This year marks 100 years since the “Great Exodus” – the evacuation of the Crimea (November 13-16, 1920) an event in the Russian Civil War, in which the Russian State evacuated over sea from the Crimean Peninsula, their last stronghold, on the Southern Front (Sevastopol, Yevpatoria, Kerch, Feodosia, Yalta).  Organized and led by Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich von Wrangel, nearly 150,000  soldiers, civilians and crew were evacuated. Wrangel’s White “Black Sea” fleet, foreign ships & temporarily mobilized, in total 126 ships of the  Voluntary fleet sailed to Constantinople.  While some of the evacuees left the ships here, a significant number of emigre’ soldiers and their families evacuated to other locations such as Gallipoli, the island of Lemnos in the Aegean Sea and the Tunisian port of Bizerte.

From there, many went to European countries, such as Yugoslavia, where they found refuge. The soldiers and civilians who stayed or were left behind in the Crimea, suffered under the  “Red Terror” organized by the new Soviet government, authorized by Vladimir Lenin. The White Army soldiers had been falsely promised amnesty if they surrendered.

In memory of those who evacuated, leaving behind their homeland (many, never to return) and for those who stayed behind and succumbed to the “red terror” of the Bolsheviks and Soviet Red Army, memorial services will be held at churches throughout the US and the world, including panihida after Divine Liturgy at the Russian Orthodox Church of All Russian Saints Outside Russia in Burlingame and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Washington, DC. on Sunday, November 15, 2020 and at the Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral outside the church next to the Russian World War I Veterans memorial on Sunday, November 22, 2020.  All COVID-19 state restrictions will be enforced, incl. masks, distancing & other health & safety measures.

Congress of Russian Americans has been sponsoring commemorative events in honor of the 100 years, which includes producing a 4-part series film featuring interviews of descendants of this evacuation (USA only, as it has become overwhelming).

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CRA is also proud to announce the publishing of a new book by one of our Russian American community and CRA  members – Tatiana Amochaev.  Writing under the pseudonym of Tania Romanov (her grandmother’s maiden name), she is a prolific author (many other books under her belt) and a descendant of the Amochaev family that evacuated on the last ship from the Crimean Peninsula port of Yevpatoria.  Her gripping story captures not just the evacuation from the Crimea, but further obstacles that her family had to overcome before coming to the United States.  The book has just come out in print and can either be purchased through Amazon or better-yet, send your check $30.00 which will cover cost of the book, tax and S&H charges to CRA (per above address, memo: Crimean book).  The book will be mailed to you and the donation will go directly to CRA, per the author’s generous contribution.   CRA is a non-profit organization, so any donations that you make are tax-deductible.

We urge you to sign the petition against removing the statue of Alexander Baranov, founder of Novo-Arhangelsk (now the city of Sitka) and the first Russian governor of Alaska. Link to petition:

www.change.org/BaranovStatue

Here the letter that was sent to Mayor Paxton and Assembly members of the City and Borough of Sitka regarding removal of the Baranov statue:

Download (PDF, 105KB)