April 28 in Russian history

1799: Russian army, led by the count Alexander Suvorov of Rymnik, liberates Milan. In 1798, Russia joined the anti-Napoleon coalition (Great Britain, Austria, Turkey, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies). A joint Russian-Austrian army was formed to liberate the Northern Italy, occupied by the French troops. First, it was planned that the army will be led by archduke Joseph, but Austria asked Russian emperor Paul II to send Alexander Suvorov. Suvorov, who never lost a single battle in his life, was sent in retirement in February 1797 and lived in a village under the police surveillance. In February 1799 Paul II summonned him and appointed the commander of the joint army. In April, Suvorov arrived to Italy and on April 27 in the first battle, known as the battle of Cassano d'Adda, defeated the French army. On the next day, the army entered Milan. A little bit later, he won two more battles in Trebia and Novi. After the Northern Italy, Suvorov planned to attack France through Grenoble, Lyon and Paris, but the allies, Great Britain and Austria, trying to avoid the increase of the Russian influence in the Mediterranean, ordered Suvorov to leave the Austrian army in Italy and to lead the Russian troops to Switzerland to join the 40,000-men army of general Alexander Rimsky-Korsakov and to attack France from Switzerland. Suvorov led his men through the Alps, incessantly maneuvering, and finally reached Switzerland. Unfortunately, general Korsakov, betrayed by Austrians, lost a battle at Zurich and had to retreat to Vorarlberg. In October 1799, Russia broke the alliance with Austria and Suvorov was ordered to return to Russia. After this campaign, he earned the titles of Prince of Italy, Count of the Holy Empire, prince of Sardinia, Generalissimo of Russia's Ground and Naval forces, Field Marshal of the Austrian and Sardinian Armies. In May, 1800, Suvorov died.

1813: Another great Russian Field Marshal, Mikhail Kutuzov, died on April 28, 1813, in Bunzlau (now Bolesławiec, in modern Poland). Less than 8 months passed after his victory in Borodino, probably the greatest feat of his life.

1968: Comedy The Diamond Arm (Brilliantovaya Ruka) is released. The movie became one of the favourite comedies in USSR and Russia, but I wouldn't call it "the best Soviet comedy ever made", as Wikipedia suggests. Anyway, a lot of people still love it, watch it and quote it. The plot is like this. A group of smugglers plans to bring diamonds to the USSR and sends one of them to a foreign country. His foreign partners confuse an ordinary Soviet tourist, Semyon Gorbunkov, for him and put diamonds into the bandage on his broken arm. The largest part of the movie is how the smugglers try to get the diamonds back and Gorbunkov, assisted by policemen, avoids their traps and finally helps to arrest them. The best thing in the movie is a lot of catchphrases, still widely recognized by most of us here. When your friend forgets something, just say reproachfully: "Semyon Semyonych!", and he will slap his head and say: "A-ah!". :) Oh, and of course, the actors. They are brilliant. Andrei Mironov, Anatoli Papanov, Yuri Nikulin -- a real constellation.

January 30 in Russian history

1489: Muscovy establishes diplomatic relationships with the Holy Roman Empire. During the late XV century, Muscovy had two strong enemies: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman empire, and was looking for allies. To achieve this, Ivan III seeked to establish contacts with other European countries. He signs a treaty with Livonia in 1481, exchanged messages "of brotherhood and union" with Venice (1485), exchanged ambassadors with Austria (1489), signed a treaty with Hungary (1485), agreed on joint military actions against Sweden with Denmark (1481 and 1493). In 1486, a knight from Sylesia, someone Nicholas Poppel, visited Moscow. When he returned from Muscovy, he spoke of the Russian state, whose ruler was "more powerful and rich than the Polish king." It was a surprise for Europe, since the rumors spoke of Russia as a country still in subjugation of either Tatars or Poles. In 1489, Poppel visited Moscow again, this time as an ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire. He and Ivan III signed a treaty and Poppel offered Ivan to accept the title of the king. Ivan III replied: "By God's grace, we have been the lords of our land from the beginning, since our first forefathers, and we have been placed by God, and we never wanted and do not want any other permissions."

1801: Emperor Pavel I signed the Manifesto on the incorporation of Georgia into Russia. In XVI-XVIII centuries Georgia was under constant attacks of Persia and Ottoman empire, especially after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, when Georgia became cut from other Christian countries. Persia tried to eliminate the Georgian population entirely and the Ottomans were Turkifying the population of south-eastern Georgia. In early XVIII century, the Georgian king Vakhtang VI and other Georgian political figures find an asylum in Russia. In the end of 1782, king Erekle II asks Catherine to take Eastern Georgia (kingdom Kartli-Kakheti) under protection and in 1783 the treaty of Georgievsk was signed. Eastern Georgia gave up its autonomy and Russia guaranteed its independence and territorial integrity. Russia promised to increase the number of troops in Georgia, but failed to comply. In 1795, Persia attacked Georgia and sacked Tbilisi. Two Russian battalions retreated, but Russia sent 13,000 soldiers and liberated Georgia. Turkey also gave up all claims. In 1798, Erekle died and his son George XII became the king. Soon, his illness provoked instability in the country, when his son David and his half-brother Yulon contested the throne. Russia backed David and in December 1800 David became the regent of the Eastern Georgia. In January 1801 Russia violated the terms of the treaty of Georgievsk, removed David from power and proclaimed Eastern Georgia a part of the Russian empire. David was brought to St. Petersburg under a military escort, but in Russia he was freed, he settled in St. Petersburg, became a general and an important politician and in 1812 became a senator. In 1810, the Western Georgia (kingdom of Imereti) joined the Eastern Georgia and became a part of Russian empire.