''Red Devils'' (, also known as ''The Hunt for Blue Fox'', ) is a revolutionary adventure story written by the secretary of the Governorate Committee of the

Kostroma Kostroma (, ) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. In the 2021 census, the population is 267, ...

RCP (B), novelist and screenwriter Pavel Blyakhin in 1921 and published in 1923–1926. The book became popular after the film adaptation of the novel in 1923.

Process

The author describes the process of writing the story:

Plot

The novel is about the adventures of three young agents, fighters of the

1st Cavalry Army __NOTOC__ The 1st Cavalry Army (), or ''Konarmia'' (Кона́рмия, "Horsearmy"), was a prominent Red Army military formation that served in the Russian Civil War and Polish–Soviet War, Polish-Soviet War. History Formation On 17 Novem ...

, set against the background of the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

and the struggle with the Makhnovist forces. At the beginning

Nestor Makhno Nestor Ivanovych Makhno (, ; 7 November 1888 – 25 July 1934), also known as Bat'ko Makhno ( , ), was a Ukrainians, Ukrainian anarchist revolutionary and the commander of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine during the Ukrainian War o ...

and his troops attack the village, committing various crimes, including murdering peasants, robbing huts, stealing livestock and killing

Communists Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...

. In the attack, one guy's father is captured, tortured and killed under Makhno's orders. Afterwards, the three of them organize a detachment against Makhno.

Characters

* Misha and Dunyasha are young scouts, soldiers in the First Cavalry Army. * Chinese man Yu-Yu * Bat'ko Makhno *

Yesaul Yesaul, osaul or osavul (, ) (from Turkic yasaul - ''chief''), is a post and a rank in the Russian and Ukrainian Cossack units. The first records of the rank imply that it was introduced by Stefan Batory, King of Poland in 1576. Cossacks in R ...

* The bandits

Makhno

The novel gives a negative portrayal of the

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

. For example:

Films

* ''

Red Devils (film) ''Red Devils'' () is a 1923 Soviet adventure film directed by Ivan Perestiani based on the eponymous story by Pavel Blyakhin. It has become one of the most famous and oft-quoted works of the Soviet adventure film. Plot In the midst of the Rus ...

'' *

The Elusive Avengers ''The Elusive Avengers'' (, translit. ''Neulovimye mstiteli'') is a 1967 Soviet action adventure film by Mosfilm. Directed by Edmond Keosayan, the screenplay by Keosayan and Sergei Yermolinsky is loosely based on the novel ''Red Devils'' ...

References

{{Reflist Russian short stories 1926 short stories Cultural depictions of Nestor Makhno