Aleksej Vladimirovich Vysotsky (''Алексе́й Владимирович Высоцкий'') (18 July 1919 in

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

– 28 October 1977 in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

) was a

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

journalist and author, as well as a hero of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

who attained the rank of Colonel.

Biography

Childhood

Alexey Vysotsky was born in Kiev into an educated Jewish family. His father was Volf Shliomovich Vysotsky (born 1889 in

Brest-Litovsk Brest, formerly Brest-Litovsk and Brest-on-the-Bug, is a city in south-western Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the Polish town of Terespol, where the Bug and Mukhavets rivers meet, making it a border town. It serves as the admini ...

— died 1962 in

) immortalized as "Velvl" in a song by his nephew

Vladimir Vysotsky Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky (25 January 193825 July 1980) was a Soviet singer-songwriter, poet, and actor who had an immense and enduring effect on Soviet culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which ...

), who was from a family of glass blowers. Volf had studied in a commercial school in

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

from where he moved in 1911 to live in Kiev and study at the

branch of the

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

commercial institute contemporarily with the Soviet journalist, playwright, and short story writer

Isaac Babel Isaac Emmanuilovich Babel ( – 27 January 1940) was a Soviet writer, journalist, playwright, and literary translator. He is best known as the author of ''Red Cavalry'' and ''Odessa Stories'', and has been acclaimed as "the greatest prose write ...

, then studied with the faculty of law of

Kiev University The Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (; also known as Kyiv University, Shevchenko University, or KNU) is a public university in Kyiv, Ukraine. The university is the third-oldest university in Ukraine after the University of Lviv and ...

. During

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

New Economic Policy The New Economic Policy (NEP) () was an economic policy of the Soviet Union proposed by Vladimir Lenin in 1921 as a temporary expedient. Lenin characterized the NEP in 1922 as an economic system that would include "a free market and capitalism, ...

he organised a workshop for manufacture of theatrical make-up and a law office. Alexey Vysotsky's mother, Dora Ovseevna Vysotsky (née Dora Ovseevna Bronstein, the foster daughter of physician to the Kremlin, Lev Grigorievich Levin) was born 1891 in

Zhytomyr Zhytomyr ( ; see #Names, below for other names) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (Oblast, province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding ...

and died 1970 in Kiev. She was the birth daughter of a deceased teacher at the state Jewish school, and finished her coursework to qualify as a

physician's assistant A physician assistant or physician associate (PA) is a type of non-physician practitioner. While these job titles are used internationally, there is significant variation in training and scope of practice from country to country, and sometimes b ...

(

Feldsher A feldsher (, , , , , , ) is a health care professional who provides various medical services limited to emergency treatment and ambulance practice. As such, a feldsher is one kind of mid-level medical practitioner. In Russia, Ukraine and in ...

) and worked as a pharmacist, and subsequently as a cosmetician. In 1926 the family relocated to Moscow; after the divorce of his parents Alexey Vysotsky initially lived in Moscow with his father, but beginning in the 1930s relocated to Kiev with his mother. During his school days Vysotsky was friends with Gulya Korolova and Alyosha Pyatakov (the son of

Georgy Pyatakov Georgy Leonidovich Pyatakov (; ; 6 August 1890 – 30 January 1937) was a Ukrainian revolutionary and Soviet politician. He was a leading Bolshevik in Ukraine during and after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Born in Kiev Governorate, Pyatakov wa ...

, who was tried for anti-Soviet activity, sentenced to death and executed in 1937), his memoirs were included under the pseudonym L.J. Prajs in Elena Ilina's book "Fourth Height".

Red Army service during the German-Soviet War

In 1939 Vysotsky studied at the

Podolsk Podolsk ( rus, Подольск, p=pɐˈdolʲsk) is an industrial city, center of Podolsk Urban Okrug, Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Pakhra River (a tributary of the Moskva River). Population: History The first mentions of the vill ...

artillery school. He was called to active duty in the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

that same year as the commander of an artillery platoon of 165th Howitzer Artillery Regiment, which took part in operations of the Soviet-Finnish

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

. In 1941, after completing school he participated in the

German-Soviet War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

(

Eastern Front of World War II The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a theatre of World War II fought between the European Axis powers and Al ...

). As a part of 18th Guards Artillery Regiment he participated in defense of

Kerch Kerch, also known as Keriç or Kerich, is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of Crimea. It has a population of Founded 2,600 years ago as the Colonies in antiquity#Greek colonies, ancient Greek colony Pantik ...

and

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

, as well as military operations on

Don River The Don () is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its basin is betwee ...

and in the

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia. The North Caucasus is bordered by the Sea of Azov and the B ...

. He was then ordered to join the artillery battery of 265th Artillery Regiment of 3rd Ukrainian Front. In the autumn of 1943 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, serving first as Chief of Staff of 124th Howitzer Artillery Brigade of the 20th Heavy Artillery Division reserves at General headquarters and then with the 6th Artillery Division of the Reserve Supreme Main Command (RVGK) on the

1st Belorussian Front The 1st Belorussian Front (, ''Pervyy Belorusskiy front'', also romanized " Byelorussian"), known without a numeral as the Belorussian Front between October 1943 and February 1944, was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, bein ...

