There are many examples in history when bandits came to power. And also "made their way" to the generals and order bearers. A striking example of such people is Naftaly Aronovich Frenkel. A man who was a gangster, a fraudster and one of the creators of the Gulag.
short biography
Where Naftaly Aronovich was born is not exactly known. There are several versions of early life:
- Born in 1883 in Constantinople. After graduating from the institute, Frenkel engaged in timber trade. According to some reports, he opened a forest company. I got very rich on this. He even had his own newspaper.
- Place of birth - Odessa. Father was an officer. In 1898 he began working for a construction company. From 1902 to 1904 he studied in Germany as a builder. After training, he falls into a criminal gang, participates in raids during the Civil War. After some time, the gang broke up, which is why Naftaly Aronovich Frenkel organized his criminal group. He was engaged in extortion, blackmail, robbery and smuggling.
Who was this man
One of the outstanding builders of communism. He developed a system in which prisoners built roads, ponds, dams, and hydroelectric stations. The famous Belomor Canal was built under the leadership of N. Frenkel. It can be said that Naftali Frenkel created the Gulag. He combined the qualities of a person with excellent intuition and had a special pragmatic attitude towards human life.
Work in a construction company
At the age of 15, begins to work in the Kherson construction office. Naftaly Aronovich Frenkel makes a good impression on the leadership. Surprising with its discipline and diligence. So, according to some sources, the biography of Naftalia Frenkel originates. However, he had a strange peculiarity: he liked to create conflicts between workers and to observe them. Gradually acquires the skills of subjecting people.
New job Naftalia
In 1900 he became a foreman in Nikolaev. It is very much loved by the owners of the company, for many it is a mystery for what qualities. After which Naftaly Frenkel was sent to study at the construction college in Germany. After training, he returns to his homeland and continues to work in the company.
After some time, Naftaly Frenkel offers his owners a profitable commercial move: stop paying for rent of storage facilities, instead build their own warehouses. However, he was convicted of forging documents and fired from his job.
Moving to Odessa
In 1918 he began to receive sea cargo. Very often the product comes in poor quality. However, he does not want to lose a lot of money and puts low-quality goods for sale. Again, in the biography of Naftalia Aronovich Frenkel, everything is embellished. He was lucky in sales, and he makes decent money.
Acquaintance with bandits
Frenkel always thought ahead, especially when it came to business. In Odessa he meets the famous criminal Jap and begins to cooperate with him to expand his business. However, Frenkel was not able to outwit the bandit and he had to allocate a share in his business. He was not at all worried about being involved in an illegal group. The moral did not bother Naftalia at all. He was only interested in power and what money brings. Also, Frenkel did not accept the “code of raiders”, in which it was forbidden to attack doctors, people of art and lawyers. He did not support the way money was allocated for poor families.
In Odessa, a lot of people are succeeding in power, which makes it difficult to engage in commercial activities. In 1917, he begins to lose his money and submits to the power of bandits.
In 1919, waves of raids of the Bolsheviks began. To save his people, he, together with Jap, forms a detachment of the Red Army. Then, under the command of M. Vinnitsky, he goes to the front. They fight against the Petliurists. As soon as the regiment was disbanded, Naftaly immediately returned to his homeland to do business.
The development of the gangster world of Frenkel
In 1921, he gained widespread acceptance among criminals, and his own criminal group appeared. The gang is engaged in extortion, blackmail, kidnapping, fraud. This makes a big profit. The NEP is introduced, which Naftaly immediately took advantage of. He created smuggling on a large scale under the guise of a private firm. His ships sail across the Black Sea, delivering various goods to Romania, Turkey and Russia. The list of goods sold is huge:
- Currency is transported from almost all countries of the world.
- Almost all types of clothing.
- Jewelry.
- All kinds of accessories and decorations.
This man created his own state. It has certain laws, people, and property. Such a person as Frenkel Naftaly Aronovich, children do not care. Smuggling is carried out through trusted people in various shops, restaurants and hotels. Criminals of all major cities of Russia help the distribution of illegal goods. At the direction of Frenkel, "stamped" goods under the well-known brands of European stores. Almost everything was bought by him: courts, criminal investigation, border guards, GPU. In Moscow, some officials even bribed to cover up illegal business.
Frenkel's arrest
There were a lot of complaints to Dzerzhinsky about the situation in Odessa. In this city, it was already difficult for people to figure out who is who. The entire population could no longer distinguish raiders from ordinary citizens.
In order to correct the deplorable situation, a member of the board of the OGPU Deribas was sent to Odessa. Odessans knew this surname like no other. After all, one person from this kind participated in the construction of the city.
The man who was sent on a mission looked ridiculous. He was short, with large ears and flaky skin. Deribas simply hated all of humanity and loved to hurt people.
Upon arrival in the city, thanks to great powers, he learns almost everything about the smuggling of Frenkel. However, Naftaly himself knew everything about Deribas. The confrontation began between them. The smuggler had people close to Deribas. Among them was Yagoda, a man who is actively building a career and helps Frenkel in every way.
One of the writers of that time noted that the head of the NKVD did not influence the course of events. He was addicted to drugs and debauchery, he was just a pawn. At a time when there was a fierce struggle for power in the ranks of the Communist Party, this was used by Frenkel and competently speculated with connections in the organs of the NKVD.
With Naftaly there was really a game without rules. Deribas invited him to pay off, thereby Frenkel fell for the trick. He thought that his opponent wanted to make a lot of money, and went on negotiations. During the whole process, Deribas cunning and sent news to Dzerzhinsky. He left the Odessa NKVD organs, and received further instructions directly from Moscow.
