V. I.

Lenin

185

TELEGRAM TO L. D. TROTSKY

Urgent

Trotsky, Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council
of the Republic
Kursk (or present whereabouts)

The operations report of the Chief of Staff of the
Caucasus Front No. 4873 shows that the Krasnov troops have
occupied Raigorod, on the banks of the Volga south of
Sarepta, threatening in the first place our military freight
moving from Vladimirovka to Tsaritsyn, and secondly the safety of the line from Astrakhan to Saratov. Please
take steps. The same operations report shows that a British
fleet of four vessels bombarded Staroterechnaya, south of
Astrakhan, set fire to two of our barges and withdrew to sea
unscathed, seizing our hospital ship Alesker with medical
staff on board. Where is our fleet and what is it doing?

Lenin
Chairman, Council of People’s Commissars

---
Notes: