Mishka Yaponchik is the legendary leader of the Odessa bandits. At one time, he made a lot of noise in Odessa, and after his death, many stories were told about him, true and not very true. But this man definitely went down in history. His wife, Tsilya Averman, is also known for her beauty, but still this story will not be about her, but about someone who once managed to conquer the entire Odessa criminal world.
Origin and childhood
The future leader of Odessa smugglers and raiders was born on October 30, 1891 in Odessa, in the heart of Moldavanka. In the documents, he was recorded as Moishe-Yakov Volfovich Vinnitsky. Yaponchik's father's name was Meer-Folf, he was the owner of a haulage industry establishment, in other words, a bindyuzhnik. It should be noted that his character was rather harsh, he liked to drink and arrange a scuffle.
Moishe Vinnitsky had an older sister, Zhenya, and two younger brothers, Abram and Isaac. Mishka Yaponchik's sister suffered from Graves' disease and died back in 1923. The brothers lived in Odessa, and Isaac, the youngest of them, moved to the USA with his family in 1973.
Mishka received his primary education in the synagogue,after graduating from elementary school there. The times were difficult, and the father was unhappy that his son was sitting idle, because of which quarrels quite often occurred at home. He wanted to see his son as his assistant, who continued his father's hauling business, while Mishka's mother wanted him to serve in the synagogue. But the young man had his own thoughts and considerations in this regard. All this seemed to him boring and uninteresting, he gravitated toward secular life. And he understood that only those who have money and power can afford going to opera houses accompanied by exquisite ladies. And then he decided that he would definitely achieve all this and become the king of Odessa. Filmed in 2011, the film about Mishka Yaponchik tells a detailed story of the life of an Odessa raider.
A little about Moldavanka
Their family lived in Moldavanka, which was the nearest suburb of the free port of Odessa. A colossal amount of contraband goods passed through it, which served as a source of income for many Odessa families and clans. But only their own people could do this business. The Moldavian woman is unique in its kind, because almost all of its inhabitants were in one way or another connected with smuggling. Once upon a time, there was a kind of criminal, inherent only in these places. Such raiders worked according to a special scheme, acting in collusion with the owners of inns, shopkeepers and cabbies. Raiding, robbing and selling goods became a craft, and those who were most lucky later managed to get rich and start their own business.
Even Moldovan kids had their games, inwhom they presented themselves either as cunning smugglers who transported goods, or as dashing raiders who robbed stores. They all dreamed of breaking out of poverty, and the people who succeeded were their idols. Something like this was the life of Mishka Yaponchik, but in addition to everything, while still young, he carefully studied the craft of smugglers, raiders and other characters of this system. New thoughts and ideas arose in his head about how “business” should be conducted. And then one day he decided to take a chance…
Start of criminal activity
In August 1907, the future leader of the Odessa bandits, who at that time was not even sixteen years old, took part in the robbery of a flour shop. Everything went smoothly, so already on October 29 he again raided, this time on a rich apartment. They didn't arrest him right away. On December 6, during a raid in a brothel, Mishka Yaponchik was arrested. The bandit's biography further tells of the court that sentenced him to 12 years in prison.
In prison, Mishka did not lose his head and showed all his ingenuity, coming up with a cunning scheme with which he was able to get out ahead of schedule. He managed to pull off some documentation scam by swapping terms with a country boy he took under his protection. After some time, the deception was discovered, but the criminal police did not raise a fuss, not wanting to inform the authorities about their oversight.
At liberty, Vinnitsky decided that it was time to start conquering the underworld of Odessa. A lifeMishki Yaponchik, who was only 24 years old, changes after he decides to come to Mayer Gersh, the leader of the thieves of Moldavanka. He gives the green light to Mishka's entry into the "case". Vinnitsa receives a new urge and from that moment becomes Jap. He successfully completes the first task entrusted to him and gradually earns his authority in the criminal world. Over time, Yaponchik organizes his own gang, which initially consisted of five of his childhood friends. The friends make their living by robbing shops and manufactories, and Mishka himself in a relatively short time makes all of Odessa talk about himself.
Conquest of Odessa and not only
Jap was truly an outstanding personality, because after only two years, almost the entire criminal world of Odessa recognized him as their leader, and this is at least several thousand smugglers and raiders. From now on, Meyer Gersh becomes his right hand, helping, as necessary, to unite all the Odessa criminal gangs into one huge interacting group. Everywhere Yaponchik has his people, and numerous shopkeepers and merchants, ready to pay tribute at the first instruction, are afraid of him like fire.
Japonchik also has his own people in the police who inform him in advance about upcoming raids and give hints as to who and what kind of bribe should be given. The sphere of interests of Mishka Vinnitsky included not only the city of Odessa - he turned "cases" far beyond its borders, organizing a criminal syndicate, which included gangs from many Russian provinces. This has never happened before in the Russian Empire. From all over the countryfunds were received directly into the treasury of Yaponchik.
The work of his "organization" was debugged and structured, there were their own professions, each performed the role assigned to him. Gunners, swindlers, hired killers who worked for Yaponchik received good money for their "labor".
Bandit or king?
Legends told about the Vinnitsa bear. A stocky dandy, dressed in a fashionable outfit, walked around Deribasovskaya, accompanied by bodyguards selected from among the most hardened raiders. Those whom he met on his way bowed to him and made way. Every day, Mishka Yaponchik, whose biography tells us about him as an intelligent and even educated person, visited the Fanconi cafe, where brokers and all kinds of stock players gathered, in connection with which Vinnitsa was always aware of all ongoing transactions and other commercial events. In his entire busy and relatively short life, he was married only once - somewhere in 1917-18. his wife was Tsilya Averman, whose beauty contemporaries spoke with great admiration.
Mishka Yaponchik did not intend to limit himself to power and money alone, so he decided to introduce the so-called "hijacker's code", for non-compliance with which the offender could not only be punished by excommunication from the "case", but even killed. However, Vinnitsky himself preferred to do without "mokruha". It was even rumored that he could not stand the sight of blood and could easily lose consciousness in such an environment. As for the "code", then, according to one of the rules, the banditsit was forbidden to rob doctors, artists and lawyers, who received the right to live and work in peace.
Mishka Yaponchik, whose personal life seems rather mysterious to many researchers, wanted to be recognized in the circles of the intelligentsia. And although most representatives of high society shunned and feared him, Vinnitsky often appeared in various secular places, whether it was an opera house or a literary meeting, where he felt at home. The young and beautiful wife of Mishka Yaponchik almost always accompanied him during trips to various social events. He was familiar with many significant people of that time, it was even said that Fyodor Chaliapin was among them. He also liked to arrange noisy feasts, on which the tables were bursting with an abundance of all kinds of snacks and alcohol, for which the inhabitants of Moldavanka called him the King.
Jap's confrontation with the authorities
During the Civil War, it was restless everywhere, including in Odessa, where in 1917-1918. power has changed more than once. Each of them strove to establish their own rules, but Yaponchik retained power under any authority, because he was cunning and dodgy, acting on his own territory, which he and his people knew like the back of their hands. According to some reports, up to 10 thousand people could be under the leadership of Yaponchik at the height of the Civil War.
Mikhail Vinnitsky had great influence in Odessa, so the authorities made more than one attempt to get him out of the way. For example, during that periodwhen the White Guards were in charge of the city, Denikin's general Schilling gave the order to deal with Yaponchik, but the counterintelligence officers who went after him to the Fanconi cafe could not kill him on the spot, so they were forced to take him with them. Rumors about the arrest of the leader of the Odessa bandits spread with incredible speed throughout the city and reached Moldavanka, so after half an hour armed raiders fled from all sides to the counterintelligence building. In the end, General Schilling was forced to let Yaponchik go free.
In the future, Vinnitsa tried to reconcile with the Whites, but they refused to make contact, as a result of which he declared war on them. Since then, armed clashes have been constantly taking place between the Odessa bandits and the whites. In turn, the authorities, constantly criticizing Yaponchik, do not go further than this, and do not dare to arrest him.
Jap and communists
In the spring of 1919, the Bolsheviks came to Odessa again. Initially, they were more loyal to Yaponchik and even turned to him for help, for example, he was asked to organize order on the days of charity concerts. So, throughout Odessa, a mass of announcements were hung, informing that order in the city was ensured and there would be no robberies until two in the morning. And the signature: "Mishka Yaponchik." The biography of the famous raider contains such interesting details. Now his people are not only refraining from looting, but are themselves engaged in ensuring order in the city.
Over time, red, like anyanother government, began to establish their own rules in Odessa. Mikhail Vinnitsky and his people were also persecuted. Yaponchik was ready for the raids that had begun and normally perceived the activity of the new government, but soon the Bolsheviks began to shoot his guys without trial or investigation. The leader of the raiders and smugglers decided to lay low for a while. He analyzed the situation in the country and came to the conclusion that the Bolsheviks are likely to remain in power for a long time.
He needed to save his army of many thousands, and he could achieve this only in two ways: win or surrender.
Participation in the Civil War
Cunning Jap comes up with a plan and immediately begins to implement it. First, he publishes a letter in the newspaper, in which he introduces himself as a man who once served 12 years for revolutionary activities. He writes that he fought at the front, took part in the dispersal of counter-revolutionary gangs, and even was the commander of an armored train … But he never received an answer to his letter.
In early June 1919, Vinnitsky personally reported to the Special Department of the Cheka of the 3rd Ukrainian Army and demanded an audience with his chief. Mishka Yaponchik, whose biography from that moment tells us about his participation in the Civil War, asks for permission to form a detachment from his people under his own command, and join the Red Army with him. The authorities gave the go-ahead and soon the leader of the Odessa bandits led the newly created "54th Soviet Regiment", composed of 2400 people.
Already in July, Yaponchik's regiment was sent to the war zone. When the newly minted soldiers, once engaged in robbery and smuggling, went to the front, almost all of Odessa came to see them off. People were crying and waving handkerchiefs. Odessans were proud of their bandits. The film about Mishka Yaponchik, in which this episode is captured, perfectly conveys the atmosphere of that time.
Yaponchik's regiment became part of the 2nd brigade of Kotovsky, who, by the way, was an old acquaintance of the leader of the bandits. The regiment participated in battles with the troops of Simon Petlyura and achieved good results. But the commanders of the Red Army, among whom was Kotovsky, were concerned about the growing influence of Vinnitsa on the soldiers. They planned to kill him and disarm the regiment. But since the commander of the Red Army could not be killed just like that, without trial and investigation, they decided to lure him into a trap.
Death of the King
Mishka Vinnitsa is sent to the headquarters allegedly for "replenishment". In addition, he is informed that a new appointment awaits him, but Yaponchik was too smart, so he immediately suspected something was wrong. In order to save his people, he orders most of them to go to Odessa on their own in a roundabout way. He himself takes with him a little more than a hundred fighters and goes for "replenishment". At one of the stations, together with his people, he gets off the train and captures the echelon, ordering the driver to follow to Odessa. Further events describing the last moments of the life of the Odessa raider are quite colorfully reproduced in the TV series “The Life and Adventures of MishkaJap.”
He was not destined to reach his hometown. One of Vinnitsa's men, the commissar of the 54th regiment, Alexander Feldman, turned out to be a traitor who informed the leadership of Vinnitsky's intentions. The Yaponchik train, whose final station was to be the city of Odessa, was passing through the city of Voznesensk, where a cavalry division was already waiting for it. His fighters were locked in the cars, and Yaponchik himself was declared arrested. After he refused to hand over his weapon, the commander of the detachment that arrived behind him, Nikifor Ursulov, shot him in the back. The death of Mishka Yaponchik was not instantaneous, the Red Army soldier had to shoot again. So the famous Odessa leader of smugglers and raiders was killed.
Other information
We talked a lot about Yaponchik, but almost nothing was said about his family. Little is known about his wife Tsilya Averman, except that she was his first and only wife. After her husband was killed, Mishka Yaponchik's wife went abroad and settled in France, where she lived for the rest of her life. It is also known that they had a daughter named Adele. Tsilya, going abroad, could not take Ada with her. Mishka Yaponchik's daughter spent the last years of her life in Baku, where she died in 1990
Mishka Vinnitsa was popular during his lifetime, and after his death he completely became a legend. Many stories were told about him, many of which may not be true, but they serve as proof of the popularity of the Odessa bandit. The Soviet writer Isaac Babel created a character, Benya Krik, whose prototype was Yaponchik. And in 2011, a serial film "The Life and Adventures of Mishka Yaponchik" was filmed in Odessa. And although some of the events shown in it do not correspond to reality, on the whole the film conveys to the viewer the atmosphere of Odessa at the beginning of the 20th century with its raiders, smugglers and other colorful characters.
