Sakhalin region. History of the Sakhalin region. Sakhalin Island - Rest on Sakhalin

Near the eastern coast of Siberia. It lies between 46° and 54° north latitude and 141° and 145° east longitude. The island stretches from north to south for 850 km. The width of the island is maximum 183 kilometers and minimum 24 km.

The nearest distance from the island to the mainland is near the mouth, between Capes Lazarev and Pogobi. Here between the lands 7 km. The southern end of Sakhalin departs from the coast of the mainland at a distance of about 300 km. If you count in parallel. The smallest width of the La Perouse Strait, which separates Sakhalin from Iesso, is about 40 km. Between Sakhalin and the mainland is located, the continuation of which is, which received in its narrowest part, near the mouth of the Amur River, the name of the Nevelskoy Strait. The width of the strait coincides with its depth. From Cape to Cape Mary, the depths are so insignificant that three famous navigators: La Perouse and Broughton tried to penetrate this strait from to. They came to the conclusion that Sakhalin is a peninsula. Subsequently, the fairway was found by Nevelskoye, but it turned out to be passable only for ships with a draft of no deeper than 23 feet (1 foot = 30.5 cm). To the south of Cape Lazarev, the depths increase rapidly.

The water in the North is warmer than in Okhotsk. Which by its properties approaches the polar seas. main reason low Sea of ​​Okhotsk lies in the masses of ice that originated in the Gizhiginskaya and Peyzhinskaya bays. The ice stays near the northern end of Sakhalin almost all summer long. These ices are carried by the fast Sakhalin current, washing the northern part of the island and the northern half of its eastern coast, to the latitudes of middle Sakhalin. Influence low temperatures The Sea of ​​Okhotsk does not extend to the North Japan Sea, as this is prevented by Sakhalin. In addition, the current from the Amur blocks the access of ice from the Sea of ​​Okhotsk to the Tatar and La Perouse Straits. Through these, only the surface layers of both seas are connected, does not contribute to cooling Sea of ​​Japan also for the reason that warm Japanese is suitable for it. One branch of the current turns into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, and the other rises along the western coast of Sakhalin and has a beneficial effect on this part of the island.

The physical properties of the seas surrounding Sakhalin determine the difference in the climates of different parts of the island. Its northern part, coming close to the mainland, is climatically influenced by it. Strong cooling during the winter, when the Nevelskoy Strait freezes completely, causes strong northerly and northwesterly winds on Sakhalin.

Under the influence of winds, winters in the northern part of the island are distinguished by continental severity. Freezing of mercury is a common occurrence here. In summer, in the northern part of the island, blowing from the cold Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bOkhotsk prevails, which greatly lower the temperature in summer. Thus, in climatic terms, Northern and Middle Sakhalin are placed in unfavorable conditions A: These parts of the island have harsh continental winters and cold maritime summers. Winter in the northern part average temperature approaching the winter of the coast Arctic Ocean in or south of the island. Summer is like the summer of the coast, although the northern end of Sakhalin is approximately at the latitude of Simbirsk. At the mouth of the Tym, on the eastern coast of the island and in Due, almost at the latitude of Saratov, it occurs. The further south from Douai, the milder the climate becomes. It takes on a marine character. The difference in climate between the western shores of the island and the opposite coast of the mainland is growing. The difference lies in the fact that the winter cold on Sakhalin is less significant than at the corresponding latitude of the coast of Eastern Siberia. Winter and summer in the southern part of the island resemble the same seasons of the Arkhangelsk and Olonets regions in terms of average temperature. Despite the fact that the southern end of Sakhalin is at the latitude of Odessa and Astrakhan. In addition to the low temperature of winter and summer, Sakhalin is also distinguished by the fact that spring is much colder than autumn. This happens even inside the island, but especially in its south.

Despite the insignificant width of Sakhalin, there is a big difference in the climate of its eastern and western shores. This is precisely the different influence of the seas washing the island. On the eastern coast, washed by the cold, where even in June there are floating ice, at the latitude of the mouth of the Tym River, the climate is much more severe. Winter and summer are colder here than at the corresponding latitude of the western coast. This is because the influence of the cold Sea of ​​Okhotsk, due to the mountainous nature of the island and the meridional location of the ridges that hold back winds, is not transmitted to west coast.

Sakhalin Island (photo by Vladislav Petrushko)

Throughout Sakhalin it is very significant. Winter is characterized by an abundance of snow, and summer by frequent rains. The thickness reaches two meters. In Kusunnai, up to 150 rainy days are observed during the year, of which 60 are rainy and 90 are snowy. Frequent in summer, more on the east than on the west coast. The surface of Sakhalin is almost entirely mountainous, and only between the ridges are lowlands, through which quite major rivers. The western coast from the southern tip of Cape Crillon consists of an almost solid stone wall. It rises in places up to 100, 200 feet. There is not a single significant bay here, and there are no islands either. The exception is Monneron Island, which lies near the southern end of Sakhalin. The western coast remains in this way until Cape Wanda, located opposite the De-Kastri Gulf. To the north of this cape stretches a flat Sandy shore stretching along the entire Amur estuary. In the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, near the northern tip of Sakhalin, the coast becomes mountainous again. A similar alternation of steep and flat banks is observed on the eastern coast. This is observed at approximately the same latitudes. There are two bays here: Nyisky and Patience Bay.

In those places where the coast is low, there are many lakes, separated from the sea by low isthmuses and connected to it by channels. These channels, as well as the mouths big rivers, are the only places where small boats can land on shore.

"Where the Russian flag is once raised, it should not be lowered there."

