RUSSIAN REVOLT SPREADS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17730, 15 March 1921, Page 5

RUSSIAN REVOLT SPREADS.

RISING IN THE UKRAINE. ADVANCE ON THE CRIMEA. KRONSTADT BOMBARDED. TROTZKY DIRECTS ATTACK. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received' 7.30 pjn.) Times. LONDON. March 13. The correspondent of the Times at Kovno states that the revolution against the Russian Soviet Government is spreading in the Ukraine, Southern Russia, and Siberia. Pet.ro.-zrad apparency is still the storm centre. The rebels are fighting strongly. Jvi is variously reported that a Social Revolutionary Committee has been established a.i Petrograd, and is in communicat\on -with Kronstadt; also, that the workais have proclaimed a general strike, and are demanding the convocation of a properly constituted, national assembly. Kronstadt was shelled throughout Friday from Krasnayagorka, Petrograd, and Oranienbaum, and is still burning, i Deserters from Krasnayagorka describe the Chinese Red troops as compelling Russian soldiers to man half-demolished defences by threatening to turn machineguns upon them. Kovi'io advices state that the Moscow! Soviet has resolved that, as a world revo- : kition is not now maturing', relations with ! foreign capitalistic States are indispens- ) able, even at the sacrifice of the funda- j mental principles of Bolshevism. j Riga advices state that General Toncha- ! tofski, commander of the Soviet forces operating against Kronstadt, has been re- i lieved of his command owing to three I eerrious reverses. Trotzby personally has taken command on the Kronstadt front with headquarters at Sestroretzk, west of .Petrograd. The Communists fear fresh attacks from Kronstadt, and armoured trains are patrolling tile coast between Petrrrrad and Sestroretzk. A cablegram from Narva states that Kronstadt has food sufficient for fouri months, and ammunition enough for some! years. I Victor Tchernoff. head of the Social Revolutionary Committee, has arrived at j RevaL He is the former President of the j Constitutional Assembly formed after the I first revolution in 1917. • Accounts of the rising in the Ukraine I received from Poland state that the i Ukrainian general, Machno, is in com- [ mand of the operations. The Ukrainian j instiargente cap taxed Ekaterinoslav, and I axe advancing toward, the Crimea, i Members of the Soviet Committees taken at Elisavetgrad were shot ox hanged. Kronstadt, the centre of the new revolution in Russia, is a strongly fortified 6eapori situated on the island of KotJin, near the head of the Gulf of Finland, 20 miles west of Petrograd. The island of Kotlin in general, outline forms an elongated triangle ?i miles in length by one mile in breadth, with its base towards Petrograd. The eastern aDd broad end is occupied by the town of The ! island divides the seaward approach to , Petrograd into two channels. The northern side is obstructed by shoals which extend across it from Kotlin to the Finnish mainland, and is only passable by vessels drawing less than 15ft. of water. The southern channel, the highway to Petrograd, is narrowed by a spit which projects from opposite Oranienbanm on the Russian mainland, and, lying close to Kronstadt, iB strongly guarded by batteries. The approach to Petrograd is facilitated by a canal 23ft. deep through the shallows. At this time of the year however, Kronstadt is icebound, and the remnants of the Russian Baltic fleet, four j serviceable battle cruisers and destroyer , *h<3 scouting craft, are presumably imt :obuised in Kronstadt harbour. The Soviet forces appear to hold Che j southern shores of the mouth of the Neva j and the Gulf of Finland. A railway from j Petrograd skirts the coast and links Peterhof. Orainenbanm and Krasnayagorka, the latter a fortress to the southeast of Kotlin. from which the Soviet command is bombarding Kronstadt. i Ekaterinoslav. which is reported to have j been captured by the Ukrainian insurgents, is a large town on the Dnieper, j about 250 miles north-east of Kherson, on the Black Sea coast. Elisavetgrad is a small town about 150 miles east of Ekaterinoslav. BODYGUARD FOR LENIN. FEAR OF ASSASSINATION. (Received 7.5 p-iru) United Service- LONDON. March IS. Though reports of the Russian revolution con tin ue contradictory, it seems clear | that the rebels are fighting strongly. j Reports received in Paris state that the j revolt has extended to White Russia and | the Ukraine, where bands of anti-80l- j shev>s hold sway. I Advices from Moscow state that numer- j cus plots to murder Lenin have resulted j in the formation of an inner Red Life. Guard of 3000 picked Communists. <Armed , visitors to the Kremlin who were arrested admitted that they had instructions from the Central Organisation for the Libera- J ' tion of Russia to murder Soviet leaders, j REVOLTS IN THE SOUTH. KIEFF SOVIET OVERTHROWN. A. and Ni LONDON, March 13- j Fighting in Petrograd and Kronstadt j continues. The rebels are chiefly Bolsheviks, who are opposed to the dictator- j ship of the Moscow leaders, but who j favour freely elected Soviets. j Copenhagen advices assert that a general strike is in operation in Petrograd. The strikers expelled the Soviet officials from • their offices. The Soviet Government has formally declared war against Kronstadt. P.eports from Helsingl'ors state that 150 BoLshevik commissaries were crucified in Tsaritzyn, in Southern Russia, and Soviet rule has been overthrown at Kieff, Orel, and TambovT, three of the most important towns to the south of Moscow.