August 15, 1939 to June 22, 1941 he worked as a teacher of physics and mathematics at the Rossony secondary school in the Vitebsk region of the Byelorussian SSR.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, P.M. Masherov created and headed an underground Komsomol organization in the Rossony region. Since April 1942, he was the commander of the partisan detachment named after N.A. Shchorsa, from March 1943 - Commissar of the partisan brigade named after K.K. Rokossovsky, at the same time since November 1943 - the first secretary of the Vileika underground regional committee of the Komsomol of Belarus. Member of the CPSU (b) / CPSU since 1943.
P.M. Masherov hosted direct participation in the development and conduct of many military operations. Under his leadership, the partisans attacked communications, government and supply Nazi German troops in the Vitebsk, Kalinin regions of Belarus and Latvian SSR. Was wounded twice.
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 15, 1944 "for heroism and courage shown in the struggle against Nazi German invaders", Masherov Petr Mironovich He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
After the liberation of the republic in 1944, Masherov P.M. in Komsomol work: in 1944-1946 - the first secretary of the Molodechno regional committee of the Komsomol, in 1946-1954 - secretary, then first secretary of the Central Committee of the Komsomol of Belarus.
In 1954-1959, P.M. Masherov - the second secretary of Minsk, then the first secretary of the Brest regional party committee. Since 1959 he was secretary, second secretary, and in 1965-80 first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus.
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 10, 1978 "for great services to the Communist Party and Soviet state and in connection with the sixtieth birthday" to the Hero of the Soviet Union Masherov Petr Mironovich was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor with the Order of Lenin and the Hammer and Sickle gold medal.
Masherov P.M. was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1964-80 (candidate since 1961), a candidate member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU since 1966. He was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 3rd-5th and 7th-10th convocations. Since 1966 he has been a member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus P.M. Masherov died tragically on October 4, 1980 in a car accident on the Brest-Moscow highway, at the turn to the poultry farm in the city of Smolevichi. He was buried on October 7, 1980 in the capital of the Belarusian SSR city Minsk at the Vostochny ("Moscow") cemetery (site No. 18).
He was awarded 7 orders of Lenin (08/15/1944; 10/28/1948; 01/18/1958; 02/12/1968; 12/02/1971; 12/12/1973; 02/10/1978), the Bulgarian order "George Dimitrov" (02.1978), medals, including " Partisan of the Patriotic War" 1st degree (01/15/1944).
bronze bust Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of Socialist Labor P.M. Masherov is installed in the city of Vitebsk.
In Minsk named after P.M. Masherov are named: avenue (former Park Highway), on the house No. 1 of which a memorial plaque is installed; plant of automatic lines; high school No. 137 Pervomaisky district. On the house number 13 on Krasnoarmeiskaya Street, where the Hero lived, a memorial plaque was installed. In Belarusian state museum history of the Great Patriotic War P.M. A separate stand is dedicated to Masherov, among the exhibits of which there is a bust glorious son Belarus and his military and labor awards.

From the book of L.M. Mlechin "Iron Shurik". Eksmo, Yauza; Moscow; 2004
THE DEATH OF MASHEROV
“This happened on October 4, 1980. On the Moscow-Brest highway, a black government Chaika crashed into a truck with potatoes. The car caught fire from the impact.
Policemen pulled three bodies out of the Chaika. Two were dead. The third one seemed to have a heartbeat. They took him to the hospital in another car. But the doctors could only ascertain death.
As a result of a car accident, a candidate member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus Pyotr Mironovich Masherov, his driver and security guard died.
Masherov's death caused at first muffled conversations and whispers, and then frank speeches that it was not an accident. Masherov was killed.
There were plenty of reasons to be suspicious.
It seems that even the traffic police officers said that the matter was unclean, someone had set it up.
Two weeks before the car accident, the chairman of the republican KGB was replaced, then the head of the bodyguard Masherov, then the armored ZIL, put to him as a candidate member of the Politburo, was sent for repairs.
Traffic police posts did not warn about Masherov's trip and therefore proper security measures were not taken.