NicholasI

The development of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands and the formation of the Russian-Japanese border

The beginning of the formation of the Russian-Japanese maritime border in the region of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, as well as in general, the beginning of the study of these territories dates back to the 17th century. It is assumed that the Nivkhs, who visited the island in winter, when the narrow part of the strait froze, were the first to know about Sakhalin. Sometimes in the summer they crossed the Tatar Strait in their boats.

The first relatively accurate information about Sakhalin in Russia came from the members of the expedition under the guidance of a written head V.D. Poyarkov in 1643 - 1646.

Rafting on the Amur

Here Poyarkov's Cossacks breathed a sigh of relief for the first time. From them he learned about Sakhalin, inhabited by hairy people. The Gilyak "princes" swore allegiance to Russia and voluntarily gave the first yasak - 12 forty sables and six sable coats. At the end of winter, the Cossacks again had to endure hunger. Again they began to eat roots, bark, eat carrion. Before setting off on a campaign, Poyarkov raided the Gilyaks, captured the amanats and collected tribute in sables. In the battle, Poyarkov lost half of his remaining detachment. At the end of May 1645, when the mouth of the Amur was freed from ice, Poyarkov with his Cossacks went to the Amur Estuary.

Return

Poyarkov made a historically proven 12-week (3-month) voyage along the southwestern shores of the Sea of ​​​​Okhotsk from the mouth of the Amur to the mouth of the Ulya, where Poyarkov's detachment fell into a storm and wintered in the fall of 1645.

Here, already in 1639, the foot of the “Russian man” set foot Ivan Moskvitin, and the local peoples paid tribute to the Moscow "white tsar".

In November 1918, Admiral Kolchak was proclaimed the "supreme ruler" of Siberia. The Kolchak government intended to restore hard labor on Sakhalin. But they didn't make it. Although evidence of their atrocities was found in archival documents, including on Sakhalin. On July 14, 1919, the punitive detachment on the steamer "Vzryvatel" arrived in Aleksandrovsk. On this ship, a trial was carried out on the Bolsheviks, after which they were shot there.

The Japanese used the civil war in Russia to their advantage. In exchange for military and economic assistance to Kolchak, they demanded that they be given the right to exploit natural resources northern Sakhalin, hoping to eventually occupy this part of the island.

Representatives of foreign missions in the courtyard of the State Bank building after inspecting the gold reserves.

Omsk, summer 1919. First row from left to right sixth I.I. Bitch.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kolchak government, Sukin, wrote to Foreign Minister Sazonov in a telegram from Tokyo: “We take into account the need to meet Japanese aspirations, especially in relation to Sakhalin ... But we consider it necessary to make this dependent on negotiations with Japan to clarify how our relationship with the latter, as well as receiving military and economic assistance. But by the end of 1919, the Kolchakites were destroyed by the Red Army.

In 1920, citing an imaginary threat to the Japanese subjects of southern Sakhalin, the commander of the Japanese fleet, Admiral Hiroharu Kato, sent the battleship Mikaso and the cruiser Misimi to the shores of northern Sakhalin, and in April a two thousandth detachment of Japanese landed in the port of Alexander, capturing the city.

Thus began the occupation of the northern part of Sakhalin Island.

The Russian population was considered as the population of the conquered country, with all the ensuing consequences. The situation of small nationalities was especially difficult. Entire camps and villages died out from hunger and disease.

In 1925, as a result of internal turmoil in the country, Japan signed an agreement on the transfer of northern Sakhalin to Soviet Russia.
Having practically defeated fascist Germany, on April 5, 1945, the USSR denounced the neutrality treaty with Japan, which unceremoniously violated it. On August 8, 1945, the Japanese ambassador in Moscow received a statement that Soviet Union considers itself at war with Japan and on August 11 formations and units of the 56th Rifle Corps of the 16th Army under the command of Major General A.A. Dyakonov switched to active hostilities.

Stubborn battles began for the capture of strongholds in the area of ​​the Khandas post for access to the front edge of the enemy's main defensive line - the Haramitog fortified area. At the same time, by roundabout actions of the 179th Infantry Regiment from the southeast through Muika (village of Pervomaiskoe), the railway station Coton (village of Pobedino) was captured in order to strike from the rear against the fortified area of ​​the enemy.

Along the entire Soviet border along the fiftieth parallel, the Japanese had strongholds. The Haramitog fortified area had 17 reinforced concrete pillboxes, 31 artillery and 108 machine-gun bunkers, 28 artillery and 18 mortar positions, up to 150 shelters, wire fences, minefields and anti-tank ditches.

The area near the fortified area was completely covered with forest and swamps.

On the morning of August 16, 1945, units of the 79th Infantry Division, in cooperation with the 255th Aviation Division, attacked powerful enemy fortifications from the front and rear. The Japanese offered stubborn resistance, went over to counterattacks. They kept under fire every meter of the earth. Machine gunners - suicide bombers, often chained in reinforced concrete casemates, resisted especially stubbornly. In the battles on the outskirts of the fortified area, a sergeant of the 165th Infantry Regiment, a Sakhalin resident, heroically fought the enemy Anton Efimovich Buyukly. When, due to continuous machine-gun fire from the Japanese bunker, the company's advance was delayed, Buyukly crawled across the open area to the bunker and covered its embrasure with his body, thereby opening the way for the attacking unit.

Hero of the Soviet Union, Sergeant Anton Efimovich Buyukly

The assault on the fortified positions of the enemy lasted three days. A significant part of the Japanese fortifications was destroyed. By the end of August 18 soviet soldiers, breaking the fierce resistance of the Japanese troops and dividing their defense into two groups isolated from each other, captured the Haramitog fortified area. The Japanese command capitulated. The remnants of the garrison, numbering over three thousand soldiers and officers, surrendered.

