The "Panfilov 28" are the stuff of legend in Russia: 28 brave soldiers from the Panfilov division of the Soviet Red Army who stared down German tanks on Nov. 16, 1941, dying to save Moscow rather than surrender to the Nazis. "Russia is vast, but there's nowhere to retreat," one of the squadron leaders said before dying, according to a contemporary report in the military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda. "It's Moscow behind us."
Stirring words, still recited today. But, The Wall Street Journal notes, almost certainly made up by the Krasnaya Zvezda reporter and his editor, along with most other details of the story. "The recent online publication of a Soviet-era investigation into the matter has touched off a storm over the sanctity of a cherished piece of wartime lore," reports The Journal's Paul Sonne. "Though the findings were printed in a journal in the 1990s, their re-emergence now — in the era of social media and amid a resurgence of Soviet pride under President Vladimir Putin — is striking an especially sensitive nerve."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain PrizeSpeed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 winsspeed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughterspeed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
-
The Beatles are getting 4 intersecting biopicsSpeed Read Director Sam Mendes is making four separate movies, each told from the perspective of one band member
-
Taylor Swift to Miley Cyrus: female artists dominate 2024 GrammysSpeed Read SZA, Phoebe Bridgers and Lainey Wilson were also among the winners at LA gala