And the driver of the truck that crashed into the "Seagull" had already driven the same route the day before for some reason. Trained?
Why did someone decide to eliminate Masherov?
There were many versions.
They said that he fell victim to Kremlin intrigues, undercover struggle, when it was decided who should be Brezhnev's heir.
Fyodor Davydovich Kulakov, a member of the Politburo and Secretary of the Central Committee for agriculture. Relatively young, dynamic and purposeful. But in the summer of seventy-eight, the sixty-year-old Kulakov suddenly died. There were no explanations in the newspapers. There were rumors.
It was said that Fyodor Kulakov almost committed suicide after Brezhnev became aware of his frank conversation with Masherov in Pitsunda. Kulakov allegedly said about the crisis in the country's economy and that the general secretary was old and unable to do business. As if Masherov, after that meeting in Pitsunda, said that it was difficult for him to work in the Politburo and expected trouble.
After the death of Kulakov, Gorbachev was appointed secretary of the Central Committee - this was his first step to power. And Masherov seemed to be considered the most likely replacement. Brezhnev allegedly even decided to put Masherov at the head of the government - instead of Kosygin. Then in the eighty-second year, after the death of Brezhnev, it was Masherov who would become the general secretary.
But Masherov was removed because after the war he headed the Belarusian Komsomol and belonged to Shelepin's "Komsomol group". Therefore, the elderly Nikolai Tikhonov, an old friend of Brezhnev, became Chairman of the Council of Ministers.
It turns out that if Masherov had survived and become the head of the country, the fate of the country would have turned out differently? And many are sure that this car accident could not be an accident. “We knew that the father had been killed,” says Masherov's daughter.
There are other versions, smaller scale.
As if the Brest customs detained diamonds that belonged to Brezhnev's daughter Galina. Masherov refused to hush up the case, and then the Minister of Internal Affairs, Nikolai Shchelokov, organized the elimination of Masherov. Brezhnev did not mind, because he envied Masherov, his popularity, charm, youth ...
That is why only the secretary of the Central Committee for personnel, Ivan Kapitonov, flew from Moscow to Masherov's funeral. The remaining members of the party leadership did not want to fly to Minsk.
And then they unexpectedly dismissed Masherov's predecessor as the Belarusian owner Kirill Trofimovich Mazurov, who was the first deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers and a member of the Politburo.
Mazurov was removed from all posts "for health reasons", although he was younger and stronger than the other members of the Politburo.
All these versions, taken together, really give the impression of a conspiracy. But let's try to figure it out.
After the death of Masherov, the most thorough investigation was carried out, such that at least put it in textbooks. The conclusion was clear: a traffic accident.
The driver of the truck carrying the potatoes was at fault. He was too tired, gaped, turned the steering wheel to the left, although it was necessary to turn to the right, and crashed into Masherov's "seagull".
The security service of Masherov was to blame, which neglected the instructions.
Masherov's driver was to blame, an elderly man who suffered from sciatica, did not see well. Petr Mironovich was assigned a younger and more skilled driver, but the old one did not let him drive.
But what about the political side of things?
Another native of Belarus, member of the Politburo Kirill Mazurov, was removed not after Masherov's death, but two years before. And one had nothing to do with the other. Kirill Mazurov and Pyotr Masherov didn't seem to get along very well.
Why did Brezhnev break up with Mazurov?
We all received classified information for official use, - Mazurov himself said in an interview with Soviet Russia, - and in one of the messages I somehow read that Brezhnev's daughter behaved badly in France, was engaged in some kind of speculation. And even without that, there was a lot of talk on this topic. He came to Brezhnev, tried to comradely convince him that it was time to put things in order in his family. He sharply scolded me: mind your own business... And there were many skirmishes on other occasions. Finally one day we told each other that we didn't want to work together. I wrote a statement.
