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"Red Russia" is a novel about a Russian man named Terrance Puskov who lives in Communist Russia. The book opens up in 1917 on the Eastern front during World War I (1914-1918) when Terrance's father, Peter, leads a charge against a German trench. It ends in 1991 with the fall of the Soviet Union. The book is centered around an interview with Terrance as he lives in New York City. The author will remain unnamed. This article is still under construction. Terrance Puskov is born on April 12th, 1913. The interview with him is set in 1991 so we don't know when or if Terrance died or is dead.
Running theme: Terrance Puskov is supposed to be a man Communism destoyed. In the whole book he loses everything he holds dear. Also the book is strongly anti-communist and anti-socialist because it shows all the horrors of a society with no freedom. Terrance often speaks out against Stalin and the Soviet Government.
Plot
Terrance is interviewed by a New York Times reporter. He tells the tale of his family experience in the Soviet Union.
1917-1921
As the book starts the author tells us the events taken place in Europe at the dawn of 1917. The British and French Armies have stopped the German advance on the Western Front. On the Eastern Front, the Russians are being destroyed by the German advance. The lines are only 100 miles west of Moscow (considering Russia's size this is much too close). Peter Puskov is a three year veteran Lieutenant in the Russian Army. On the morning of January 14th, Lt. Puskov leads a useless charge on the [[German]] lines. Almost all of his men are killed. Realizing he can't win he heads back to HQ.
When Kerensky and the Whites overthrow the Tsar and establish a democratic government, the war continues and Peter Puskov keeps fighting with more enthusiasm knowing he now fights for freedom.
In October, 1917 Lenin and the Bolsheviks take over Russia and establish a Communsit Government and Russia pulls out. A civil war begins between Lenin and the Bolsheviks vs. Kerensky and The Allies of World War I. Peter fights for Kerensky's army. When the war ends in 1921 Peter returns home to his wife Natalya and his son Terrance.
1923-1929
In 1923 the family moves out to a small town east of Moscow. Peter moves them to escape massive communist oppression even though he's still in communist territory. Terrance becomes a boyfriend of Tanya Yulikoff an attractive village girl. For a while the family is happy in the town called "Lunikan" until one night in 1928 when the Red Guards come to the house to tell them that part of the town will be evacuated to set up a government farm. One of them realizes that there is a Christian cross on the wall but there's no picture of Stalin (the leader of the Soviet Union) the Red Guard get furious and arrest Peter.
Three months later in 1929, we learn that Peter was falsely convicted of killing a man and of treason because he fought for the Whites in the war. When the family comes to visit him they learn he will be executed by firing squad. The fifteen year old Terrance becomes extremely upset until Peter tells him he'll always love him. The next day Peter is killed by firing squad. He is one of 30 million who will die in Stalin's thirty year reign of terror.
Terrance and his mother are falsely convicted of being assalints in Peter's murder scheme. They are sent to a Gulag in Siberia 30 miles south of the Artic circle. 1934-1939
The book skips a head five years to 1934. This is the first time we find out what Terrance looks like. He is now a strong handsome man with black hair and blue eyes. He has befriended some guards and has warm clothing unlike the other prisoners. One day in September, the commissar named Iklin Jalakad asks Terrance to his office. Once there the commissar asks him to join the Red Army in exchange for getting out of the Gulag. When Terrance asks why he asks this of him, his mother is brought in by a guard named Mikhail. She tells him truthfully that it was her idea. Not wanting to upset his mother he decides to join and is given the rank of sergeant. After Mikhail escorts Terrance's mother back to her block house the commissar tells him of dark events around the world such as Hitler taking over Germany and Japan invading Manchuria. He predicts that the world will be at war again in five years. Although no one knows it, his prediction comes true as actually begins World War II begins in 1939. When Terrance returns to his blockhouse he discovers his mother is being raped by the Red Guard, Mikhail. When the two make eye contact Terrance realizes that Mikhail was the Red Guard who arrested his father back in 1928. A fight ensues between the two which ends when with Terrance stabbing Mikhail with Mikhail's bayonet in the back, stomach and throat.
Shortly after Terrance is apprehended by the guards. Knowing he has no choice, he joins the Red Army and is shipped off to bootcamp in the town of Leninsk. After five weeks of low grade training Terrance Puskov is now an official Red Army sergeant. While there he becomes friends with the commanding officers: Lt. Dmitri Ulanoff, Capt. Nikolai Huniska, Lt. Boris Telkoffsky, and Lt. Pyotr Nutrik, Major Sergey Calcalov and Capt. Ulikai Geriloc. In early 1935, Terrance recieves a letter from his sweetheart, Tanya. In the letter she confesses deep feelings of passion and love for him. Taking advice from married man Capt. Huniska, Terrance writes back to Tanya saying, in all truthfullness that he loves her too. He arranges a to take him to his old town of Lunikan.
When Terrance arrives in Lunikan in March he realizes that the town has changed since 1929. There are few houses remaining. Most of it is town government farmland. Again we get an inside look at the injustice of Stalin's policy's like the five year plan and the great purge. These things have tremendous effects on people other than Terrance. For example, Tanya tells Terrance that her parents died of "disease" but we later learn they were killed by Red Guards. When Terrance walks up to the house we meet Tanya Yulikoff for the first time. She is a very attractive brown haired girl with, in Terrance's opinion, "Piercing" Blue eyes. On a side note, we pick up a pattern that is that the Puskov women are supposed to be very attractive. What happens is the Puskov men, who are supposed to be very handsome, merry very attractive women. They have chldren who grow up to be attractive and the cycle continues. The happiness made by Tanya's letter is shattered when Terrance learns that this mother died at the gulag.