. He participated in the liberation of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

from German forces, as well as the final capture of

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. He appeared several times in war reports from the front, as printed in the newspaper '' Krasnaya Zvezda'' (Red Star). He was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

three times for extraordinary accomplishments of military valor during combat operations, including for the defense of

in 1941 and the defense of

in 1942.

Post-German-Soviet War service

After the termination of the German-Soviet War military operations, he remained on active service in Germany. In 1949 he was posted to serve as commanding officer of the

Haisyn Haisyn (, , ) or Haysyn is a city in central Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Haisyn Raion within Vinnytsia Oblast. It is located on the in the eastern part of the historical region of Podolia. Its population is Name It i ...

operations section in

. In 1951 he was posted to

Mukachevo Mukachevo (, ; , ; see name section) is a city in Zakarpattia Oblast, western Ukraine. It is situated in the valley of the Latorica River and serves as the administrative center of Mukachevo Raion. The city is a rail terminus and highway junct ...

where he studied

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

at Uzhhorod State University. In 1956 he relocated to Moscow at the

Lomonosov Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, and six branches. Al ...

, where he finished a degree in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

. He was demobilized in 1959 with the rank of colonel.

Publications

Alexey Vysotsky was the author of four books on military subjects, including the collection of stories "''И пусть наступит утро''" (And let it be morning) about his military commander and

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

, artilleryman N. Bogdanova's actions during the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol; ''Дороги огненной земли'' (Roads of the fiery earth) about the defense of Kerch; ''Горсть земли'' (Handful of earth) about the defense of Odessa; and ''Горный цветок'' (Mountain Flower) about the struggle of Soviet border guards with bandits in the post-war period.

Discographic contributions

In 1962 Alexey Vysotsky produced the first professional-quality tape recording of his nephew,

, at the House of Technology of the Ministry of River Fleets of the

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

where he then worked. Vladimir Vysotsky's work from that period had not received official recognition and thus he had no contract for recording from

Melodiya Melodiya () is a Russian record label. It was the state-owned major record company of the Soviet Union. History Melodiya was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm of the USSR Ministry of Culture Melodiya" in accordance wi ...

, the monopolist of the Soviet recording industry, so his work was unsanctioned. With this recording and the advent of portable tape-recorders in the Soviet Union, his music became available to the masses in the form of home-made reel-to-reel audio tape recordings. Together they produced the breakthrough record "For uncle"; one piece was based on an essay by Aleksey Vysotsky about two-time Hero of the Soviet Union, NM Skomorohove and was included in a later formal release as Vladimir Vysotsky's "Song of the lost pilot" (1975).

Family

His son, Alexander Vysotsky (1945-1992), was a journalist, writer, and held a doctorate of philological sciences, as well as being international class in men's eight

competitive rowing Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are n ...

, winning a silver prize at the World Cup of 1970 in St. Ketrinse, Canada. His daughter, Irena A. Vysotskaya (b. 1953), is a children's book writer and author. His paternal uncle Leon Solomonovich (Leybish Shliomovich) Vysotsky (1886-1974), was a prominent Kiev chemical engineer and inventor, founding the Kiev factory «Himefir». His half brother on the maternal side was the well-known music administrator (manager) and the poet-songwriter Paul L. Leonidov (1927-1984). His nephew

(1938-1980) was a poet, author, singer, as well as a theater and film actor. Vladimir's wife was the French actress

Marina Vlady Marina Vlady (born 10 May 1938) is a French actress. Biography Vlady was born in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine to White Russian immigrant parents. Her father was an opera singer and her mother was a dancer. Her sisters, now all deceased, were the a ...

(Marina Polyakova-Baydarova). His maternal grandfather, Lev Grigorievich Levin (1870-1938) was physician and health-care consultant to the Kremlin, serving as physician to leaders of the party and government, including

, Molotov and

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (; ), was a Russian and Soviet writer and proponent of socialism. He was nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Before his success as an aut ...

. He was shot 15 March 1938 on charges of involvement in the putative Trotsky conspiracy to eliminate prominent Soviet leaders.

Death

Alexey Vysotsky died in 1977, and is buried on the

Vagankovo Cemetery Vagankovo Cemetery () is located in the Presnensky District of Moscow, Russia. It was established in 1771, in an effort to curb 1770–1772 Russian plague, an outbreak of bubonic plague in Central Russia. The cemetery was one of those created ou ...

, as is his nephew, Vladimir Vysotsky.

Honours and awards

* Three Orders of the Red Banner *

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

* Order of the Patriotic War 1st class * Order of the Patriotic War 2nd class * Medal "For the Defence of Odessa" * Medal "For the Defence of Sevastopol" *

Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Medal "For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established on May 9, 1945, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to denote military partici ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vysotsky, Aleksey Soviet journalists Soviet Jews Soviet writers Soviet colonels Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Burials at Vagankovo Cemetery 1919 births 1977 deaths