Brezhnev interpreted the reasons for his dissatisfaction with Mazurov, whom he called a helpless and armless leader, differently. Sitting in Zavidovo, he told the team that wrote his speech. Anatoly Sergeevich Chernyaev, deputy head of the international department of the Central Committee, recorded his words:
“I received a letter from the Tyumen oilmen. Complain that no fur hats and mittens, they cannot work in a twenty-degree frost. He remembered that when he was still a secretary in Moldova, he created a fur factory there. I called Chisinau: they say that the warehouses are full of furs, we don’t know what to do with it. I call Mazurov and ask if he knows what is being done in Tyumen and Moldova on this subject. "I'll figure it out," he says. Here you have the whole all-Union figure!
Before the plenum, Brezhnev suddenly secluded himself with Mazurov and asked him to apply for retirement.
Mazurov was a supporter of a very tough, conservative policy, more than other members of the Politburo, an admirer of Stalin. Brezhnev did not like such people.
As for the death of Politburo member Kulakov, competent people knew that Fyodor Davydovich did not dare to say a word against Brezhnev, but he died because he could not drink, and he could not restrain himself.
When Politburo member Kulakov was buried, Brezhnev and others were on vacation. None of them interrupted their holidays to say goodbye to a comrade. Not because they had political differences. It's just that they were all indifferent and cynical people. That is why one secretary of the Central Committee, Kapitonov, was sent to Masherov's funeral. That was the ritual.
But why have the rumors persisted for so many years that Masherov was killed, that a conspiracy was started against him? Rumors about a conspiracy, that Masherov was killed, appeared because in those years everything was hidden, everything was concealed.
Pyotr Mironovich Masherov was a master respected in the republic. During the war he went to partisan detachment. In the forty-fourth became the Hero of the Soviet Union. He was valued for his modesty, accessibility, concern for the republic. Even just because, against the background of other members of the Politburo, he looked young and nice person with a good smile.
But at the same time, he was the same party secretary as his colleagues. Aleksey Ivanovich Adzhubey recalled how in the summer of 1952 he and the head of the Belarusian Komsomol Masherov were sent to Austria to attend a meeting of youth in defense of peace. In Vienna, they saw CIA agents everywhere. The former partisan Masherov, barely moving his lips, said to Adjubey:
This is a spy, remember him, Alexey, we cover our tracks ...
For some reason, Masherov was called an oppositionist, they said that Brezhnev did not like him. But this is far from true. On the contrary, he made the same speeches in praise of Brezhnev as Shevardnadze and Aliev, although he was not an oriental person.
Brezhnev appreciated Masherov, but as a republican leader, nothing more. Brezhnev invited him and his wife to his home, hunting in Zavidovo. Called frequently for advice. But he was not going to transfer to Moscow.
Masherov complained that he was being squeezed by a Ukrainian group in the country's leadership.
Nikolai Egorovich Matukovsky, Izvestia correspondent in Belarus, recalled how he turned to Masherov:
Petr Mironovich, why is our Minsk not a hero city? After all, he literally stands on the bones of his defenders! People don't understand your modesty...
The Izvestia correspondent hit a sore spot. Masherov tried to light a cigarette, his hands were trembling:
Do you think I didn't ask this question? Hacked! There are too many Ukrainians there who do not want our Minsk to catch up with their Kyiv. And I'm just a candidate member of the Politburo ... Our main adversary- Podgorny. For some reason, he is more active than others in opposing our star.
In June 1974, a decree appeared on conferring the title of Hero City on Minsk. And hand over to the capital of Belarus golden star Brezhnev arrived only four years later, in June 1978. Leonid Ilyich had any other republics and other first secretaries.
Masherov's requests were often refused in Moscow.
Pyotr Mironovich, in a conversation with Andropov, named the Chekist, a Belarusian, whom he would like to see in the chair of the head of the republican KGB.
Andropov could not refuse Pyotr Mironovich.
In the winter of 1970, KGB chairman Andropov presented the general's epaulettes to the head of the state security department for Stavropol Territory Eduard Boleslavovich Nordman.
Yuri Vladimirovich told him:
Get ready to return to Belarus. We will recommend you as chairman of the committee.
Eduard Nordman was only glad.
