Fomenko Maksim Viktorovich

The policy of "canceling" any state, political, or military figure is one of the mechanisms of "symbolic politics" aimed at consolidating the results of the intra-elite power struggle in the public consciousness. During the Soviet era, the country's military elite was repeatedly subjected to repressive measures, accompanied by the use of "canceling" tools in symbolic politics. The objectives of this article are to identify the mechanisms of "canceling" applied to renowned military leaders who, for various reasons, lost their place in the country's military elite at different stages of the USSR's existence. To address these issues, a case study method was used, selected from three significant periods of the USSR's existence. Institutional, semantic, and semiotic analysis were employed to identify and describe the "canceling mechanisms." The authors' analysis revealed that the policy of "canceling" was used as an accompanying mechanism for the application of repression against those military figures who were perceived as a threat to the existing political regime. The degree and forms of physical violence used during repression varied, but the "cancellation" mechanism, established by the early 1920s, remained unchanged in its core elements. This mechanism included three key elements: a) "silencing"; b) transferring achievements to another historical figure; c) direct or indirect accusations of errors or crimes against the "cancelled" person before the Soviet government. The results of the "cancellation" mechanism were temporary and could subsequently be revised.

The article is devoted to the key factors determined pattern and scale of Red Army and German Army losses during the operation to Kalinin city liberation in December, 1941. Author studied the conditions of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War in the context of their influence on the losses of the warring sides. The difficulties of the Soviet and German armed forces on the tactical and operational levels are revealed. The personal dimension of the decision making process predetermined the course and the results of the battle is considered.