The fact remains undeniable: the shot in the communal apartment where Vladimir Mayakovsky's working room was located was fired 85 years ago on April 14, 1930 at 10:17 am. The bullet hit the heart. Arrived " Ambulance"stated death. Immediately a version of suicide arose. Moreover, a suicide note was found next to the poet:

"Everyone. Don't blame anyone for dying, and please don't gossip. The deceased did not like this terribly. Mom, sisters and comrades, forgive this is not a way (I do not advise others), but I have no choice."

Will not fulfilled

Still, there was some gossip. The romantic version of the death of the poet became hot on the heels of one of the most popular. It was rumored that his last lover refused him, and also that he suffered from a venereal disease. To refute the already completely absurd unhealthy version, it was even necessary to carry out a second autopsy. But no sexually transmitted diseases were found in Mayakovsky. In his personal life, there really were excitements, but, rather, of a pleasant nature: Mayakovsky was carried away by the 22-year-old Moscow Art Theater artist Veronika Polonskaya. And, apparently, the young lady reciprocated, although she did not agree to leave her husband, as the poet demanded. She was the last person to see Mayakovsky alive - she left the room a few moments before the shot, hurrying to the rehearsal.

Is it suicide?

Hearing the shot, Polonskaya immediately returned. The main opponent of the suicide version, journalist Valentin Skoryatin, claims that Mayakovsky was in love and made plans, which means he could not decide on such a desperate step. As other evidence of his version, Skoryatin cites the first testimony of the young actress: "Then none of those present heard Polonskaya talking about the revolver in the poet's hands when she ran out of the room." According to the journalist, she was subsequently forced to change her testimony. In addition, Skoryatin gives various testimonies about the location of the body: initially, witnesses stated that the poet's body lay "with its feet to the door," those who came later - that "head to the door." From which the journalist concludes that the body was moved and moved not by accident - but to avert the suspicion that the shot was fired by someone else who suddenly appeared at the door. Skoryatin considers the head of the GPU secret department Agranov as the main suspect. It was he who arrived at the scene of the crime after the young actress. The researcher of Mayakovsky's death suggests that Agranov could have hidden in the back room and then left through the back door.

The journalist Skoryatin did not believe in the authenticity of the will, he considered it a forgery. According to Skoryatin, Mayakovsky was killed. For what? For the increasingly visible disillusionment with the Soviet system, the journalist concludes. According to him, "more and more often notes of tragic disappointment burst into his" party books ", and more and more strained he sang reality. But satirical denunciation of" rubbish "grew stronger.

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Latest expertise and new secrets

With decay Soviet Union the version that Mayakovsky was killed was heard from new strength... At the same time, it turned out that the examination of the shirt that Mayakovsky was wearing at the time of his death had never been properly carried out. Until the 1950s, the shirt was kept first by the wife of the poet Lily Brik, then at the Mayakovsky Museum. Results of a study conducted by experts from the Federal Center forensic examinations Ministry of Justice Russian Federation were published already in the new century. The main conclusion is that the nature of the tracks and the absence of signs of self-defense are characteristic of a shot fired with one's own hand. Experts admitted it is possible to stage suicide; individual tracks can be staged. But it is impossible to take into account everything, including the single drops of blood found on the shirt and characteristic of the marks that a hand splattered with blood leaves when moving down.

However, one question remained unsolved, who and why changed the gun in the case of Mayakovsky's suicide. The substitution has also become known in our time. Experts were contacted by employees State Museum Mayakovsky with a request to investigate "Browning", which was transferred along with bullets and a cartridge case from the Presidential Archives, from the materials of the investigation file of Vladimir Mayakovsky. At the same time, in the materials themselves, in particular, in the inspection report, a Mauser revolver appears. The examination showed that it was the Mauser that was shooting. So who changed the evidence? One of the plausible hypotheses was put forward by forensic scientist Alexander Maslov. He recalled the interrogation of Mikhail Zoshchenko in the NKGB and the writer's remark that "the revolver from which Mayakovsky shot himself was presented to him by the famous Chekist Agranov." Could it be that Agranov himself changed the weapon, attaching Mayakovsky's Browning to the case, the criminologist concludes. Mayakovsky, according to the documents, had two pistols - the Browning system and the Bayard system.

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Why

The question "why" also remains unanswered. Some researchers sympathize with the romantic version, some see the cause of the tragedy in creative torment - on the eve, the public and the press received his new play "Bath" rather coldly, the production of "Bedbug" was also expected by an obviously cold welcome, colleagues and the authorities ignored his exhibition. In general, there were reasons for frustration. But what was the last straw, the criminologists are not able to give an answer to this question.

During his lifetime, Mayakovsky had many novels, although he was never officially married. Among his lovers were many Russian emigrants - Tatyana Yakovleva, Ellie Jones. The most serious hobby in Mayakovsky's life was an affair with Lilya Brik. Despite the fact that she was married, the relationship between them continued. long years... Moreover, for a long period of his life the poet lived in the same house with the Brick family. This love triangle existed for several years until Mayakovsky met the young actress Veronica Polonskaya, who at that time was 21 years old. Neither the age difference of 15 years, nor the presence official spouse could not interfere with this connection. It is known that the poet planned with her life together and in every possible way insisted on divorce. This story became the reason for the official version of suicide. On the day of his death, Mayakovsky received a refusal from Veronica, which provoked, as many historians say, a serious nervous shock that led to such tragic events. In any case, the Mayakovsky family, including his mother and sisters, believed that the blame for his death lay precisely on Polonskaya.

