The history of our country has long been full of contradictory and terrible events, in the millstones of which the fate of even outstanding people has often been ground. A striking example is Sergey Khudyakov, whose secret identity and tragic life we will tell you on the pages of this article. We note right away that his biography as such is simply absent, since we know little about the events that took place from 1918 to 1946. There is no real biography of this outstanding person, and it is unlikely that one will ever appear. Why? We advise you to read our article.
The story of an Armenian family
Once upon a time there lived in Armenia a large and friendly family of Artem Khanferyants. They lived in the village of Big Taglar (Mets Taglar), which is located in Nagorno-Karabakh. Artyom had three sons: Armenak, Avak and Andranik (the names of the latter are translated into Russian as Andrei and Arkady). The eldest, Armenak, showed remarkable learning abilities, and therefore in 1915 he was sent to Baku. Their uncle lived there, who by that time worked as an accountant in the new oil field. Alas, but hethere were not enough funds, and therefore I had to forget about my studies.
He had to work. Whoever Armenak was not: he had to be both a fisherman and even a telephone operator. In 1918, a revolutionary movement began in Baku. At this time, his mother was visiting Armenak. Anarchy began: the interventionist troops overthrew the commune … The son put his mother on the last steamer. She remembered her Armenak just like that: tall, stately, he saw her off, standing on the pier with a rifle over his shoulders. Since then, the mother and father considered their son dead, because until the end of their life they knew absolutely nothing about his fate. Wait, but how is Sergey Khudyakov connected with the history of this Armenian family? All answers - further in the text.
Suspense and tragedy
Andranik didn't know anything about his older brother either. He graduated from the institute in 1941, was called up to the post of political instructor and disappeared in the very first battles without a trace. Only Avak found out that their older brother had not died in Baku, engulfed in flames of the civil war. Alas, it happened under very sad circumstances.
He and all capable relatives were summoned for interrogation in 1946. The investigators were interested in everything they could know about Armenak Khanferyants. But what could they say? Almost all the elders had died by that time, and Andranik himself in 1918 was an unintelligent boy, and therefore he practically did not remember anything. Questions only stirred up hope: “Perhaps the elder brother is alive? What about him ? All questions remained unanswered. They managed to get all the information they were interested in ten years later.
The tragedy of the Khudyakov family
Aviation Marshal Khudyakov Sergey Alexandrovich and his family at that time also experienced far from the best of times. Varvara Petrovna, his wife, after long wanderings around the investigators' offices, could only find out about her husband's arrest. No details were given to her. Only in 1949 did she learn that the investigation was over. At the same time, Varvara was reassured: they say, the worst thing is the resignation of her husband from the army.
But Sergei Khudyakov never returned to his family. In mid-January 1951, his wife with a young child was deported to the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The eldest son Vladimir, adopted by Khudyakov, also went there. He, who had the Order of the Red Star, was almost dishonorably dismissed from the ranks of the army in the rank of lieutenant … due to age. It turned out that all family members have a father - a "traitor to the Motherland".
And this is far from all the trials that have befallen the long-suffering family! The fact is that after the Battle of Kursk Khudyakov Sergey Aleksandrovich took his first-born, Victor, to the front. But near Kharkov, he and Vitya came under an enemy air raid, as a result of which the boy died. So Varvara Petrovna had already taken a sip by the time her husband was arrested. The Khudyakovs were allowed to return to Moscow only in 1953.
Varvara and little Sergei soon left for Izyaslav, as they simply had nowhere to live, and Vladimir remained in the capital. He, who passionately loved his stepfather, decided to get the truth about the fate of the latter, but by that time no information could be obtained. Only through workprosecutors managed to get the truth.
What's in my name to you?
At the end of August 1954, case No. 100384 was considered. According to the materials of the latter, Sergei Khudyakov was recognized as a "traitor to the Motherland" in 1950 and shot at the Donskoy cemetery on the day of the verdict. In those days, this happened quite often, and often the prosecutor's sanction was issued retroactively, after the execution of the sentence.
The prosecutor carefully delved into the essence of the documents and made a decision: to reopen the case in connection with the revealed circumstances. And in that document, which contained the signature and seal of the prosecutor, for the first time there was the true name, patronymic and surname of the executed air marshal. It was Khanferyants Armenak Artemovich. In the same 1954, the case "due to new circumstances" was closed, the sentence was canceled, and Sergei-Armenak was posthumously acquitted and rehabilitated.
What happened to the marshal's family?
Until the end of 1956, relatives from Bolshoi Taglar did not identify their missing older brother with Air Marshal Sergei Khudyakov. At that time, there simply was not a single open document that could bring these names together.
Varvara Khudyakova and Sergei in 1954 were again allowed to return to Moscow. On Tishinskaya Square, the widow was given a separate apartment. In the same year, Vladimir was reinstated in active military service, where he spent until August 1988. Vladimir Sergeevich rose to the rank of colonel, today he is no longer alive. his ashesrests at the Butovo cemetery. In 1956, Sergei Khudyakov himself, whose photo is in the article, was reinstated in the rank of marshal, all awards were returned to him posthumously. Two weeks after the decision of the Presidium, the marshal's name was again included in the lists of party members.
Only Serezha has survived to this day… He studied brilliantly at school, between 1963-1965 he served in the Star City. Graduated from MGIMO, headed an entire department, received a Ph. D. Today Sergey Sergeevich works at the State University of Management. He is loved and respected by teachers and students, some of whom do not know about the difficult fate of this man's family.
Khudyakov's secret. How did Armenak become Sergey?
So, what did happen, why was the marshal executed? And how did Armenak suddenly become Sergei? Why did it happen that Sergey Khudyakov (you can see the photo in this article) did not tell anyone about his origin?
In December 1945, the marshal was called from Mukden to Moscow. The transplant was planned in Chita, where friends and colleagues were already waiting for him. But already from the airfield, Sergei took the car with the SMERSH employees. Since then, no one knew where Sergei Khudyakov disappeared. The biography of the honored officer was coming to an end…
Why was the arrest made?
Practically in all Soviet publications, the incident is associated with one incident that happened at that time. The fact is that at that time a plane was sent from Mukden, on board of which was the "emperor" of the state of Manchukuo. He flew to Moscow without any problems. Only the second transport ship, on board of which there were all the jewels of the puppet pro-Japanese government, simply disappeared.
Of course, SMERSH could well have questions about this, but not a word was said about the plane in the guilty verdict. Suspicions from the marshal were removed in 1952: the hunters found in the taiga the wreckage of the ill-fated transporter and the remains of the crew. He probably fell due to a failed engine. So what is Sergey Khudyakov to blame for? His biography does not give an exact answer.
Most likely, his arrest had nothing to do with the plane at all. Probably, SMERSH had already established by that time that the illustrious marshal was not the one he claimed to be. In his personal file there was no information about the change of surname and name. On the contrary, the marshal himself always said that he was Russian, coming from a simple Vologda family. When he met in Varey, he never invited his future wife to his relatives: they say, they are no longer alive, they all died of typhus in the 20s. In fairness, it should be noted that such discrepancies would be of interest to any normal security service, and therefore there were still grounds for arrest.
Varvara, Vladimir and Sergey found out about the Armenian roots of their relative only after his death. The marshal's wife visited the native village of Sergei-Armenak, where she was greeted as a native. Families were united by the pain of loss. At that moment, all his relatives, among whom were many party and military leaders, began to look forthe answer to the question of interest to everyone: why and when did Armenak start this whole adventure, which led to his death?
There is no answer to this day, and there is no information in archival documents that could shed light on this mystery. Apparently, we will never know who Marshal Khudyakov was. The biography of this amazing person is one big mystery.
A mystery that has no solution
Cavalryman and young aviator, future Air Marshal Khudyakov S. A. known in the Red and Soviet armies only in this way. Under their fictitious full names. he served in Tiflis, until 1931 he served in Ukraine, under the same name he began to study as an aviator. He was Sergei when he commanded the Western Military District, under the same name he rose to the rank of colonel. Then Air Marshal Khudyakov appeared, whose biography is still covered in darkness.
He received many military orders and awards. He is also known as a participant in one significant event in the history of the whole world. The fact is that Marshal Khudyakov was at the Y alta Conference, which was attended by Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill. Recall that Sergei-Armenak's colleagues then were Antonov and Kuznetsov, outstanding officers of the Soviet army. It was the best specialists capable of conducting the most difficult negotiations.
The mystery of Sergei-Armenak
There are still legends about how Armenak became Sergey. The first is the most romantic. According to her, he had a colleague, whose name was Sergei Khudyakov. Allegedly, the barge on which they were transported from Baku was sunk, and Sergeisaved Armenak, who could not swim. Legend has it that the two officers became friends thereafter, and that the dying, mortally wounded Sergei once bequeathed his blade and his name to his best friend. This story looks beautiful and epochal, but how much truth is in it? Is this really how Air Marshal Khudyakov appeared? His autobiography will not say anything about this, since it does not exist.
This legend (allegedly) was told to journalists by the marshal's colleagues and his deputy. That's just no one in their right mind will ever believe that Khudyakov could tell someone such a delicate secret. He could not help but understand that by this he was exposing all his superiors and colleagues to the firing squad. The fact is that the commanders would be obliged to immediately investigate and report to SMERSH if it suddenly turned out that the fact of the slightest change in autobiographical information was not reflected in the personal file of any of their subordinates.
The second legend speaks of a "sinister Commissar". Marshal Khudyakov and Beria are connected in it. Allegedly Armenak, working as a telephone operator, noticed suspicious conversations between the future people's commissar and the British consul. Showing vigilance, he passed the message to the local branch of the Cheka, signing with his real name and surname. Since the Cheka did nothing, Armenak had to change his autobiography, fearing revenge. But there is no note or any similar information in the archives.