A heroic raid behind enemy lines along impassable roads and swamps in order to master railway station Coton committed the third battalion of the 179th Infantry Regiment under the command of Captain Leonid Vladimirovich Smirnykh. His battalion, being in the most critical areas of the battle, with bold and decisive actions broke the enemy's resistance, repulsed several counterattacks and successfully completed the task. But the battalion commander himself died a heroic death.

Hero of the Soviet Union, Captain Leonid Vladimirovich Smirnykh

At this time on west coast fierce battles between our landing force and the Japanese aggressors were still going on. The ports of Toro (Shakhtersk), Esutoru (Uglegorsk), Maoko (Kholmsk) were all on fire. A bloody battle broke out on the Kamyshev Pass, where the Japanese shot at every meter of the terrain. Therefore, the Soviet troops had to fight for every hill, every piece of land. On August 24, the vanguard units of the 56th Corps under the command of Major General Alimov entered the city of Toyohara (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk). On August 25, 1945, the troops of the Second Far Eastern Front completed the liberation of the entire southern half of Sakhalin Island from the Japanese invaders.

But Kurile Islands were still occupied by the Japanese. The battles for their liberation were heavy.

During the long period of occupation, a huge number of coastal batteries, bunkers, pillboxes, underground galleries, trenches, trenches, minefields and barbed wire were built here. The most northern islands Shumshu and Paramushir. The enemy has concentrated a significant number of troops and tanks. The battles for Shumshu Island lasted five days.

Immortal feats in the battles for the liberation of the Soviet land were performed by the foreman of the first article Nikolai Vilkov and the sailor Pyotr Ilyichev, both of them repeated the feat of Alexander Matrosov. At the same time, they covered with their bodies two embrasures of the Japanese bunker.

On August 30, the commander of the Kuril landing operation, Major General Alexei Romanovich Gnechko, reported to the front commander: "The Kuril Islands have been liberated and returned to our Motherland." In accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, “since September 20, 1945, all land with its subsoil, forests and factories in the southern part of Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands has been state property, that is, public property.”

And today, looking over the map of Sakhalin and the Kuriles, we see in the names of many towns and cities the names of those who discovered, developed and liberated these glorious Russian islands without sparing their lives, for the good of the Fatherland.

Andrey Ivanov, Doctor of Historical Sciences

Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands in the Primitive and Middle Ages

On Sakhalin, as in all areas of the Earth, the nature surrounding us has been formed over many millennia. Glaciers played a significant role in this. With the onset of glaciers, it became colder, large areas of treeless tundra formed. Ancient glaciations had a significant impact on the formation of the relief, especially the coastal outlines of the World Ocean and fluctuations in its level (60 thousand years ago). So there was an ancient land - Okhotia. The area of ​​​​which was supposedly occupied southwest coast Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Hokkaido and partially islands Kuril ridge. It was then that the advance of ancient animals began along the land "bridges": mammoths, woolly rhinos, musk oxen, horses, and reindeer. These animals were the main prey of the ancient hunters, who, pursuing their prey, came to Sakhalin and further to the south of Okhotia for them. So, on the Tym River, not far from the village of Ado-Tymovo, the oldest site was found, which dates back to the Paleolithic period - the "Ancient Stone Age" (20-25 thousand years ago). It was replaced by the Neolithic - "New Stone Age"(about 7 thousand years ago). In this era, the technique of making stone tools was improved. People learned how to make boats, rafts, skis, and also began to make the first pottery. In the Neolithic era, several archaeological cultures developed in the Sakhalin Region, which there are from 5 to 7 thousand years.

Ancestors of the Nivkhs and Ainu on Sakhalin

With the retreat of the glaciers and the warming of the climate, many lakes and marshes arose; tundra and steppes gave way to light forests, and areas with abundant vegetation increased. In the north of Sakhalin, in the river basin. Tym and its tributaries, pots and tools made of stone were found. Finds in these settlements are combined into an ancient culture of fishermen and land hunters. The culture was named - "Imchinskaya". Other tribes, settling from the mainland, stopping in the northeast of Sakhalin, founded another - "North Sakhalin" culture (4 thousand years ago). Gradually mastering new hunting grounds in the taiga and tundra, some tribal groups ancient population moved south of the island. Here in the south of the island (3.5-4 thousand years ago), the ancestors of the Nivkhs met with the tribes of the ancestors of the Ainu. This means that in the Neolithic the "Obsidian paths" were preserved, passing from the south to the north of the island and further to the lower reaches of the Amur. The Ainu are the original natives of the Japanese islands. However, the rise in the level of the World Ocean (about 6 thousand years ago), causing an active advance of waters on land, forced the Ainu to look for other habitats. So they moved to Sakhalin and other islands close to Hokkaido, such as Kunashir, Shikotan, Iturup. However, it is possible that small groups of Ainu ancestors, having moved to the south of Sakhalin from Hokkaido, gradually disappeared among local population(about 6-7 thousand years ago). So in the south of Sakhalin they distinguish: "South Sakhalin" and "Aniva" cultures. About 4 thousand years ago, the ancestors of the Ainu begin to move to the Kuriles. It has been established that local dwellings, stone tools and ceramic vessels on Shikotan, Kunashir, Iturup and other islands, including Simushir, have many common features. So on the Kuril Islands they distinguish: "South Kuril" culture. The cooling of the climate has led to a reduction in the number of animals. Because of what, the ancient tribes began to develop the coastal regions of Sakhalin and the Kuriles. There they begin to engage in fishing and hunting for marine animals, which gives them a sufficient amount of meat and skins. A special role was played by the movement of small groups of sea hunters from the northern regions of the Okhotsk and Bering Seas. Among them were the ancestors of the Koryaks, Aleuts and Eskimos. The tribes of Sakhalin and the Kuriles borrowed from them some types of tools, such as, for example, harpoons. As you understand, in order to describe the entire long history of Sakhalin and the Kuriles, we will need a very long time. Therefore, we will tell you briefly what happened here before the arrival of the first Russian explorers. In the 1st millennium AD e. V southern regions The Far East was inhabited by various tribes, among which the most significant were the Mohe. In the VIII - IX centuries. there was the first Far East state - Bohai. It was very powerful, but in the X century it was destroyed. His successor was the state - Jurcheni ("Golden Empire" (1115-1234)). The influence of her empire extended far to the North, to the banks of the Lower Amur. main capital Beijing became 1215. Life was very different in the Northeast. Along the coast of Okhotsk to the north of Kamchatka lived the tribes of the ancient Koryaks. In the 10th century, iron tools appeared. The main occupation remains: hunting, fishing, collecting shellfish. At the end of the XVI century. Evenki (Tungus) penetrate Sakhalin, in addition to them, Oroks (Ulta) also moved from the mainland. But as before, the main peoples inhabiting Sakhalin and the Kuriles remained the Nivkhs and Ainu. Moreover, most of the Ainu lived on the Kuril Islands. The defeat of the "Golden Empire" by the Mongols in 1234. led to a decrease in the number of the Jurchen population and the movement of part of it to Sakhalin. After the defeat of the Empire and the capture of China, the Mongols created a new empire under the rule of the Yuan dynasty. In 1263, detachments of the Mongols appeared in the lower reaches of the Amur and asserted power over the Nivkh tribes, including those in the North of Sakhalin (despite the strong resistance of the Ainu). In 1268 The control of the Yuan dynasty ceased, and the Mongols left Sakhalin. However, in 1409 the new Chinese Ming dynasty, approved its governorship and again restored the Mongol possessions, which included Sakhalin. From the 15th century, under the influence of the Japanese, the mass migration of the tribal groups of the Hokkaid Ainu to the south of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands began. This continued until the 18th century. At the end of the XVI - beginning of the XVII centuries. independent Ainu tribes lived in the south of Sakhalin and the Kuriles. They traded with Japanese and Chinese merchants and were not part of any states.