Mayakovsky left suicide note with the following content:
"ALL

Don't blame anyone for dying, and please don't gossip. The deceased did not like this terribly.
Mom, sisters and comrades, forgive me - this is not a way (I do not recommend it to others), but I have no other options.
Lily - love me.
Comrade government, my family is Lilya Brik, mother, sisters and Veronika Vitoldovna Polonskaya. -
If you give them a bearable life, thank you.
Give the started verses to the Briks, they will figure it out.
As they say - "the incident is ruined", the love boat crashed into everyday life
I am counting on life and there is no need for a list of mutual pains, troubles and grievances.
Happy to stay

VLADIMIR MAYAKOVSKY.

MAYAKOVSKY. THE MYSTERY OF DEATH: THE POINT OVER i DELIVERED
For the first time, a professional examination of the shirt was carried out, in which the poet was found in his office on the Lubyanka, his pistol and a fatal bulletV At eleven o'clock in the morning on April 14, 1930 in Moscow, in Lubyansky passage, a shot was fired in Vladimir Mayakovsky's room ... The Leningrad "Krasnaya Gazeta" reported: "Mayakovsky's suicide. Today at 10 hours 17 minutes in his working room Vladimir Mayakovsky committed suicide with a revolver in the heart area. The ambulance arrived and found him already dead. V the last days
V.V. Mayakovsky did not reveal any mental discord, and nothing foreshadowed a catastrophe. On the night of yesterday, contrary to custom, he did not spend the night at home. I returned home at 7 o'clock. in the morning. During the day he did not leave the room. He spent the night at home. This morning he went out somewhere and later a short time returned in a taxi, accompanied by the Moscow Art Theater artist X. Soon a shot was heard from Mayakovsky's room, followed by the artist X. An ambulance was immediately called, but Mayakovsky died before her arrival. Those who ran into the room found Mayakovsky lying on the floor with a bullet through his chest. The deceased left two notes: one - to his sister, in which he gives her money, and the other - to friends, where he writes that “he knows very well that suicide is not an option, but he has no other way ...”.
A criminal case was opened into the death of V. Mayakovsky, led by investigator Syrtsov.
On the afternoon of April 14, Mayakovsky's body was transported to an apartment in Gendrikov Lane, where he permanently lived. In a small room of the apartment at 20 o'clock, researchers from the Institute of the Brain removed the poet's brain.
It is known that the last person who saw the poet alive was the 22-year-old actress of the Moscow Art Theater Veronika Polonskaya, who was in a hurry that morning for a rehearsal. V. Polonskaya recalled: “I went out. She walked a few steps to the front door. A shot rang out. My legs gave way, I screamed and rushed along the corridor, could not bring myself to enter.

Nameless killer?
Research journalist V.I. Skoryatin managed to collect and analyze a wealth of factual material. Many facts from the life of the poet and people close to him before this study, published in the journal "Journalist" (1989-1994), and later in the book "The Mystery of the Death of Vladimir Mayakovsky" (M., "Zvonnitsa-MG", 1998) remained unknown.
He managed to establish that in 1930, in a communal apartment in Lubyansky Proezd, in which the poet's study was located, there was another small room, which was later enclosed by a wall. “Now let's imagine,” the journalist muses, “Polonskaya is quickly going down the stairs. The door to the poet's room opens. Someone is on the doorstep. Seeing the weapon in his hands, Mayakovsky shouts indignantly ... Shot. The poet falls. The killer approaches the table. Leaves a letter on it. Places the weapon on the floor. And then hides in the bathroom or toilet. And after the neighbors came running to the noise, he gets to the stairs by the back door ”. Well, a bold version that certainly requires strong evidence.
In support of the version of the murder of the poet, the journalist cites a photograph in which Mayakovsky's body lies on the floor, "his mouth is open in a scream." V. Skoryatin asks: "The suicide shouts before the shot ?!"
By the way, it could be. And you should also know that after death, the human body relaxes, the muscles become soft, come to a state of rest, as it were. The deceased's mouth opens slightly, the lower jaw drops, which, in fact, is reflected in the photograph.
Veronika Vitoldovna returned immediately after the shot. And when did “someone” manage to commit his atrocity, and even hide so that no one saw him?
Three "young" neighbors of Mayakovsky, as V. Skoryatin writes, at that time were in "a small room in the kitchen." Naturally, hearing a shot and jumping out into the corridor, they should have certainly run into a man leaving the poet's room. However, neither the actress nor the "young neighbors" saw anyone.
Polonskaya claimed that Mayakovsky was lying on his back. But a number of researchers believe that the poet's body was lying face down. However, in the photographs taken at the scene, the poet lies face up, on the left of his shirt there is a dark spot. This is what blood usually looks like in black and white photographs.
There were also sensational statements that Mayakovsky was shot twice ... In the program "Before and After Midnight", the famous TV journalist Vladimir Molchanov suggested that there were two shots on the pictures of the dead Mayakovsky.
And there was a lot of gossip about the forensic study of the poet's body. On the very first day, the autopsy of the poet's body was performed by the famous professor-pathologist V. Talalaev in the morgue of the medical faculty of Moscow State University. According to the recollections of V. Sutyrin, on the night of April 17, a re-dissection of the body took place due to the fact that rumors spread about Mayakovsky's alleged venereal disease. An autopsy performed by Professor Talalaev did not reveal any traces of sexually transmitted diseases.
Rumors and speculation about the death of Mayakovsky fanned an unhealthy excitement, but at the same time pointed to the miscalculations of the investigators of the 30s.
The journalist Skoryatin, obviously, had no idea what a valuable service he rendered to the specialists by mentioning the shirt Mayakovsky was wearing at the time of the shot. Therefore, the shirt has survived! But this is the most valuable material evidence!
After the poet's death, this relic was kept by L.Yu. Brick. In the mid-50s, Lilya Yurievna donated the shirt to the museum for safekeeping, about which there is a corresponding entry in the museum's "Book of Receipts".
In the special storage of the museum, the head of the sector of material values ​​L. E. Kolesnikova took out an oblong box, carefully unfolded several layers of special composition paper. It turns out that no examination of the shirt was carried out either in 1930 or in subsequent years! An agreement was immediately reached with the museum that the shirt would be handed over to specialists for research.