Judge for yourself: Armenak was 16 years old at that time, Lavrentiy was 19 years old. They were the same age, and Beria had no power to at leastsomehow annoy the scammer. Why should Armenak be afraid of Lawrence, who simply did not physically pose any threat to him? It is hard to believe that the future People's Commissar decided to lie in wait for him in a dark alley…
Mistakes of youth
Most likely, Air Marshal Sergei Alexandrovich Khudyakov once made a mistake typical of his youth: he signed up for service in the Red Army, using a fictitious Russian name. Perhaps he assumed that it would be easier for a Russian to break through the corporate ladder. Identity cards in those years practically did not exist, and the entry into the Red Army, which was in dire need of fighters, was carried out by the “conveyor method”.
Most likely, the real Khudyakov did not exist in nature either. But here another circumstance raises the question: neither in the Russian Empire nor in the USSR was there any oppression of Armenians and other nations. It is worth remembering only Bagration! So why did Armenak need to pretend to be someone else? No response.
By the way, there is not a word about Khudyakov in the documents of the Baku Commune. Even the regiment in which Armenak and Sergei allegedly served simply did not exist. And in the city of Volsk, in which the “same” Khudyakov appeared, there have never been people with such a surname. And one more thing: the date of birth that Armenak indicated when enrolling in the Red Army is real. It is difficult to assume that he used some documents of a non-existent person, and even with a completely similar date of birth.
False accusations
It is very possible that the marshal himself triedtell your story to investigators. But who would believe that a person who is in such a high position, "mutated" something with his biography without malicious intent? So the suspicions were clearly not born out of nowhere. In addition, the investigators simply had nothing to check: there was neither Armenak nor Khudyakov in the documents of the Baku Commune. It's time to really suspect a person of espionage!
Most likely, a confession was forced out of a former officer under torture. Marshal Sergei Khudyakov "confessed" that in 1918 he was recruited by the Englishman Wilson for the purpose of espionage. SMERSH believed that Khudyakov-Khanferyants carried out arrests and escorted political opponents of the interventionists. The "confession" stated that Khudyakov had also participated in the execution of the unfortunate 26 Baku commissars.
Surely the investigators simply had no idea what to impute to the defendant, and therefore connected him with real British spies who were operating in Baku at that time and were captured. Khudyakov was finally forced to confess to his “villainy” on February 19, 1946: on this day he signed the protocol of his interrogation for the first time. And even then the investigation stalled, since there was no real evidence against the marshal. Only in March of the same year was an official order issued for his arrest! In fact, Khuyakov was illegally imprisoned for a whole year. It was only in the middle (!) of 1947 that the guilty verdict was read out for the first time.
Contemporary opinions
If you read his text, then everything becomes even more confusing: why would imaginary recruiters demandchanging the name and surname of your protégé? Much more profitable if he can provide real data so as not to arouse suspicion! The same conclusions were reached by the members of the Military Collegium, who re-examined Khudyakov's case. Moreover, another unpleasant fact came to light: it turns out that those people with whom the NKVD officers connected the marshal were not accused of having links with the British at all! The maximum they were suspected of was anti-Soviet agitation!
It turns out that the case against Air Marshal Sergei Khudyakov was simply mediocrely fabricated. There are other facts about this as well. A. I. Mikoyan, who knew all the circumstances of the death of the commissars, repeatedly and in detail told the investigators about this, when he, too, was once suspected of disloy alty. But not a single plausible detail that somehow indicated the involvement of the marshal could not be knocked out of him: he really did not know anything about it.
Subsequently, one of the ideologists of the case, M. D. Ryumin, spoke about how and what missing information fit into the protocols of interrogation. Defendant M. T. Likhachev told the investigators of the Military Collegium how and with what brutal methods they beat Khudyakov out of “testimony.”
What happened to the Baku Commissars?
In general, any modern historian can only laugh at how mediocre they tried to "sew" Khudyakov to the commissars' case. Please note: he was accused of "escorting convicts." But there was simply no mythical convoy: such a mess reigned in Baku that the commissars managed tocomplications to leave the prison and board the steamer. A mutiny broke out on board, as a result of which the captain was simply forced to head for Krasnovodsk. According to the documents of that flight, neither Khudyakov nor Khanferyants were on board…
In conclusion…
Many years have passed. The 20th century has ended, bringing an incredible number of upheavals to our country. Marshal Khudyakov Sergey Alexandrovich (Armenak Artemovich Khanferyants) again appears in all encyclopedias. His name is honored in Russia and Armenia. Not so long ago, a monograph dedicated to the great man who was born here was published in Yerevan. The museum of Khudyakov-Khanferyants has been operating in Bolshoi Taglar for 25 years. One of the streets of the city of Alaverdi bears the name of S. A. Khudyakov - A. A. Khanferyants.
This outstanding man forever took to the grave the secret of the circumstances that forced him to change his personality. Unfortunately, we are unlikely to ever know the true cause of what happened.