New Time

The very first information about the islands was obtained in Europe at the end of the 13th century, thanks to the famous Italian traveler - Marco Polo. In the 16th century ships of European states appeared in the Far Eastern seas. The first to appear are the Portuguese. In 1643, the Dutch appeared off the coast of the Lesser Kuril Ridge. In July of the same year, they saw the shores of Sakhalin, but due to heavy fog, the Dutch captain M.G. Fries concluded that Sakhalin is part of Hokkaido. Russia gave the world a whole galaxy of outstanding explorers and navigators, round-the-world navigators and cartographers. The history of the discovery and development of the Far Eastern lands is the history of the exploits of many generations of Russian people, their selfless service to the Fatherland. Our people pay them a well-deserved tribute of deep respect for their heroic deeds. At present, based on the works of remarkable Russian researchers I. F. Kruzenshtern, G. I. Nevelsky, V. M. Golovnin, L. I. Shrenk, I. S. Polyakov, A. M. Nikolsky, S. O. Makarov, as well as Soviet historians, primarily L. S. Berg, A. V. Efimova, N. N. Zubov, A. I. Alekseev, B. P. Polevoy and others, it seems possible to reproduce and trace the main stages of the discovery, development and annexation of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands to Russia. Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands belong to our Motherland by the right of discovery, first annexation, first settlement and first exploration. Russia began to develop these islands at a time when other countries did not know anything about their existence or had the most vague idea about them. By the time Russian explorers arrived on these lands, there were still no state formations here, and a few indigenous people lived apart. It has now been established that for the first time Russian people learned about Sakhalin in the 40s of the 17th century. Geographical descriptions and maps of that time show that neither in Europe nor in Asia there were any real ideas about Sakhalin and the mouth of the Amur River. Even in neighboring Japan, there was only fragmentary information about this island, as well as about other islands located to the north of it, shrouded in all sorts of legends. The then rulers of feudal Japan, who pursued a policy of strict isolationism, refused to develop foreign relations and forbade the Japanese under pain death penalty or eternal exile to visit other countries. The pioneers of Sakhalin were Russian Cossack explorers who came to the Amur from Yakutsk. They sailed in plows and planks on fast, rapids, walked mountain paths, wandered through the taiga, again sailed along the rivers, leaving on their way fortified points - "prisons". For many months, and sometimes even years, the difficult path continued. So in 1639-1641. a detachment of Cossacks Ivan Yuryevich Moskvitin was near the lower reaches of the Amur. This was the first exit of the Russians to the Great Ocean. Muscovites visited the Shantar Islands, according to available sources, they reached the Bay of Happiness. Here they received the first information about the Amur and Sakhalin Island from local residents. An analysis of the text of the documents made it possible to reliably establish that in the winter of 1639/40, on the Ulya River (Okhotsk coast), local Evens, who knew the sea route to the mouth of the Amur well, for the first time informed the Russians about the existence of "islands of the Gilyak horde", where "sedentary Gilyaks live, and they have fed bears." Soviet ethnographers unanimously assert that "sedentary Gilyaks", i.e., settled Nivkhs, lived only on islands near the mouth of the Amur and the largest among the "islands of the Gilyak Horde" was Sakhalin, which Russian people since then have most often called “Gilyatsky Island” or simply “Gilyat Island.” Consequently, the Muscovites gave the island of Sakhalin the earliest Russian name.
In 1803, the first round-the-world expedition took place, led by I.F. Krusenstern. Approaching Sakhalin on May 14, 1805, his ship anchored in Aniva Bay. I.F. Krusenstern explored the island in detail, got acquainted with the life of the Ainu and gave them gifts. In the summer of the same year, the expedition members described and mapped the entire eastern and northwestern coast of Sakhalin, as well as 14 islands of the Kuril chain. However, Kruzenshtern considered Sakhalin is a "peninsula", considering that it is connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus. He made such a conclusion under the influence of the erroneous statements of such famous foreign navigators as J.B. Lapérouse (1787) and W.R. Broughton (1797).
Campaigns N.A. Khvostov (commander of the Russian troops) and G.I. Davydov to the shores of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands (in 1805-07), once again confirmed that, despite the remoteness of these islands, Russia vigilantly followed the intrigues of foreigners, trying to enslave the Ainu. In this we were also favored by the Japanese self-isolation, which lasted from 1639 until 1868. N.A. Tails on the brig "Juno", defeated the Japanese settlements of Naibo and Xiang.
October 8, 1806 - Sakhalin was proclaimed a possession of the Russian Empire.
A great contribution to the development of the Kuriles was also made by V.M. Golovnin, who committed in 1807-13. and 1817-19. round the world travel. All the names of the southern islands were carried out by him by polling the local population - the Ainu.
In 1849 - G.I. Nevelskoy on the Baikal transport examined the eastern, northern and northwestern shores of Sakhalin, the Amur fairway and found that its mouth is accessible to sea vessels, thereby establishing that Sakhalin is an island. Soon the strait was named after him - the Nevelskoy Strait.
August 1, 1850 - G.I. Nevelskoy, in the lower reaches of the Amur near Cape Kuegda, raised the Russian flag. This was the beginning of the Nikolaevsky military post, as well as the proclamation of the Amur region and Sakhalin as a possession of the Russian Empire.
September 21, 1853 - Russian troops landed from the ship "Nikolai" near the village of Tomari-Aniva. Having met with the Ainu elders and Japanese representatives, G.I. Nevelskoy proclaimed Sakhalin the property of Russia.