Expertise
Researchers of the Federal Center for Forensic Examinations of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation E. Safronsky immediately began the study,
I. Kudesheva, a specialist in the field of shot marks, and the author of these lines is a forensic medical expert. First of all, it was necessary to establish that it was in this shirt, bought by the poet in Paris, that Mayakovsky was at the moment of the shot.
On the photographs of Mayakovsky's body taken at the scene, the fabric pattern, the texture of the shirt, the shape and localization of the blood stain, the very gunshot damage... These photos have been enlarged. The experts photographed the presented shirt in the same angle and with the same magnification and carried out the photo combination. All the details matched.
From Research: "On the left side of the front of the shirt, there is one through damage of a rounded shape measuring 6 x 8 mm."... Thus, immediately the version about the traces of two shots on the shirt burst. The results of microscopic examination, the shape and size of the damage, the state of the edges of this damage, the presence of a defect (absence) of the tissue made it possible to draw a conclusion about the firing nature of the hole that arose from a single projectile shot.
It is known that, in order to determine whether a person shot himself or was shot at him, it is necessary to establish the distance of the shot. In forensic medicine and forensic science, it is customary to distinguish between three main distances: shot at close range, shot with close range and a shot from a long distance. If it is established that on April 14, 1930, in V.V. Mayakovsky, a shot sounded from a long distance, which means that someone was shooting at the poet ...
The specialists had to work hard and painstakingly - to find the signs that characterize the distance of the shot, which sounded more than 60 years ago.
From the "Conclusion": "1. Damage to V.V.'s shirt Mayakovsky is an entrance firearm, formed when fired from a distance "side stop" in the direction from front to back and somewhat from right to left in an almost horizontal plane.
2. Judging by the features of the damage, a short-barreled weapon (for example, a pistol) was used and a low-power cartridge was used.
3. The small size of the blood-soaked area located around the input gunshot injury indicates its formation as a result of a single-stage release of blood from the wound, and the absence of vertical blood streaks indicates that immediately after receiving the wound, V.V. Mayakovsky was in a horizontal position, lying on his back. "
So the dispute about the position of Mayakovsky's body after the shot is over.
"4. The shape and small size of the blood blots located below the injury, and the peculiarity of their location along the arc, indicate that they arose as a result of the fall of small drops of blood from a small height onto the shirt in the process of moving down right hand splattered with blood, or from a weapon in the same hand. "
The detection of traces of a side-rest shot, the absence of traces of struggle and self-defense are characteristic of a shot fired with one’s own hand.
Neither the age of the shot, nor the treatment of the shirt with a special compound should not serve as an obstacle in carrying out complex medical and ballistic examinations. Thus, the research carried out has not only historical, but also scientific interest.