Just before the war, he began working in the Pinsk district committee of the Komsomol. As soon as the war began, he joined the partisans and fought until the liberation of Belarus. At twenty-eight, he was secretary of the district committee of the party, then he was sent to Moscow to study at the Higher Party School. When he returned with a diploma - it was the fifty-eighth year - he was sent as head of department to the republican committee of state security. In the sixty-fifth, he was transferred to the central office.
A month passed, then another, then a third. And General Yakov Prokofyevich Nikulkin was appointed chairman of the KGB of Belarus ... He was nine years older than Nordman, had served in state security since the fortieth year, and they were about to issue a pension for him.
Nordman could not understand what had happened: why did Andropov go back on his word?
And only then the head of the 9th department (security senior leaders party and state), General Sergei Nikolaevich Antonov explained to Nordman:
Do you know what happened to your appointment?
No, I do not know.
When Yuri Vladimirovich reported to Brezhnev about your candidacy, he said: “Don’t you understand that Petro (as Brezhnev called Masherov) is pulling partisans to him? We won't know what he's up to!"
The vigilant Brezhnev did not want Masherov to surround himself with people with whom he had a long relationship, who would be more oriented towards Pyotr Mironovich than Moscow. Therefore, General Nikulkin was sent to Minsk, who served in Mongolia as an adviser on the line of state security.
And Nordman, whom Masherov asked Andropov to return to his homeland, was sent as chairman of the republican committee to Uzbekistan. It was a beautiful move: they nominated Nordman, but to Uzbekistan. This business trip ended sadly for Nordman. He did not work well with the owner of the republic, Rashidov...
AT last time he saw Masherov a year before the tragedy, when he was passing through Minsk.
“We are standing with security officers,” General Nordman recalls. - Long time friends. There are two cars in the yard: "ZIL-117" and behind the "Volga" guards.
And where, I ask, is the escort car?
She walks ahead of us for five or six hundred meters, the head of security, Colonel Valentin Sazonkin, answers.
How can you drive like that, and even in such a fog? Ahead of the "ZIL" should be an escort car.
We spoke to Pyotr Mironovich more than once, but he did not say anything. Tell you, he will listen to you.
Sat in "ZIL". Seizing the moment, I say:
Pyotr Mironovich, there is a mess - there is no escort car ahead.
You know I don't like tuples.
Yes, not about tuples, it's about security.
In short, the conversation did not work out. He left the discussion of this topic. But I am a stubborn person, I have such a sin. Once again seizing the moment after dinner, he again took up his own:
Petr Mironovich, I strongly advise you to change the procedure for escorting the car. It will not lead to good. Is it possible to do so, and even in such fogs? I would never allow that.
I remember how you organized my guards in the North Caucasus and Tashkent. You would ring my car.
In the ring, not in the ring, but in front of the car I would definitely put it. I had no other choice in the Caucasus. There were no wide Minsk avenues. Conditions in the Caucasus are more than tough. But in all the years there has never been an emergency, although sometimes it happened on the verge, walked, as they say, on the edge of a knife and more than once grabbed hold of validol.
Well, all right, Eduard Boleslavovich, let's leave this conversation ...
The strangest thing was in the morning next day. I call the chairman of the KGB of the republic Nikulkin on the turntable.
Yakov Prokofievich, I'm worried about how the escort of Pyotr Mironovich's car is organized. So it's not far from disaster.
What is it that worries you? Why are you minding your own business?
He shaved me, naive, clean.
Do not be angry, Yakov, for my inappropriate interference, but you understand how everything can end when the guards allow indifference to the security requirements of the protected person. You know the decision of the Politburo and the order of the KGB. It is clearly written there: the local head of the KGB is personally responsible for the life of the guarded. AT this case- you…
I know, I have spoken about this to Masherov more than once. He doesn't want to listen. You know, he went… He himself is in the Politburo, he makes decisions himself, he doesn’t carry them out, and I have to convince him…”
By firm conviction General Nordman, Masherov fell victim to a combination of fatal circumstances.

Biography provided by Ufarkin Nikolai Vasilyevich (1955-2011)

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