When Terrance sees Tanya they immediatly embrace. Terrance and Tanya clearly love each other very much. When the the greetings end we meet Tanya's brother Michael who is married to a girl named Yelana.
Two nights later, Terrance and Tanya make love passionatly for the first time since 1929. After Terrance comes off, Tanya lays close to Terrance. Terrance finally realizes that he loves Tanya with all his heart. Two weeks later Terrance reluctanly goes to an army base in Moscow.
At Moscow, we see get an inside look at the command of the Red Army. Also we get a view of world events as of July 21st, 1936. The Japanese invasion of China and the Spanish civil war. The men who are all of Terrance's army friends discuss what to do. This is happening because the Soviet Army has no well trained and knowlegdable generals. Stalin killed them all in the Great Purge. Showing resentment over this, Sgt. Puskov says that Stalin had this coming because he unjustly killed all of his generals and now are asking low ranking officer's to decide what to do. Major Calcalov warns him not to speak out again or he'll get demoted.
In April, 1937, Terrance asks Tanya to merry him and she enthusiastically accepts. They merry and they have a son they name Victor, in 1938. But troubles abroad force Terrance to leave his family once agsin.
1939-1945
In September, 1939, Sgt. Puskov is sent to observe the fighting between the Polish and Germans as World War II begins. He witnesses the powerful realities of war even though it's not up close in person. By late October, Germany has taken Poland. Fearing attack Stalin decides to invade Finland for no other reason than territory. In Finland, Sgt. Puskov recieves his own platoon. He also experiences the horrors of war first hand. The war only lasts five months but Sgt. Puskov is changed, especially when he sees an army friend, Lt. Nutrik, get shot to death right in front to of him. When he returns to his new home in Leningrad to visit Tanya and Victor he tells Tanya to leave the city because he sences a German invasion.
In June, 1941, Sgt. Puskov, Lt. Ulanoff and Capt. Huniska get tranferred to a small base on the Russo-German border. On the morning of June 22, 1941, the German Army invades Russia. With only a small garrison defending the town, Sgt. Puskov and his comrades only hold out for ten minutes against the powerful German tanks and soldiers. They retreat in dissaray. While driving a truck away from the fighting along with Lt. Ulanoff and Capt. Huniska, Lt. Ulanoff is killed by artillery shrapnel.
The story jumps ahead to November, 1941 and the reader gets a look at Hitler's invasion of Russia. The German attack known as "Operation Barbarossa" attacks in three differant areas: Moscow in the east, Leningrad in the north and Ukraine in the south. Sgt. Puskov has been fighting in rural areas until he asks for a transfer to Leningrad to get his wife and son out of the besieged city.
Sgt. Puskov walks through Leningrad to his old house. We get a glimpse of what has happened to the city in the second month of siege. Throughout the USSR, millions have died and the Germans are almost totally unstoppable. In Leningrad people are starving. Some have resorted to eating rats. Citizens cut ice out of pipelines in order to get water. Almost all the buildings in the downtown area have been bombed out. The Army HQ has suffered little damage. On the side of each street is a trench for people to take shelter in during artillery barrages and bombing raids, both of which are very common.
When Sgt. Puskov reaches his old house, he finds that Tanya and Victor are fine, but insists they get out of the city before the siege gets any worse. The family walks back to his the Red Army HQ. There a truck full of refuggees is about to head for a safe haven across Lake Ladoga. The Corporal in the back of the truck says that there's room for only one more person. Realizing what he must do, Sgt. Puskov gives little Victor to the corporal. The truck drives away.
Sgt. Puskov and Tanya walk sadly back to their house. Before they reach it however, the Germans open an artillery barrage on the city. Sgt. Puskov and Tanya jump into one of the trenches. When the barrage ends five minutes later, Sgt. Puskov is o.k. but Tanya has been hit in the side by a piece of shrapnel. She dies in her husband's arms.
The battle for Leningrad rages on into 1942. In Terrance's narration, we get a overview of world events: The Japanese have attacked the Americans at Pearl Harbor in December, 1941. They also invaded the Phillippines and attacked the British in Singapore and Malaya. In North Africa, Rommel is pushing the British east into Egypt.
Sgt. Puskov and Capt. Huniska drive with a convoy of Red Army trucks heading across Lake Ladoga. Capt. Huniska gives Sgt. Puskov advice on how to deal with Tanya's death. He then reveals that he and his wife are divorced. Suddenly the one of the trucks is hit by a bomb from a German Stuka Junker Ju 87 dive bomber. The men get and open fire on the planes as do the Anti-Aircraft Guns. Sgt. Puskov fires his PPSh-41 at them. Finally the planes fly away.
Sgt. Puskov finally reaches the orphanage where Victor is living. He tells Victor that his mother died. Victor becomes very upset and starts crying just like Terrance himself did when he learned his father died over ten years ago.
In March ,1942, Major Calcalov sends Sgt. Puskov and Capt. Huniska south to Stalingrad to fight off the soon to come German assault on the city. Sgt. Puskov grudgingly agrees and the next day the two ship out to Stalingrad. The city is in a sate of fear by April with the Nazis adavancing ever closer every day.
On the night of August 21st, 1942, Sgt. Puskov and Capt. Huniska are drinking in a bar when German bombers attack the city and the battle of Stalingrad begins. Puskov and Huniska survive by taking refuge in a basement. When they emerge, the entire block has been totally destroyed and everyone in the bar was killed.
We then get a brief description of world events as of August, 1942: The Japanese have taken most of the U.S. and British possesions there. The German Africa Corps were still driving the British across Egypt. Sgt. Puskov and Capt. Huniska are requested to help the commissars escort the troops across the Volga River.