Death autograph
“He was without a jacket. The jacket was hanging on a chair and there was a letter, his last letter, which he wrote, "- recalled the artist N.F. Denisovsky. From this room - "boats", as the poet liked to call it, rumors have reached our days that this letter was not written by Mayakovsky. Moreover, the name of the "author" of the letter was also given.
But it is impossible to forge a handwriting so that this forgery would not be detected by forensic specialists. Only now, work is underway abroad on the possibility of computer (!) Handwriting counterfeiting.
How many copies have crossed around the suicide letter, written in pencil, with almost no punctuation marks: “Everyone. Don't blame anyone for dying, and please don't gossip. The deceased did not like this terribly ... ".
This dying request of the poet did not even occur to anyone to take into account.
The letter was sent in December 1991 for research to the laboratory of forensic handwriting examinations of the All-Russian Research Institute of Forensic Examinations of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation (now the Federal Center for Forensic Examinations of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation). The experts were asked the question: to establish whether the specified letter was executed by V.V. Mayakovsky. or by another person.
The head of the Research Institute of Forensic Handwriting Expertise, Candidate of Legal Sciences Yu.N. Pogibko and senior Researcher of the same laboratory, candidate of legal sciences R.Kh. Panova. The "Conclusions" made by the experts are fully consistent with the research part: “The handwritten text of the suicide letter on behalf of VV Mayakovsky, beginning with the words“ Everyone. Don't blame anyone for dying… ”, and ending with the words“… Get the rest from Gr.VM ”, dated 04/12/30, - made by Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky himself.
This text was made by V.V. Mayakovsky. under the influence of some factors "knocking down" his usual writing process, among which the most probable is an unusual psychophysiological state associated with excitement "... But the letter was written not on the day of the suicide, but earlier: "Immediately before suicide, the signs of unusualness would have been more pronounced." The letter, according to experts, indeed it was written on April 12, as the poet dated it.
Researchers of V.V. Mayakovsky, journalists tried to find a criminal case on the "fact of Mayakovsky's death." However, he was nowhere to be found ... To put an end to the research, to check our results, it was necessary to "Delo". But there was no "Deal" ...

Yezhov's folder
Materials about Mayakovsky's death were kept in the Presidential Archives, but in a completely different folder, and were finally transferred to the special storage of the V.V. Mayakovsky. Museum Director S.E. Strizhneva kindly agreed to acquaint me with the documents.
I am sitting in a small cozy office of Svetlana Evgenievna. In front of me is a gray cardboard folder, the inscription in large black type immediately catches my eyes: "EZHOV NIKOLAY IVANOVICH". Below - "Started on April 12, 1930. Completed on January 24, 1958". The folder contains the second folder: “Criminal case no. 02 - 29. 1930 About the suicide of Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky. Started April 14, 1930 ". Consequently, the case "On the suicide of Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky" was under the control of the almighty and sinister secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, who oversaw the administrative bodies, including the state security bodies. The folder contains only a few sheets of slightly yellowed paper. Here, in compliance with the spelling, are excerpts from the protocol of the inspection of the scene:
"PROTOCOL.
Mayakovsky's corpse lies on the floor.
In the middle of the room, Mayakovsky's corpse lies on the back on the floor. Lies head to front door... The head is slightly turned to the right, the eyes are open, the pupils are dilated, the mouth is half-open. Rigor mortis is absent. There is a round wound on the chest 3 cm above the left nipple, about two-thirds of a centimeter in diameter. The circumference of the wound is slightly stained with blood. There is no outlet. On the right side of the back in the area of ​​the last ribs under the skin, a solid foreign body is felt, not significant in size. The corpse is dressed in a shirt ... on the left side of the chest, according to the described wound on the shirt, there is a hole irregular shape, about one centimeter in diameter, around this hole the shirt is stained with blood for about ten centimeters. The circumference of the shirt hole with traces of opal. Between the legs of the corpse lies a Mauser system revolver, caliber 7.65 No. 312045 (this revolver was taken from the GPU by Comrade Gendin). Not a single cartridge was found in the revolver. On the left side of the corpse, at a distance from the body, lies an empty spent cartridge case from a Mauser revolver of the specified caliber.
Duty investigator
/signature/. Medical expert
/signature/. Understood / signatures / ".
The protocol was drawn up at an extremely low methodological level. But what we have, we have ...
Pay attention: "On the right side of the back, in the area of ​​the last ribs, a solid foreign body is felt, not significant in size."
The presence of a "foreign object" under the skin in the region of the lower right ribs, obviously, suggested that the shot was fired from left to right, i.e. left hand. Experts also know about the possibility of changing the direction of flight of a bullet in the body when it meets an obstacle.
Professor A.P. Gromov and V.G. Naumenko pointed out: “The diameter of the channel is also affected by different densities, as well as internal ricochet (change in the direction of the bullet). Ricochet can arise not only from a meeting with a bone, but also with soft tissues. " American experts call these bullets "wandering". And in this case, a bullet from a low-power cartridge, meeting with an obstacle (vertebra, rib, etc.), slid down and, having lost destructive power, got stuck in the subcutaneous fat, where it was felt as a "hard foreign body».
Examining the shirt, not knowing the protocol, the experts turned out to be right: the shot was fired at point-blank range, Mayakovsky's body lay on its back. Memory did not disappoint V.V. Polonskaya: "He looked directly at me and kept trying to raise his head ...".
Next sheet:
"Report. ... of this date at 11 o'clock I arrived at the scene of the incident along Lubyansky proezd, 3, apt. No. 12, where the writer Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky shot himself ... subsequently, officers of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department arrived ... early. secret department Agranov ... Olievsky withdrew the suicide note. The forensic expert found that Mr. Mayakovsky committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart with a Mauser revolver, after which an instant death occurred.
V.V. Polonskaya confirmed the facts known to us during interrogation.
On the second day after the death of V.V. Mayakovsky were summoned for interrogation by citizens N.Ya. Krivtsov, Skobeleva and other neighbors. None of them categorically could assert that at the time of the shot Polonskaya was in Mayakovsky's room.
There were many familiar KGB officers around Mayakovsky. But it should be remembered that in those years the very word "chekist" was surrounded by a romantic halo. In particular, the poet was friends with Ya.S. Agranov, head of the secret department of the OGPU. Moreover, Agranov gave Mayakovsky, a great lover of weapons, a pistol. Agranov, who was subsequently shot, is an ominous figure. It was Agranov who received the operational information collected by agents after the death of the poet. There was no time on the pages classified documents you can find the most unexpected things.
"WITH. secret.
Summary.
From 9 o'clock. on the street Vorovsky,
52, where Mayakovsky's corpse is located, the audience began to gather and by 10.20 am gathered about
3000 people. At 11 o'clock, the audience began to be admitted to Mayakovsky's coffin. Standing in line ... about the reason for Mayakovsky's suicide and the political nature of the talk is not heard.
Pom. early 3 dep. Operoda
/Signature/".
"Beginning. SO OGPU to comrade Agranov.
Intelligence report
5 dep. SO OGPU No. 45 dated April 18, 1930
The news of Mayakovsky's suicide made a very strong impression on the public ... Talk exclusively about the romantic cause of death. From the conversations, the following can be emphasized ...
Conversations, gossip.
Newspaper reports of suicide, a romantic background, an intriguing posthumous letter aroused, for the most part, an unhealthy curiosity among the common people.
... The newspaper hype about Mayakovsky was called a clever collision for fools. It was necessary in the face of abroad, in front of public opinion abroad, to present the death of Mayakovsky as the death of a revolutionary poet who died because of a personal drama.
The report of Syrtsov (the investigator) about Mayakovsky's long-term illness was found extremely unsuccessful. They talk about syphilis, etc.
Beginning 5 dep. SO OGPU / Signature / ".
Even after many years, the state security agencies tried to "probe" the mood of the intelligentsia, its attitude towards Mayakovsky's death. I happened to get acquainted with the "Conversation Protocol"
MM. Zoshchenko with an employee of the Leningrad Department of the NKGB, held on July 20, 1944:
"22. Do you consider the cause of Mayakovsky's death clear now?
“She continues to remain mysterious. It is curious that the revolver from which Mayakovsky shot himself was donated by the famous Chekist Agranov. "
23. Does this suggest that Mayakovsky's suicide was provocatively prepared?
"Perhaps. In any case, it's not about women. Veronica Polonskaya, about whom there were so many different guesses, told me that she was not intimately close to Mayakovsky. "
The dignity and courage with which the disgraced Zoshchenko held on during the so-called conversation, and in fact - the interrogation, is striking.

The conclusion of the forensic experts
In the name of the director of the Russian federal center forensic examinations by the director of the State Museum of Mayakovsky S.E. Strizhneva was sent a letter with a request to conduct a study of the Browning pistol, the bullet and the cartridge case received by the museum from the Presidential Archives, from the materials of the Mayakovsky investigation file ...
Let's get back to the Protocol: "... lies a revolver of the Mauser system, caliber 7.65"... What weapon did Mayakovsky shoot himself with? According to certificate No. 4178/22076, Mayakovsky had two pistols: the Browning system and the Bayard system - a short-barreled weapon. Maybe the shot was fired from a Browning? But I don’t believe a professional investigator would mistake the Browning for the Mauser.
On the table in front of the experts is a spent cartridge case, a bullet and a holster with a weapon. With a habitual movement, Emil Grigorievich removes from the holster ... Browning No. 268979!
“As a result of the study, a set of signs was revealed that indicated that from the weapon presented for examination ... a shot (shots) was not fired (not fired),” S. Nikolaeva established. Means, Was the wrong weapon attached to the case file as material evidence? The examination of the bullet removed from Mayakovsky's body and the cartridge case, also attached to the case, was carried out by expert E.G. Safronsky. After examining the bullet, the expert dispassionately writes: "The established data indicate that the bullet presented is part of the 7.65 mm Browning cartridge of the 1900 model."
So what's the deal? But then the expert found that the bullet under investigation was fired from a Mauser pistol, model 1914. "Nevertheless,- continues research expert, - To test the version about the possibility of firing the investigated bullet from the Browning pistol No. 268979 presented for examination, we conducted experimental firing from the specified pistol with five 7.65 mm Browning cartridges ... The results of the study allow us to make a categorical conclusion that the bullet 7 , 65 mm Browning cartridge of the 1900 model was fired ... from a Mauser pistol, model 1914, caliber 7.65 mm. " The 7.65 mm case of the Browning cartridge of the 1900 model presented for research was fired, expert Safronsky found, not in the Browning pistol No. 268979, but in the Mauser pistol of the 1914 caliber 7.65 mm.
Hence, the shot was fired from a Mauser! Brilliantly done research! It was the Mauser that was noted in the inspection report.
Who changed the weapon? Let us recall the minutes of the "conversation" between the NKGB officer and M.M. Zoshchenko: "It is curious that the revolver from which Mayakovsky shot himself was presented to him by the famous Chekist Agranov." Could it be that Agranov himself changed the weapon, attaching Mayakovsky's Browning to the case?

