"Where will they get the veterans?" How will the anniversary of the Battle of Kulikovo be celebrated?

It never happened, and now again - you can exclaim after Chernomyrdin about the news that Russia has begun preparations for the celebration of the 650th anniversary of the Battle of Kulikovo, which will take place already in 2030. Prime Minister Mishustin has already signed a decree on the creation of an organizing committee for the preparation and conduct of this celebration.

Instead of somehow clarifying the image of the future that they are going to build, the Russian authorities continue to work with might and main with the image of the past.

Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, Governor of the Tula Region Alexei Dyumin and Chairman of the RIO Association Sergei Naryshkin became co-chairs of the organizing committee. The composition also included Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities Irek Fayzullin, head of the Federal Agency for Tourism Zarina Doguzova, heads of the largest enterprises of the Tula region and public organizations.

Official propaganda is sure that no matter how different the views of historians on the nuances of the Battle of Kulikovo may differ, the main thing will not change: the consequences! For the entire country and each of its modern regions, this became a significant victory, because it was from the Kulikovo battle that the nucleus was formed in many respects, around which the world's largest state was then formed. Therefore, we will celebrate with our whole huge country.

Recall that this battle took place on September 21 (new style), 1380 between the united Russian army led by the Moscow Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy and the army of the Khan of the Golden Horde Mamai. The Russians won a victory, but two years later the Horde once again staged a raid on Moscow and ravaged the capital. As a result, the Russian principalities had to pay tribute to the fragments of the Golden Horde for almost a century.

That is why this decision caused a wave of criticism on social networks. History professor Vera Afanasyeva sarcastically remarks:

“The immortal regiments are no longer relevant. Now there will be immortal squads. I'm worried - where will the veterans be hired?"

The same pathos of the philologist Nikolay Podosokorsky:

"The main thing is that the Investigative Committee does not start massively initiating criminal cases against bloggers and journalists for insulting the veterans of the Battle of Kulikovo, belittling the feat of Peresvet and other war heroes, as well as posting images of Khan Mamai and his henchmen in the public domain..."

Journalist Andrey Shipilov reminds:

“Since we are talking again about the fact that the“ dids fought ”on the Kulikovo field against the Tatar yoke.

Let me remind you that the dids fought on the Kulikovo field not “against”, but “for” the Tatar yoke. Mamai was not a khan, but one of the Horde generals who rebelled against the legitimate Horde prince Tokhtamysh. Dmitry's troops acted on the side of Tokhtamysh, and, in fact, went to join his army at the moment when Mamai blocked the road to Dmitry. And it was not the dids who fought. If you delve into primary sources, such as the "legend of the Battle of Kulikova", you will be surprised to learn that all professional heavy infantry and cavalry in Dmitry's army were Lithuanian, all light cavalry, in the amount of a third of the army, were Tatars. The only Russians were lightly armed infantry militia, which, as befits cannon fodder, completely perished in the first minutes of the battle..."

By the way, the Russian historian Mikhail Tikhomirov writes in the book “The Battle of Kulikovo, 1380”: “The initial stories about the bloody battle with the Tatars were later overgrown with poetic fictions and literary adornments. After the defeat of Mamai, Tokhtamysh sat on the throne, and Dmitry honorably sent him gifts. Tokhtamysh is an ally of Dmitry, who fought not against the Horde, but against Mamai, who did not obey the Horde. So there was no separatism of the Russian princes against the great empire, but the struggle for the unity of the Horde against the usurper. Dmitry did not fight for the freedom of Russia, but for the unity of the Horde".

It is interesting that back in 1831, Prince Vyazemsky anticipated the emergence of the current victorious demons, ready to rejoice at anything, not really delving into the veracity. Commenting on Pushkin's patriotic poems on the Polish question, Vyazemsky remarked:

“I am so tired of these geographic fanfare of ours: from Perm to Taurida and so on. What good is there than to rejoice and what to boast about, that we are lying stretched out, that we have five thousand miles from thought to thought, that physical Russia is Fedor, and a moral fool. " - Are you proud of the conquest of peaceful lands that did not belong to any side of Russia? Or what exactly? Just look at the history of relations with the Bashkir Khanate. Meanness, treachery and cruelty - on the part of Russia..."

The publicist Leonid Lyalin, as usually, responded to this news in verse:

They chipped in for the holiday, they will make us beautiful

The largest are their pearls.

The people are silent and silent

Dreams "to the south".

Oh my Rus! My longing! As long as

Should they pull out of you?

One and the same forever on the throne

There is dregs on the air.

Our path is empty like a dead hope

All the same, Russia!

Resurrect and die - everything will be the same

I will only shudder.

Rollback all around, the law is only dreaming of us

We are dust to them.

A chariot rushes over the bones with a flashing light

And rot everywhere.

Dreams in the blood! Flows across the border!

And they are not sorry.

There is no law! With a flasher chariot

Rushing into the distance...

And finally, the most important thing: why are military events celebrated in Russia with such fanfare? Nothing more to be proud of? In all likelihood, yes.