In 1853, researcher D.I. Orlov, at the direction of G.I. Nevelsky (commander of the Russian troops on the Amur and Sakhalin from 1813-1876), founded the first Russian military post on Sakhalin, Ilyinsky (now the village of Ilyinsky). Which played an important role in asserting the rights of Russia!
From the spring of 1853 - May 15, 1884 - Sakhalin as part of the Primorsky region.
September 22, 1853 - Nevelskoy on the shores of Aniva Bay, founded the military post Muravyovsky (on the site of the future Korsakov).
January 26, 1855 - the first Russian-Japanese treatise (map) .
According to which most of The Kuriles were retained by Russia (the border was along the strait between Urup Island and Iturup Island), while Sakhalin remained undivided.
In 1858, the first exiles appeared on Sakhalin.
After the "Meiji Revolution" of 1868, the Japanese government began to intensively pursue an aggressive policy. She was encouraged to do so and Western countries.
In 1869, the tsarist government officially announced the establishment of penal servitude on Sakhalin Island. The great Russian writer A.P. Chekhov, who visited the island in 1890, called it "hell on earth".
April 25, 1875 - according to Petersburg Treaty (map), Japan ceded to Russia all its rights to Sakhalin Island in exchange for belonging to Russia Kurile Islands
(up to the island of Shumshu inclusive).
1875 - Sakhalin Island is divided into 2 districts: North Sakhalin - the city of Due, Yuzhno-Sakhalin - the city of Korsakov.
1881 Alexander's post was founded.
May 15, 1884 - The Sakhalin department was separated from the Primorsky region, which was divided into 3 districts: Aleksandrovsky - the post of Aleksandrovsky, Korsakov - the post of Korsakov, Tymovsky - with. Rykovskoe.
From May 30, 1884-1905 - the main city of the Sakhalin department of the Alexander Post (Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky).
In 1904, Japan treacherously attacked Russia. Russo-Japanese War.
From 1905-1909 - the main city of the Sakhalin Department of Nikolaevsk (Nikolaevsk-on-Amur).
In 1905, the Japanese landing (of 12 battalions, 18 guns, 14,000 soldiers, 40 ships) landed on Sakhalin, the forces were unequal and, in the very first days of the fighting, the governor of Sakhalin, General Lebedev, along with the headquarters surrendered.
August 23, 1905 - the tsarist government, under heavy pressure from the United States, signed Treaty of Portsmouth (map), along which the southern part of Sakhalin went to Japan. The border ran along the 50th parallel. During the 40 years of Japanese governorship, the population of South Sakhalin exceeded 400,000 people, of which 40,000 thousand were Koreans (mostly from South Korea). Koreans were forcibly recruited for work in mines, construction of roads and structures, as well as felling and removal of timber.
In April 1906, the tsarist government passed a law abolishing hard labor.
March 31, 1907 - Decree of the Emperor of Japan on the establishment of the governorship of Karafuto in South Sakhalin.
1908 - Declaration of Northern Sakhalin free for free settlement.
June 17, 1909 - in accordance with the law "On the Administrative Reorganization of the Primorsky Region and Sakhalin Island", the Sakhalin Region was separated from the Primorsky Region, the center - the post of Aleksandrovsky.
February 26, 1914 - Udsk district was transferred to the Sakhalin region from the Primorsky region. Administrative center region was transferred from the village of Aleksandrovsky to the city of Nikolaevsk.
March 1917 - the overthrow of the power of tsarist officials on Sakhalin and the formation of the Committee of Public Security in Aleksandrovsk.
April 21, 1920 - May 15, 1925 - Japanese occupation of Northern Sakhalin.
May 15, 1925 - The liberation of Northern Sakhalin from the invaders. Restoration on the island of Soviet power.
January 4, 1926 - October 20, 1932 - by the decision of the Presidium of the Dalrevkom, the Sakhalin District was formed in Northern Sakhalin (the center of which was the city of Aleksandrovsk), which included 4 districts and 1 city: 1. Aleksandrovsky - Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, 2. Okhansky - pos. Okha, 3. Rybnovsky - p. Vereshchagino, 4. Rykovsky - with. Rykovskoye and the city of Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky.
January 4, 1926 - by a decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Sakhalin District became part of the newly formed Far Eastern Territory with a center in Khabarovsk.
February 10, 1930 - by the decision of the 1st native congress of Soviets, the East Sakhalin native (Gilyak) region was formed - the Nogliki camp.
December 1930 - on the territory allocated from the Rybnovsky and Okha regions, the national West Sakhalin native (Gilyak) region was created - the Viskivo camp.
October 20, 1932 - four regions were formed as part of the Far Eastern Territory (DVK), including the Sakhalin Region (Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky), which included 6 districts and 1 city: 1. Aleksandrovsky - the city of Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, 2. East Sakhalin - Nogliki camp, 3. West Sakhalin - Viskivo camp, 4. Okhinsky - settlement. Okha, 5. Rybnovsky - p. Vereshchagino, 6. Rykovsky - with. Rykovskoye, city of Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky.
December 16, 1933 - the West Sakhalin region was abolished; Shirokopadsky district was formed - with. Wide Pad. Subsequently, the Aleksandrovsky district was abolished.
1937 - instead of the Rykovsky district, the Kirovsky district was formed - with. Derbinskoye.
October 20, 1938 - the Sakhalin region became part of the newly formed Khabarovsk Territory. The region included 5 districts and 1 city, which was not part of any of the districts: 1. Vostochno-Sakhalinskiy - with. Nogliki, 2. Kirovsky - with. Derbinskoye, 3. Okhinsky - the village of Okha (in 1940 - the city of Okha), 4. Rybnovsky - with. Rybnovsk, 5. Shirokopadsky - with. Wide Pad, the city of Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky.
August 11, 1945 at 07:45 - the offensive of the Soviet 56th Rifle Corps began to the south in the direction of Khanda-Koton, as well as to Muika, in order to bypass the fortification line of the Japanese from the east (Map of hostilities on Sakhalin and the Kuriles!) .