Instead of an epilogue
The decision to die in the overwhelming majority of cases is an intimate matter: to close in a room and not see anyone else.
We will never know what actually happened to Vladimir Vladimirovich. He was a very important poet with an absolutely unprotected emotional life. Suicide is always associated with the deepest layers of the psyche. The spiritual world of man is a mysterious and silent space ...

Alexander MASLOV, professor forensic medicine, forensic scientist

 16.09.2002

V.V. Mayakovsky

At one of the concerts, a short man jumped up to Vladimir Mayakovsky and shouted: "From the great to the ridiculous - one step!" Mayakovsky stepped towards him: "So I am doing it."

But the genius Poet took not only a step from the great to the ridiculous. He crossed the border of life and death. Voluntarily or not - this is still actively debated by researchers of the life and work of V.V. Mayakovsky.

His death caused a public outcry, came as a surprise to both his enemies and friends and family. This happened in Moscow on April 14, 1930 at 10:17 am. Vladimir Mayakovsky committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart at point-blank range.

Don't blame anyone for dying and please
don't gossip. The deceased did not like this terribly.
Mom, sisters and comrades, sorry - this is not the way
(I do not advise others), but I have no options.
Lily - love me.
Comrade government, my family is Lilya Brik,
mother, sisters and Veronika Vitoldovna Polonskaya.
If you give them a bearable life, thank you.
Give the started verses to the Briks, they will figure it out.

As they say -
"The incident is screwed up"
love boat
crashed into everyday life.
I count with life
and there is no need for a list
mutual pain
troubles
and resentment.

Happy to stay.
Vladimir M, and I am a kowski
12 / IV -30 g.
Take a close look at the date of writing - April 12 (Mayakovsky died, let me remind you, on the 14th). Does this mean that the Poet was already preparing to “lay hands on himself” a few days before his death?

By yourself or not by yourself? - that is the question.

There are many mysteries in Mayakovsky's death. Most controversial issue: was it by itself murder?

Here, the opinions of researchers diverge right in opposite sides... Some argue that the Poet was killed. The main evidence, they believe, is the criminal case opened into the death of Mayakovsky.

The most confident about intentional murder was declared by V. I. Skoryatin. He conducted independent investigations and concluded that an unnamed killer existed.
Film director S. Eisenstein also spoke about this: “He should have been removed. And they removed him. "

However, the experts officially revealed the "indisputable" fact of suicide. The word indisputable here is in quotation marks, since there is still heated debate on this issue.

The disagreements of scientists about the authenticity of the note (the suicide letter) are throwing even more firewood into the "discussion fire". Skoryatin bases his doubts on the following: first of all, the note was written in pencil, "although the poet was very anxious about his fountain pen and always used only it." And with the help of a pencil, it is easy to imitate someone else's handwriting.
All the same S. Eisenstein notes that Mayakovsky did not write anything of the kind.

Re-dissection of the body. For what, and what did it show?

On the evening of April 14, experts performed an autopsy and removed Mayakovsky's brain. Personally, I find this disgusting and unethical, despite the "good" scientific goals.
It should only be noted that the brain did not have any significant deviations from the norm.

“… Suddenly unceremoniously loud knocks were heard from his room: it seemed that only wood could be cut like that. This was an opening of the skull. Mayakovsky's brain was in the pelvis ... ”- V. P. Kataev, even thirty years later, could not forget this story.

On April 17, a second autopsy was performed. This was due to rumors about Mayakovsky's illness (as if he suffered from syphilis). However, the results of the survey refuted all kinds of gossip.

Is the will of V. Mayakovsky violated?

By the way, about gossip. The request of the deceased, noted in the very first lines (which testifies to its importance), was not fulfilled: “… please do not gossip. The deceased did not like this terribly. "

But rumors spread across Moscow faster than news reports, and it became known about the death of the Poet even before the official "promulgation" (not without contrived details, however).

From the intelligence report:
“The news of Mayakovsky's suicide made a very strong impression on the public ...
Conversations, gossip.
The suicide reports in the newspapers, the romantic lining, the intriguing posthumous letter, for the most part, aroused unhealthy curiosity among the common people.

Strange ... Have you noticed that often the wills of great people are not just not fulfilled, but distorted or completely ignored?

"God thinks: wait a minute, Vladimir!" Did the poet foreshadow his death?

Vladimir Mayakovsky, like many Geniuses of this world, predicted his own demise. They say about this, no - this is proclaimed by the lines of his poems:

"More and more often I am thinking - is it better to put the bullet point at its end?"
"Anyway, I know, I'll die soon!"("Flute-spine")

"And the heart is eager for a shot, and the throat is raving with a razor"
"Throw a ray around your neck with a loop"("Human")

"One has only to stretch out a hand - a bullet instantly into life beyond the grave will outline a thundering path"("About it")

“Well, come out.
Nothing.
I will strengthen myself.
You see - how calm!
Like a pulse
The deceased. "("A cloud in pants")

Not only in his works, but also in his speeches, the Poet has repeatedly mentioned the possibility of suicide.

Why did the great poet pass away?

The exact reasons for the suicide are still unclear.
For example, A. Potapov writes about the influence personal anxiety A poet to his fate.
He notes that Mayakovsky was characterized by sharp fluctuations in mood, impressionability. Success inspired him, failure led to depression.

Internal tension, an exaggerated fear of getting sick (associated with the death of Mayakovsky's father), frequent mood swings, a thirst for fame, failure in the love sphere - all this largely influenced the tragic outcome of his life.

According to the memoirs of Lily Brik, Mayakovsky more than once tried to commit suicide. On July 18, 1916, he made his first attempt to shoot himself, but the weapon misfired. The second incident took place on October 11, 1917, which also turned out to be unsuccessful. In the poet's diary, these dates are marked with the following words: "Immediately, somehow there was absolutely nothing to live for."


And only in the fateful third time, a ruthless piece of metal stopped the beating of the heart of the great and unique Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky ...

But understand: an incomparable right
To choose your own death

With the deaths of great Russian poets, not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance. There is still a lot of controversy about the death of Yesenin, while there are theories that claim that Pushkin's duel was ordered by the powers that be and Dantes only fulfilled their will. You can add Vladimir Mayakovsky to Pushkin and Yesenin. There are several facts that cast doubt on the fact that the mouthpiece of the "dictatorship of the proletariat" committed suicide.


Reconstruction of events

As in the story with the suicide of Sergei Yesenin, it would seem that everything led to voluntary care from the life of Vladimir Mayakovsky. And 1930 was in many ways extremely unfortunate for the poet. Yes, and a year earlier he was denied a visa to France, where he was going to get engaged to Tatyana Yakovleva. Later he received news of her imminent marriage. His exhibition "20 years of work", in which he sums up the results of his twenty years of work, has completely failed. This event was ignored by important statesmen and prominent cultural figures of that time, and Mayakovsky hoped that they would honor him with visiting the exhibition. Many colleagues and acquaintances said that not only was he completely written out, but that he had long ceased to represent the “that very” Mayakovsky, the faithful servant of the revolution.

Mayakovsky during the exhibition "20 years of work"

In addition, together with the exhibition, the staging of his play "Bath" failed. Yes, and throughout this year the poet was haunted by quarrels and scandals, which is why the newspapers pasted on him the label "fellow traveler of the Soviet regime," while he himself adhered to more active positions. And soon, on the morning of April 14, 1930, in the house on Lubyanka, where Vladimir Mayakovsky was working at that time, the poet was scheduled to meet with Veronika Polonskaya. Then they were in close relations for more than one year: Mayakovsky wanted to create a family with her. And it was then that he started a decisive conversation with her, demanding that she divorce the artist Mikhail Yanshin. Apparently, the conversation ended unsuccessfully for him. Then the actress left and, reaching the front door, suddenly heard a shot.

Vera Polonskaya caught the last moments of Mayakovsky's life

Testimony of witnesses

Actually, only Polonskaya from people close to Mayakovsky managed to catch the last moments of the poet's life. This is how she recalls this fateful day: “I asked if he would accompany me. “No,” he said, but promised to call. And he also asked if I had money for a taxi. I had no money, he gave twenty rubles ... I managed to reach the front door and heard a shot. I rushed about, was afraid to return. Then she entered and saw the smoke from the shot that had not yet cleared away. There was a small bloody spot on Mayakovsky's chest. I rushed to him, I repeated: "What have you done? .." He tried to raise his head. Then his head fell, and he began to turn terribly pale ... People appeared, someone said to me: "Run, meet the ambulance." I ran out and met. I returned, and on the stairs someone said to me: “Too late. Died…".




Veronica Polonskaya was last love Vladimir Mayakovsky

However, regarding the testimony of witnesses, there is one interesting point, which was once pointed out by the investigator of the circumstances of the death, Valentin Skoryatin. He drew attention to an important detail, which was that all those who came running after the shot found the poet lying in the “feet to the door” position, and those who appeared later in another “head to door” position. The question arises: what was the need to move the dead body of the poet? It is quite possible that in this confusion someone needed to imagine the following picture: at the moment of the shot the poet stood with his back to the door, here was a bullet blow to the chest from inside the room and knocked him over on his back, head to the threshold. And this, in turn, already resembles an act of murder. What would it look like if he was facing the door? The same blow would have knocked him backwards again, but with his feet to the door. True, in this case, the shot could be made not only by Mayakovsky, but also by the killer, who acted extremely quickly.


The head of the OGPU Agranov wanted to bury Mayakovsky quickly


Also, the fact that the investigators tried to quickly bury the poet cannot but raise doubts. So, Skoryatin, on the basis of numerous documents, is sure that the head of the OGPU Yakov Agranov, by the way, one of the leaders of this repressive body, tried to arrange a hasty funeral for the suicide, but later changed his mind, considering it very suspicious.

Mayakovsky's death mask

Also, fuel is added to the fire by the remark of the artist A. Davydov regarding the death mask of Mayakovsky, which was made by Lutsky on the evening of April 14, 1930. And this gives grounds to assert that Mayakovsky fell facedown, and not on his back, as happens when shooting himself.

