Svetlana Smetanina
Massimo Eccli at the presentation of Sovietici documentary. Photo credit: Krasnogorsk branch of the Victory Museum
Italian language and literature professor Massimo Eccli has worked many years on recovering the memory of Soviet partisans who took part in the Resistance movement in Italy during World War II. Eccli worked for many years in Russian and Italian archives, and wrote a book about Russian members of the Resistance. Just recently, documentary film based on his book "Sovietichi" was presented tp a wide audience.
– You have presented the Sovietichi documentary in the Krasnogorsk branch of the Victory Museum. Is that was the name that the Soviet partisans who participated in the resistance movement in Italy were called during the Second World War? How the inspiration for the film came about?
- Yes, “Sovietichi” (“Soviets”) is what Italian partisans called their Russian comrades who fled from fascist concentration camps. The idea to put this story on screen came from screenwriter Stanislav Gnezdilov, whom I met through one of my students. Together with director Oleg Shtrom he has already made several documentaries. Stanislav was always interested in the history of Soviet partisans who fought in the ranks of the European Resistance. Stanislav and Oleg decided to make a documentary when they read my Soviet partisans in Italy book. The documentary was filmed during three years, it took quite a long time. Last year we filmed in Italy only for 5 days, but due to the pandemic. The great news is that our 53-minutes film is finally done.
- Is it about the story of Soviet partisans who ended up in Italy?
- Unfortunately, the story is incomplete. It covers only the north-western part of Italy and Lombardy. We did not have time to shoot due to coronavirus restrictions in other parts of the country.
- How did this topic enter in your life? Why did you become interested in Russian partisans in Italy?
- There is a grave of an unknown Soviet partisan in the village where I was born, in the mountains above Verona. This grave is looked after, there are always flowers. But we always wanted to know who this person is, and why he ended up in our region. As an adult, I began to study the archives of the Second World War, collect stories about Soviet partisans in Italy. I worked a lot in Russian military archives. Then I started checking an information through an organization that maintains all German cemeteries in Italy. And only after I went to municipalities of Italian cities, where the graves of Soviet partisans are located.
– Did you also start learning Russian thanks to your interest in the history of the Second World War?
– Yes, to some extent. I studied at the University of Bologna as a Russian language and literature specialist. 20 years ago I moved to Russia permanently and work here as an Italian language teacher.
- Soviet participants of the Resistance are mostly Russian soldiers who escaped from captivity?
– They were not only prisoners of war, but also civilians. Some were taken by the Germans to work in Italy. For example, Nikolai Orlov, whose story I also learned through my research. He was a resident of Smolensk; when the city was occupied, local youth went to work in Germany, including Nikolai. He was sent to work on the Gothic Line, the defensive line of German troops in Northern Italy. He managed to escape from there as well and ended up in an Italian village. Although he knew only few words in Italian, he explained that he was Russian. He was given food and helped to get into a partisan forces.
Nikolai fought in a partisan detachment until mid-1944. After the liberation of Italy, he was transported to Livorno distribution center. From there deported to work Soviet citizens could return home. The allied US and British administration wanted to send Soviet prisoners to Australia, but they refused to go there and demanded to be sent to their homeland.
- Did Nikolai Orlov fight in the 36th brigade of Garibaldi?
- Yes, the soldiers of this brigade liberated the cities of Imola and Bologna. There was a major transport hub near Imola, and they had to control it.
- And besides Nikolai Orlov, did you manage to establish other names of Soviet partisans?
- Yes, we managed to restore the names of the associates of Nikolai. And recently, thanks to the help of the grandson of the commander of his brigade, we were able to ensure that Nikolai Orlov received the Star of Garibaldi, the highest military award in Italy. I have been friends with Nikolai Orlov for many years. He doesn’t feel well and in hospital now, unfortunately. He has became the protagonist of the main character in Sovietici.
Our cooperation with the screenwriter and director of the documentary continues. Our next idea is to shoot a feature film about the events of that time. And yet aother joint project is to restore the radar tower in Ufa city, from which the anti-fascist radio Milano Libertà was broadcasting during the years of WW2.