August 14, 1945 - Imperial decree of Japan on surrender.
By August 25-26, 1945, the remaining parts of Japan in South Sakhalin completely laid down their arms.
August 22, 1945 - surrender of Japanese troops on Shumshu island (Map of hostilities on the island of Shumshu and Paramushir!)
August 24, 1945 - the Japanese garrison on Paramushir Island was disarmed.
August 24-27, 1945 - Onekotan Island, Shiashkotan Island, Matua Island and Simushir Island were liberated.
August 28-31, 1945 - Our landing units occupied Urup Island without a fight.
From August 28 to September 5, 1945 - An operation was carried out to liberate the southern part of the Kuril Islands.
In 1945, as a result of the defeat of militarist Japan, the southern part of Sakhalin and the Kuriles were forever reunited with Russia (RSFSR)!
February 2, 1946 (Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR) - Form the South Sakhalin Region on the territory of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands with the center in the city of Toyohara with its inclusion in the Khabarovsk Territory of the RSFSR. Establish that from September 20, 1945. all land with its subsoil, forests and waters on the territory of the southern part of Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands is state property, that is, public property.
June 5, 1946 - 14 districts and 6 cities of regional subordination were formed: 1. Anivsky - the city of Aniva, 2. Dolinsky - the city of Dolinsk, 3. Korsakovsky - the city of Korsakov, 4. Kurilsky - the city of Kurilsk, 5. Lesogorsky - Lesogorsk, 6. Makarov - Makarov, 7. Nevelsky - Nevelsk, 8. Poronaysky - Poronaysk, 9. North Kuril - Severo-Kurilsk, 10. Tomarinsky - Tomari, 11. Uglegorsky - the city of Uglegorsk, 12. Kholmsky - the city of Kholmsk, 13. Yuzhno-Kurilsky - the village of Yuzhno-Kurilsk, 14. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsky - the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Cities: Dolinsk, Korsakov, Poronaysk, Uglegorsk, Kholmsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
From 1946-48 - reparation from South Sakhalin and the Kuriles of subjects of Japan. The arrival of immigrants from Russia.
January 2, 1947 - Liquidation of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk region and its inclusion in the Sakhalin region. The Sakhalin Oblast was created within the current borders (map). The region began to consist of 20 districts and 7 cities of regional subordination: 1. Aleksandrovsky - the city of Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, 2. Anivsky - the city of Aniva, 3. East Sakhalin - with. Nogliki, 4. Dolinsky - Dolinsk, 5. Kirovsky - with. Derbinskoye, 6.Korsakovskiy - Korsakov, 7.Kurilskiy - Kurilsk, 8.Lesogorskiy - Lesogorsk, 9.Makarovskiy - Makarov, 10.Nevelskiy - Nevelsk, 11.Okhinskiy - Okha, 12. Poronaysky - Poronaysk, 13. Rybnovsky - with. Rybnovsk, 14. Severo-Kurilsky - Severo-Kurilsk city, 15. Tomarinsky - Tomari city, 16. Uglegorsky - Uglegorsk city, 17. Kholmsky - Kholmsk city, Wide Pad, 19. Yuzhno-Kurilsky - Yuzhno-Kurilsk settlement, 20. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsky - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Cities: Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, Dolinsk, Korsakov, Poronaysk, Uglegorsk, Kholmsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
April 18, 1947 - Establishment regional center Sakhalin region in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
October 14, 1948 - Dolinsky district was liquidated.
August 22, 1951 - Gornozavodsk district was formed - the city of Gornozavodsk.
In 1951, the San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed. According to Article 2(c), which Japan renounced "all rights, titles and claims" to the Kuriles and the southern part of Sakhalin.
January 1, 1954 - The region consisted of 18 districts and 8 cities of regional subordination: 1. Anivsky - Aniva, 2. East Sakhalin - with. Nogliki, 3. Gornozavodsky - Gornozavodsk, 4. Kirovsky - with. Tymovskoe, 5.Korsakovskiy - Korsakov, 6.Krasnogorskiy - Krasnogorsk, 7.Kurilskiy - Kurilsk, 8.Lesogorskiy - Lesogorsk, 9.Makarovskiy - Makarov, 10.Nevelskiy - Nevelsk, 11. Poronaysky - Poronaysk, 12. Rybnovsky - s. Rybnovsk, 13. Severo-Kurilsky - Severo-Kurilsk, 14. Tomarinsky - Tomari, 15. Chekhov - Chekhov, 16. Shirokopadsky - with. Wide Pad, 17. South Kuril - town. Yuzhno-Kurilsk, 18. Yuzhno-Sakhalinskiy - with. Novo-Aleksandrovsk. Cities: Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, Dolinsk, Korsakov, Okha, Poronaysk, Uglegorsk, Kholmsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
1954 - visit to Sakhalin N.S. Khrushchev.
August 31, 1956 - Gornozavodsky district was liquidated. The city of Nevelsk is classified as a city of regional subordination.
October 19, 1956 - Moscow Declaration between the USSR and Japan (map). This declaration ended the state of war and restored diplomatic and consular relations between the USSR and Japan. Article 9 of the declaration states that after the establishment of diplomatic relations, the parties will continue negotiations on the conclusion of a peace treaty, and then (after the conclusion of a peace treaty) the USSR will return the Habomai ridge and Fr. Shikotan. Japan, referring to the Russian-Japanese treatise on trade and borders of 1855, according to which these islands were recognized as Japanese, and also to the fact that these territories allegedly are not part of the Kuril Islands, which Japan renounced under the San Francisco Peace Treaty, claims "four" islands: the Habomai group of islands and three islands - Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup - which in Russia are called the southern Kuril Islands, and in Japan - the "northern territories". The fundamental difference in positions is that Russia is not opposed to signing a peace treaty and then discussing the problems of the islands, while Japan unreasonably insists on the opposite: first the islands, and all of them, and only then the peace treaty.