On the night of 1924, a train arrives in Odessa, in which Moscow security officers are located. Immediately after arrival, all participants in the smuggling scheme are detained together with Frenkel. A few days later, on the same train with serious protection, the bandits leave for Moscow.
Years of imprisonment
The trial began soon, on January 14, 1924, Naftaly and his people were sentenced to death. However, he is lucky again: right before his death they report that the execution has been replaced by 10 years in prison. All of Frenkel’s comrades were killed, only he survived. This confirms the fact that his "bribery empire" worked.
Naftalia sent to serve his sentence in Solovki. There he gives a bribe and begins to work as a contractor. Along the way, he studies life on the Solovetsky penal servitude. A man understands that convicts spend their energy aimlessly. Frenkel begins to ponder the grandiose plans for the distribution of labor of prisoners.
Once, a typhus louse was brought to Solovki. This was a real disaster for the island. There were too many patients; in some cases, people even died. However, Frenkel did not hurt this disease, but, on the contrary, helped in the promotion. In order to get rid of adversity, it was necessary to build a bath. Engineers said it could take half a month to build. At this moment, Naftaly Aronovich realizes that this is his chance. He takes all the initiative on himself and claims that he can cope with the construction in a day. Only he set his conditions:
- For the construction you need 50 people.
- Frenkel chooses people himself.
- Alcohol and food are delivered at the appointed time.
After he was given everything that he requested. Frenkel chose the 30 strongest young people. He does it without mistakes, because he has a lot of experience. Naftaly also asked 20 old and disabled people.
He brought all the people to the construction site. It was very cold for everyone; there was severe frost on the street. Frenkel ordered to split into 2 columns: young in one direction, old men in the other. After which he said that if a bathhouse was not built in 24 hours, then everyone would be shot, including the elderly and Frenkel himself.
It was a kind of psychological trick that Naftaly learned a long time ago. The plan worked, all the workers worked hard. Even the elderly helped. Frenkel performed his work well. All directions were clear, people willingly did them. The bathhouse was built from all directions. After 21 hours of work, the task was completed. 3 hours ahead of schedule. For such a service, Aronovich was called to the authorities, after which Frenkel began his career in the Solovetsky penal servitude.
Further advancement
After fruitful work in 1926, the head of the Administration of the Solovetsky Camps reduced the sentence for Naftaly by half. A year later, he was prematurely released and appointed head of the production department at the Solovetsky penal servitude.
In the Office, Frenkel was based quite firmly. He is considering several large-scale projects. Suggests creating a new type of hard labor. Already in 1929 he reorganized the entire Office. He believed that you can not re-educate a person. Therefore, I did not see the point in political and educational work. He argued that the use of labor by prisoners was much more beneficial and better. However, the leadership in Moscow was very surprised by this statement.
Frenkel did not like this situation. He knew how to eliminate officials in Moscow. However, he needed to finish all things on Solovki. Printing machines worked almost round the clock; they produced many plans, diagrams, reports, and various proposals. Mail was sent at high speed. Frenkel receives approval from Moscow for the experiment. It was called "Cost-accounting." Thanks to Naftaly, forests were cut down by prisoners, cities were built, railways were built.
This person successfully proves that camps can be profitable and bring huge sums. Frenkel destroyed not only political and educational work, but also almost the entire culture on the island. First, the local magazine disappeared, then the newspaper. After that, the theater was destroyed, and all its employees were sent to the Northern Urals. There were almost never enough prisoners, and years earlier the government did not know where to put them. As soon as things went up, Frenkel dealt with all the enemies in Moscow.
Naftaly Aronovich Frenkel: family
Like most of his colleagues, having settled in Moscow, he found a soul mate. It was a simple secretary from the Lubyanka. And her name was Anna Sotskova. After a while, the couple got married. So appeared at Naftalia Frenkel's wife, children. Sometimes it seems that he is an ordinary person, like everyone else. The wife was 16 years younger. Frenkel and in the union calculated everything correctly. Anna had no shortcomings, and she had been with him all her life. Frenkel Naftaly Aronovich still brought up children. In 1931, their son was born, they named Boris.
Great successes Naftalia
This person begins to be entrusted with the most ambitious construction tasks. And he never misfires. In 1931 he became the chief foreman of Belomorstroy. After some time he was awarded the Order of Lenin. In 1933, Frenkel was appointed head of the Gulag Office, for which he received high payments from the government.
He spends most of his money on bribes and bribes. Naftaly works very brazenly, because nothing threatens him. Frenkel is the head of the Gulag department. Only in 1937 did a misfire occur: he again faces the death penalty. However, punishment is again avoided. He not only becomes free, but also receives another order of Lenin. And in 1943 he was once again awarded.
How did Frenkel act
The very appearance of this man inspired fear in many. He had a mustache, like Hitler’s, a cane, always shiny boots with heels, photos of Naftalia Frenkel of those years demonstrate this. There was nothing human in him. He did not read books, did not drink, did not dance. In character combined skeptic and satirist. He loved power very much. Sometimes Naftaly imitated Stalin. Unlike his colleagues, he did not scold prisoners, did not beat anyone. All that was needed was his gaze, which was able to put any person in a stupor. Prisoners for work were brought from all over the country. Naftaly Aronovich Frenkel met almost every new delivery. Sometimes the convicts were accompanied by an orchestra, and after they were brought to their knees in the snow and counted.
He treated the workers extremely harshly. Over time, he generally lost his morality. The prisoners who worked brought rations and clothes. All this fell into the snow and got only the strongest, and the rest were dying of cold and hunger. Frenkel believed that he needed only strong workers.
