REVOLUTIONARY RUSSIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 3403, 4 June 1919, Page 22

REVOLUTIONARY RUSSIA.

THE ADVANCE ON PETROGRAD. (By Cable.) NEW YORK, May 17 (delayed). The New York Times Copenhagen correspondent learns from a reliable -source that General Mannerheim, with the Finnish army, is within 20 miles of Petrograd, and expects to enter the city in a few days. The Bolshevist authorities have left Petrograd, and are going to Moscow. LONDON, May 20. A wireless message from Moscow states that Finnish troops are landing on the east coast of Lake Ladoga. The Finnish operations in the Olonets region, coupled with the operations on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, indicate that the enemy intends to develop a pincers movement, squeezing Petrograd from east and west. The War Office reports that Russian infantry have occupied Povyenets, at the northern extremity of Lake Onega. The Bolshevists, before evacuating, removed all males over 14. May .26. The Esthonians have smashed the Bolshevist front afc Pskov, capturing 1100 men. May 27. The fall of Petrograd is imminent. The Allies are arranging for the provisioning of the city. A Moscow wireless message states that the Bolshevists have abandoned Gdov and retired to new positions to the south of it; Bolshevist warships bombarded the villages northward of Narva. The Esthonians, advancing in the direction of Jamburg and Narva, captured an armed train and many machine guns, and took prisoner 1500 Bolshevists.

NEW YORK, May 28. The Bolshevists deny that the fall of Petrograd is imminent. FOOD FOR PETROGRAD. LONDON, May 29. Stockholm telegrams state that Sir Hubert Gough, who is in charge of the I British Military Mission in Finland, an- ! nounces that complete arrangements have i been made to feed the people of PetroI grad directly the city is captured.' I The Bolshevist leaders have fled, leaving I the town in the hands of leaderless sol- | diers. Street fighting has commenced between | the workmen of Petrograd and Letts and Chinese who are now in the city. NAVAL MOVEMENTS. LONDON, May 15 (delayed). ' The Australian Press Association learns | that the concentration at Helsingfora is due to the Bolshevist navy preparing_to leave Kronstadt, possibly to bombard Helsingfors. The idea of massing forces for the purpose of attacking Petrograd is discredited, because Helsingfors is unlikely, being unsuitable as a starting-point compared with Viborg. j COPENHAGEN, May 16 (delayed). I Three hundred British ships have passed Bergen (Norway), going towards Archangel. They are mostly flat-bottomed vessels of 10C0 tons, able to navigate the Russian rivers. | LONDON, May 17 (delayed). j British submarines have been sent to the ! Baltic to assist a pov-erful squadron of | British surface ships against the Bolshev- ; ist fleet. •> , June 2. A Bolshevist Dreadnought and four small warships emerged from the Gulf of Finland. The British warships gave battle, and_ the enemy soon fled. There were no British casualties. Bolshevist troops, co-operating crwith the warships, attacked without success in the direction of Catchina. RECOGNITION OF KOLCHAK. PARIS, May 21 (delayed). M. Kerensky and seven other members of the first Russian-National Assembly and officials of two other Republican societies have issued a manifesto protesting against the recognition of M. Kolchak or the Allies' intervention in Russia until asked for by a Government, willing to reconstitute the National Assembly. LONDON, May 27. It is believed that the 'Entente's recognition of M. Kolchak is imminent.

M. Seminoff, interviewed in London, explained that all parties, except the Bolshevists, vroro associated -with Kolchak. The Government at Archangel in the north, and Deniken In the south, were pledged to hold a Constituent Assembly as' early as possible. THE UKRANIAN. POSITION. NEW YORK, May 16 (delayed). The New York Evening Sun's Paris correspondent states that the peace between the Ukrainians and the Pofes, which has been arranged by the Council of Four, means the union of the Ukrainian and Polish armies to the Bolshevists from Ukrainia. General Haller's army is now in Poland, and will join in the campaign, with the Allies at his back. COPENHAGEN, May 19 (delayed). The Ukrainian Bolshevists claim that they have crossed the Dniester, defeating the Rumanians, who are fleeing. LONDON, May 29. The Daily Telegraph's Geneva correspondent states that the Russian Bolshevists have been expelled from the whole of tho Northern Ukraine, also from a large sector on the right bank of the Dnieper. The Ukrainian Revolutionary Committee at Bilaceruka has assumed the direction of three anti-Bolshevist armies, under Grigorieff, Delency, and Sokolovsky. Although the committee is Bolshevist in tone, it is bitterly opposed to the Russian Bolshevists' interference, and is energetically attempting to drive them out.

SITUATION REVIEWED. LONDON, May 17. The Australian Press Agency learns that the anti-Bolshevist insurgents in the Upper Don district number 25,000, but they are suffering from shortage of ammunition and medical stores and lack of officers. They hope to join General Deniken. They have already cut the Bolshevist lines to the northern front. The Bolshevists defeated the TransCaucasian troops advancing on Merv, and the situation there is serious. The ripening crops are falling into the Bolshevists' hands. On the other Russian fronts the Bolshevists are retreating. The indiscipline of the troops has compelled the _ reintroduction of a stringent military regime. The Bolshevists are rushing reinforcements to Gashina to protect Petrograd against the Northern Russians and Esthonians, and fierce fighting is anticipated. General Deniken has completely stopped the Bolshevist advance eastwards of the Sea of Azov, and his counter-offensive is forcing the enemy to retire again across the Manitch River. THE ALLIED' TERMS REJECTED. PARIS, May 20. The Council discussed the new situation which had developed as a consequence of the Bolshevist refusal of the conditions suggested by the Allies for the revictuallmg scheme. A Bolshevist wireless message to-day endeavours to suggest that they did not refuse the terms. This is apparently an attempt to reopen negotiations. May 26. The Big Four is willing to recognise any non-Soviet Russian Government which agrees to convene a national convention and respect the new independent -border States. AUSTRALIANS OFFERING FOR SERVICE. LONDON, May 30. The Australian Press Association learns that 150 Australians, mostly infantry, have enlisted to go to Russia. All the men were demobilised during the past fortnight. Australian Headquarters discourages the enlistment of Australians having dependents in England, and refuses leave to Australians having dependents in Australia. Most of the men are between 20 years and 33 years of age. Thev are mainly moved by a spirit of adventure. Several, after being recruited by British officers, refused to attest on learning that they were not permitted to wear the Australian uniform nor placed in a definite Australian unit. No members of the Australian Flying Corps have enlisted. Brigadier Davies, of the Eighth Brigade, commands the British battalion. The men are mostly enlisting in twos and threes, but seldom singly. 'Major Wark and Captain Moon/ winners of • the Victoria- Cross, are seeking to enlist, but their comrades are endeavouring to dissuade them. The men receive half-deferred pay if they enlist for a year, and the War Office pays their return to Austrtlia. Further enlistments are unlikely'.