January 1, 1961 - The region consisted of 17 districts, 9 cities of regional subordination: 1. Anivsky - Aniva, 2. East Sakhalin - with. Nogliki, 3. Kirovsky - p. Tymovskoye, 4.Korsakovskiy - Korsakov, 5.Krasnogorskiy - Krasnogorsk, 6.Kurilskiy - Kurilsk, 7.Lesogorskiy - Lesogorsk, 8.Makarovsky - Makarov, 9.Nevelskiy - Nevelsk, 10. Poronaysky - Poronaysk, 11. Rybnovsky - s. Rybnovsk, 12. Severo-Kurilsky - Severo-Kurilsk, 13. Tomarinsky - Tomari, 14. Chekhov - Chekhov, 15. Shirokopadsky - with. Wide Pad, 16. South Kuril - town. Yuzhno-Kurilsk, 17. Yuzhno-Sakhalinskiy - with. Novo-Aleksandrovsk. Cities: Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, Dolinsk, Korsakov, Nevelsk, Okha, Poronaysk, Uglegorsk, Kholmsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
February 1, 1963 - All-Union reform of the district division took place. By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR "On the consolidation of rural areas, the formation of industrial regions and the change in the subordination of the cities of the Sakhalin Region", 14 districts were abolished: Vostochno-Sakhalinskiy, Korsakovskiy, Krasnogorskiy, Kurilskiy, Lesogorskiy, Nevelskiy, Poronaiskiy, Rybnovsky, Severo-Kurilskiy, Tomarinskiy, Chekhov, Shirokopadsky, Yuzhno-Kurilsky and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk regions. The Uglegorsk rural district was formed, as well as industrial districts: Kurilsky, Rybnovsky, Severo-Kurilsky, Tomarinsky, Tymovsky (it was formed as a result of the transformation of the Kirovsky district into the Kirovsky rural and Tymovsky industrial regions), the Yuzhno-Kurilsky, East Sakhalinsky district was transformed into Nogliki industrial area - Nogliki settlement. As a result, the region began to consist of 7 industrial districts, 4 rural districts and 9 cities of regional subordination: 1. Kuril industrial - Kurilsk, 2. Noglik industrial - town. Nogliki, 3. Rybnovsky industrial - with. Rybnovsk, 4. North Kuril Industrial - Severo-Kurilsk, 5. Tomarinsky Industrial - Tomari, 6. Tymovsky Industrial - town. Tymovskoye, 7. South Kuril industrial - town. Yuzhno-Kurilsk. Rural areas: 1. Anivsky - Aniva, 2. Kirovsky - town. Tymovskoe, 3. Makarovsky - Makarov, 4. Uglegorsky - Uglegorsk. Cities: Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, Dolinsk, Korsakov, Nevelsk, Okha, Poronaysk, Uglegorsk, Kholmsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
1964 - Rybnovsky district was included in the Okhinsky district.
January 12, 1965 - by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, industrial and rural areas were liquidated and united areas were re-created. Abolished: Kuril, Nogliki, Rybnovsky, Severo-Kurilsky, Tomarinsky, Tymovsky, Yuzhno-Kurilsky industrial districts; Kirovsky district was renamed into Tymovsky district - town. Tymovskoe. Districts were formed: Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky - Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, Dolinsky - Dolinsk, Korsakovsky - Korsakov, Kurilsky - Kurilsk, Nevelsky - Nevelsk, Nogliksky - town. Nogliki, Okhinsky - the city of Okha, Poronaisky - the city of Poronaysk, Severo-Kurilsky - the city of Severo-Kurilsk, Smirnykhovsky - with. Smirnykh, Tomarinsky - Tomari, Kholmsky - Kholmsk, Yuzhno-Kurilsky - town. Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Anivsky - Aniva, Makarov - Makarov and Uglegorsky - Uglegorsk. There are 17 districts in total.
January 1, 1987 - The region consisted of 17 districts, 9 cities of regional subordination: 1. Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky - Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, 2. Anivsky - Aniva, 3. Dolinsky - Dolinsk, 4. Korsakovsky - g. Korsakov, 5. Kurilsky - Kurilsk, 6. Makarovsky - Makarov, 7. Nevelsky - Nevelsk, 8. Nogliksky - town. Nogliki, 9. Okhinsky - Okha city, 10. Poronaisky - Poronaysk city, 11. Severo-Kurilsky - Severo-Kurilsk city, Smirnykh, 13. Tomarinsky - Tomari, 14. Tymovsky - town. Tymovskoye, 15. Uglegorsky - Uglegorsk, 16. Kholmsky - Kholmsk, 17. Yuzhno-Kurilsky - town. Yuzhno-Kurilsk. Cities: Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, Dolinsk, Korsakov, Nevelsk, Okha, Poronaysk, Uglegorsk, Kholmsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
June 16, 1996 - By decision of the population of the village of Vakhrushev, Poronaysky district, adopted by a local referendum, the municipality "Vakhrushev" was formed.
July 21, 2004 - in accordance with the law of the Sakhalin Region No. 524 "On the borders and status of municipalities of the Sakhalin Region", 19 municipalities were endowed with the status of an urban district. However, the Prosecutor's Office of the Sakhalin Region contested the granting of urban district status to seventeen out of nineteen municipalities (except for Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Vakhrushev) in court.
June 17, 2005 - The Law of the Sakhalin Region "On the Borders and Status of Municipalities in the Sakhalin Region" in terms of establishing boundaries and granting the status of an urban district to the municipalities "Uglegorsky District" and "Nevelsky District" were excluded; Nevelsky and Uglegorsky municipal districts were formed. On this moment The Sakhalin Region consists of 25 municipalities: 17 urban districts and 2 municipal districts, on the territory of which there are 3 urban settlements and 3 rural settlements. 1Nevelsky municipal area- Nevelsk, 2. Uglegorsk municipal district - Uglegorsk, 1. Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky district - Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, 2. Anivsky urban district - Aniva, 3. City district "Vakhrushev" - town. Vakhrushev, 4. Dolinsky urban district - Dolinsk, 5. Korsakov urban district - Korsakov, 6. Kuril urban district - Kurilsk, 7. Makarov urban district - Makarov, 8. Nogliksky urban district - town Nogliki, 9. City district "Okhinsky" - the city of Okha, 10. City district "Poronaysky" - the city of Poronaysk, 11. North Kuril city district - the city of Severo-Kurilsk, 12. City district "Smirnykhovsky" - town. Smirnykh, 13. Tomarinsky urban district - Tomari, 14. Tymovsky urban district - town. Tymovskoye, 15. Kholmsky city district - Kholmsk, 16. South Kuril city district - town. Yuzhno-Kurilsk, 17. City district "City of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk" - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Sakhalin region in the XVII-XVIII centuries.