There is also a theory that the poet shot himself due to the fact that he was sick with syphilis. However, this argument has no basis, since the results of an autopsy carried out some time later showed that Mayakovsky did not suffer from this ailment. Moreover, the verdict itself was not published anywhere, which caused a variety of gossip about the poet's health. At least in the obituary, published in the newspaper Pravda and signed by other colleagues of the writer, a certain “rapid illness” was mentioned that led him to commit suicide.


It is impossible not to notice the difference between the noses of the living and the dead Mayakovsky

The hand of the OGPU in this case

Lilya Brik said that Mayakovsky more than once thought about suicide, and Osip Brik once persuaded his comrade: “Reread his poems, and you will see how often he talks ... about his inevitable suicide”.

It should be noted that the investigation was carried out in the highest instances. Initially, the aforementioned Yakov Agranov undertook this, and then I. Syrtsov. The investigation was then fully referred to as “Criminal Case No. 02-29, 1930, People's Investigator 2 uch. Baum. district of Moscow I. Syrtsov about the suicide of V. V. Mayakovsky ". And already on April 14, Syrtsev, after interrogating Polonskaya at the Lubyanka, said: "The suicide was caused by personal reasons." And this message was published the next day in Soviet newspapers.

Officially, Mayakovsky's suicide was caused by personal reasons




Mayakovsky treasured his friendship with Briks

When Mayakovsky died, the Briks were abroad at that time. And therefore, Valentin Skoryatin, working with numerous materials and documents, put forward a version that the Briks deliberately left their friend in February 1930, because they knew that they would soon be surely killed. And according to Skoryatin, Briks could have been involved in organizations such as the Cheka and the OGPU. They even had their own Chekist ID numbers: Lily had 15073, and Osip had 25541.

And the need to kill the poet was based on the fact that Mayakovsky was tired of the Soviet authorities. V last years In the poet's life, notes of discontent and undisguised disappointment appeared more and more often.

At the same time, Veronika Polonskaya could not make the shot, because according to the testimony of the actress and neighbors, the shot thundered right after she left the premises. Therefore, all suspicions can be removed from her. The name of Mayakovsky's killer, if the murder did take place, is unknown.



Mayakovsky was known as one of the main allies October revolution 1917 year

Strange note

It is impossible not to pay attention to the suicide note, which was left by Vladimir Mayakovsky. It would be appropriate to cite its text in full:

"Everyone
Don't blame anyone for dying, and please don't gossip. The deceased did not like this terribly.
Mom, sisters and comrades, forgive me, this is not a way (I do not recommend it to others), but I have no other options. Lily - love me.

Comrade government, my family is Lilya Brik, mother, sisters and Veronika Vitoldovna Polonskaya. If you give them a bearable life, thank you. Give the started verses to the Briks, they will figure it out. As they say - "the incident is ruined", the love boat crashed into everyday life. I am counting on life, and there is no need for a list of mutual pains, troubles and grievances, Happy to stay.
Vladimir Mayakovsky.
Comrades Vappovtsy, do not consider me faint-hearted. Seriously, it can't be helped. Hi. Tell Ermilov that it's a pity - you removed the slogan, you ought to have a fight.
V. M.
I have 2,000 rubles in my desk. add to the tax.
Get the rest from Giza. "

It would seem that the suicide letter, touching at first sight, directly indicates that Mayakovsky planned suicide in advance. This thesis is supported by the fact that the note is dated April 12th. But the question arises: why, preparing for the decisive conversation with Veronika Polonskaya, Mayakovsky in advance, on April 12, predetermines the outcome of the conversation that has not yet taken place with her - "the love boat crashed ...", as he writes? It is also impossible not to pay attention to what exactly these lines are written with. And they were traced in pencil.


Mayakovsky in the working process. Photo of 1930

The fact is that the author's handwriting is most conveniently forged with a pencil. And the very dying letter of Mayakovsky long time was kept in the secret archives of the OGPU. Comrades Mayakovsky, Khodasevich and Eisenstein, referring to an insulting tone towards his mother and sister, stated that Mayakovsky could not write something like that in such a spirit. So it can be assumed that the note was nothing more than a fake, drawn up in the organs of the OGPU and designed to convince everyone with this as the main evidence of Mayakovsky's suicide.

Moreover, the note itself is not mentioned in any way in the protocol from the scene. It appears only in the final conclusion of the case, where it follows that the letter was written "in unusual conditions" in a state "caused by excitement." The story of the note does not end there: Valentin Skoryatin believes that the date of April 12 can be explained quite simply. In his opinion, on that day, Mayakovsky's murder failed, and therefore this falsification was saved for the next time. And this "next time" fell on the morning of April 14, 1930.

Mayakovsky's death was like thunder among clear sky... The Breeks immediately returned from their trip to Europe. The death of the poet was a big blow to all his friends and relatives. And now it is generally accepted that Vladimir Mayakovsky voluntarily passed away, although some researchers of this case are firmly convinced that he was deliberately "removed". Some time later, Joseph Stalin will call him the best poet of the Soviet Union. And Polonskaya became the last close person of Mayakovsky. It was with her that the poet spent the last moments of his life.