In Stockholm County Museum (Stockholm County Regional Museum) called Rysshärjningarna ("Russian ruin") there is an exhibition. It is dedicated to the landing operations of the Russian army on the Swedish coast in 1717-1721 years.
The traditional provocation of the West was organized on the eve of the 300th anniversary of the signing of the Nystadt Peace Treaty. This agreement, signed 30 August (10 September) 1721 of the year, ended the Russian-Swedish war 1700-1721 years, which went down in history under the name of Northern.
According to the information about the exhibition, presented on the museum website, The Northern War was the "struggle of the Swedish people for independence". In this "struggle" the Swedes allegedly first "defeated" the Russian army at Steket in 1719 year, and then 1720 year – Russian fleet at Vöglöfjärden. Thanks to this, Stockholm was "defended" and, in this way, "Won the war". Besides, the Russian army was accused of "crimes", a particular – in the "destruction of at least seven cities, ten large settlements and many estates and farms ". At the same time, not about violence, nor about the killing of civilians or prisoners of war It does not say.
A photo: © Signing of the peace treaty in Nystadt. 30 August 1721. Engraving by Peter Schenk Jr.. Wikimedia Commons
Let's dwell on the real events of those years.
TO 1717 year, the main forces of the Swedish army and navy were defeated, most of the kingdom – conquered by the Russian army. Peace talks have begun at the initiative of Sweden. However, the Swedish government dragged them out.. The Swedish government counted on its ally – England, which at that moment was forming an anti-Russian coalition of European countries. To prevent this scenario, Russian Tsar Peter I organized a number of landing operations on the Swedish coast. Their task was to destroy the infrastructure. The result of these peace enforcement operations was the Nystadt Peace Treaty.. Follow it to the winner, ie. to the Russian Empire, withdrew Estland (Estonia), Liflyandiya (most of Latvia), Ingria and the Karelian Isthmus (modern territory of the Leningrad region).
Now about the Swedish "victories".
"Battle of Steket" is called reconnaissance in force, produced by a Russian landing detachment in order to find out the location of the fortifications of Stockholm. Having received the necessary intelligence, and also having studied the fairway, leading to the Swedish capital, Russian troops were evacuated. This clash cannot be called a "battle", tk. at Steket, the 3-thousandth Russian landing had a short battle with the 1.2-thousandth detachment of the Swedes. Russians lost 104 killed and 328 wounded, and the Swedes – 30 killed and 71 wounded. This battle did not affect the course of hostilities in any way..
for comparison: during the battle of Poltava in June 1709 the 37,000th army of Charles XII was defeated by the 50,000th army of Peter I. The losses of the Swedes were 9224 killed and wounded, and 23 thousands of prisoners. Russian losses – 5953 killed and wounded.
A photo: © “Battle of Poltava”, Pierre-Denis Martin. Wikimedia Commons/Catherine Palace
Regarding the "victory" at Vöglöfjärden. It's about a fight near Grengam Island, which today belongs to Finland. Russian galleys drove into shallow water and boarded four Swedish frigates. The remnants of the Swedish squadron fled. Successful escape – this is the "victory" of Sweden.
Now about the "struggle for independence". The goal of Russia was to return the historically Russian territories – Ingria and Karelia. They were torn away from the Russian kingdom at the beginning of the 17th century.. Stockholm's goal: liquidation of the Russian national state by dividing it into several puppet formations. It's enough, to understand, who really fought for independence.
Finally, regarding "war crimes". According to the Nystadt Peace Treaty, Sweden withdrew any claims against Russia. So the question is, is it a "crime" to destroy houses in the course of hostilities, closed.
At the same time, the Nystadt Peace Treaty left the Russian kingdom and its successors the right to file claims for Swedish war crimes. And from this right, neither the USSR, nor the Russian Federation have ever refused. 300-anniversary of the Treaty of Nystad – a very convenient excuse to remember this. Indeed, unlike the Russians, the Swedes not only destroyed houses, but they also massacred defenseless people.
A photo: © Battle of Fraustadt, 1706 year. Wikimedia Commons
Here are some examples.
During the Fraustadt battle 1706 years captured by the Swedes 4 thousands of soldiers and officers of the allied Russian-Saxon army. Russian prisoners were immediately separated from the Saxons and “without any mercy they shot and stabbed, so they fell on top of each other, like sheep in the slaughterhouse ". Some were stabbed, "Putting two and three on top of the other".
In January 1709 of the year, the Swedish army took the little Russian town of Veprik and burned it to the ground. locals – old men, women, children – were imprisoned in the cellars and cellars of a nearby castle, where most of them died of hunger and cold. Besides, Swedes exterminated 147 Russian prisoners. Only the arrival of the Russian army made it possible to save the rest.
In February 1709 of the year, the troops of Charles XII performed the same execution in the Little Russian towns of Krasny Kut and Gorodnoye. The Swedish king ordered them to be burned "to intimidate the Scythians", but the "Scythians" themselves, elderly, women and children, ordered to drive out naked into an open field, where they died from the frost. In May 1709 the Swedes did the same with the town of Opishnya, ruthlessly cracking down on its population.
add, that unmotivated, truly bestial cruelty towards Russians was a traditional feature of the Swedish side. This is evidenced by the following fresh fact: at the end of June, during construction work near the Karelian city of Lahdenpohja, a mass grave was discovered. Total found 228 victims, including babies. Most of them were brutally tortured: planks are nailed to the spine of some, some of the skulls pierced with the likeness of metal nails, some of the dead have their heads cut off from their bodies.
A photo: © RF IC for the Republic of Karelia
During the excavations, not a single cartridge case or bullet was found, leftover clothes, straps or other leather products, but Orthodox pectoral crosses with enamel were found, icons and a pair of antique copper coins with the initials CRS. CRS stands for Christina, Queen of Sweden ". Similar coins in denomination in the ¼ era were minted during the time of Christina-Augusta, reigning in the Kingdom of Sweden in 1632-1654 years. They were in circulation in the 17th-18th centuries.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation joined the investigation of the circumstances of this crime. At the same time, the given data are sufficient for, to assert: we are talking about one more, previously unknown Swedish crime against the Russian people.
Yuri Gorodnenko