The ancient and medieval history of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands is full of secrets. The ethnic affiliation of the population of the islands remains a mystery until the first Europeans and Japanese appeared here. And they appeared on the islands only in the 17th century and found the Ainu in the Kuriles and southern Sakhalin, and the Nivkhs in northern Sakhalin. Probably even then in the central and northern regions Sakhalin lived Ulta (Oroks).
The first European expedition to find itself near the Kuril and Sakhalin shores was the expedition Dutch navigator M.G. Friza. Russian explorers also played a huge role in the study of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. First - in 1646 - the expedition of V.D. Poyarkov discovered the north-western coast of Sakhalin, and in 1697 V.V. Atlasov learned about the existence of the Kuril Islands. Already in the 10s. 18th century the process of studying and gradually joining the Kuril Islands to Russian state. The success of Russia in the development of the Kuriles became possible thanks to the enterprise, courage and patience of D.Ya. Antsiferov, I.P. Kozyrevsky, I.M. Evreinov, F.F. Luzhin, M.P. .Shabalin, G.I. Shelikhov and many other Russian explorers-explorers. Simultaneously with the Russians, who moved along the Kuriles from the north, to Southern Kuriles and the extreme south of Sakhalin, the Japanese begin to penetrate. Already in the second half of the XVIII century. here appear Japanese trading posts and fishing, and since the 80s. 18th century - scientific expeditions begin to work. Mogami Tokunai and Mamiya Rinzo played a special role in Japanese research. At the end of the XVIII century. research off the coast of Sakhalin was carried out by a French expedition under the command of J.-F. Laperouse and an English expedition under the command of V.R. Broughton. The emergence of the theory about the peninsular position of Sakhalin is connected with their work. Contributed to this theory and Russian navigator I.F. Kruzenshtern, who in the summer of 1805 unsuccessfully tried to pass between Sakhalin and the mainland.

Sakhalin region in the XIX century.

G.I. Nevelskoy put an end to the dispute, who in 1849 managed to find a navigable strait between the island and the mainland. The discoveries of Nevelskoy were followed by the accession of Sakhalin to Russia. Russian military posts and villages appear one after another on the island.
In 1869-1906. Sakhalin was the largest penal servitude in Russia. Since the beginning of the XIX century. Sakhalin and the Kuriles become the object of the Russian-Japanese territorial dispute. In 1806-1807. on South Sakhalin and Iturup, Russian sailors defeated Japanese settlements. The answer to this was the capture by the Japanese of the Russian navigator V.M. