CHAOS IN RUSSIA.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4875, 22 May 1918, Page 5

CHAOS IN RUSSIA.

A DANGEROUS SITUATION.^ GERMAN ADVANCE CONTINUES. - WAY TO PETROGRAD OPEN. FATE OF IMPERIAL FAMILY. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association ~ LONDON, May 20. The Morning Post’s Zurich correspondent states :—The fall of Sebastopol was a severe blow for the Bolsheviki, who had been fighting in bodies of two thousand and five thousand strong-, with plenty of artillery and machine-guns. Battles often lasted for two or three days. The fighting made great demands upon the armies of the Central Powers, which had to cover vast distances. Tile Bolsheviki always evaded defeat by flight. There is German. disappointment regarding the" food supply from Ukraine, due to large sums of money which small farmers amassed in the early* part of the war, owing to extortionate prices secured for corn. When the Bolsheviki "regime commenced*-the farmers hid their money and' lived on their hidden stores of grain. Thus far they have not even tilled the soil. The Morning Post’s Zurich correspondent. states: There is much rejoicing in Germany and Austria at the capture of the Dowager Empress of Russia and three Grand Dukes. The Neue Freie Presse says the Central'Powers will not ill-treat them, though all, especially the Comraaii-der-in-Chief, Nicholas, have merited punishment. The newspapers state that untd the arrival of the Germans the Russian Imperial family were allowed only ordinary soldiers’ rations and had neither meat nor sugar. The Grand Duchess Olga had to do housework, washing clothes, and had to„sell some clothes in order to pay a bookseller’s bill. The Matin’s Stockholm correspondent says : The Russians on Saturday evacuated Fort Ino, the last defence gparding Petrograd. The New York Times says Amerisans from Europe sav that Allied Government officials fear the situation on the West front may reach a deadlock unless something is done to stop German progress and domination in Russia. General JofFre, nine months ago, urged that an Allied Expeditionary Force be sent to Russia to help expel the Germans. Joffre pointed out that Germany might extend control to Siberian coal, oil and mineral lands. UKRAINIAN SITUATION. POPULATION . Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter’e. LONDON, May 20. A Russian wireless report states that Shoropadsky has been declared an impostor in various places in Ukraine. His decrees are disregarded. The peasants’ assembly at Kieff, numbering twenty thousand, was closed by the Germans. The population were exasperated, and the district assembly decided to burn all bread and other provisions. Landowners were declared outcasts. Skoropadskv has no troops except a bodyguard of one hundred men. The country is groaning under hunger, misery and slavery. Everybody is endeavoring to free “Great-Rus-sia” and guerilla hands are being formed. Members of the Rada are regarded as traitors. Almost the whole population is armed, and attempts to disarm are resisted to the death. Towns and villages are aflame. Germans everywhere are appointing tlieir own officials and exporting to Germany all the provisions they

can seize. FOOD DISORDERS.

SOME SERIOUS OUTBREAKS. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association (Received May 21. S p.m.) . MOSCOW, May 20. Food disorders have occurred at Pavloskv, where peasants and workmen burned the Soviets’ buildings and several members of the Soviet were burned to death. . A detachment of the Red Guard fired on the mob, 30 being killed or

wounded. GERMANS IN POLAND.

REQUISITION OF LIVE STOCK. Reuter's Telegrams. (Received May 21. 8 p.m.) BERNE, May 20. The Germans in occupied Poland have demanded the delivery of 100, OOC) cattle and 30,000 pigs, comprising one-fifth of the entire stocks.of the

country. WAITING FOR GERMAN REBELLION.

LENIN’S FOREIGN “POLICY.” Reuter’s Telegrams. (Received May 21, S p.m.) PETROGRAD, May 20. _ Lenin, in a speech, epitomised Ins foreign policy, saving: ‘Until a revolution breaks out m W estci n Europe we must manoeuvre, retreat and wait.”

FIGHTING IN CAUCASUS.

PEACE MOVE FAILS. ABSURD TURKISH DEMANDS. Reuter’s Telegrams. (Received Mnv 21. 5.20 p.m.) LONDON, May 20. Bolshevik troops have captured Oerentkopac and Petrovak A telegram from Tiflis dated Ma." 2 states ' that peace pourparlers between the Caucasus Diet and the Ottoman Government have been broken off owing to the monstrous demands of the Turks, who .immediately began ail energetic offensive on the whole front and occupied the town ot Vail, massacring the Armenian in-

habitants. THE COSSACK LEADER.

JOINS FORCES WITH CHINESE. Reuter’s Telegrams. It is reported from Manchuria that General Semenoff s Cossacks have joined forces with Chinese de-

tachments. CHARGES AGAINST EXCZAR.

TO BE TRIED AT MOSCOW. Reuter’s Telegrams. (Received May 21,8.20_ p.m.) LONDON, May 20. A Moscow telegram states that a Bolshevik Commission presided our by M. Krylenko, ordered the tnal of the- ex-Czar on charges, including causing a conn d’etat by changing the electoriial law for the Duma and illegally -disbursing public funds. An escort of Lettish Rifles has been sent to Tobolsk to bring.the ex-Czai to Moscow. , . ~ It i s officially announced that the anarchist movement at Moscow has been completely -suppressed and bv ‘anarchist organisations have been dissolved and over 500 members arrested and 5 order reestablished after severe gunfire causing serious < ama?riic Soviets have proclaimed Russian Turkestan a Republic.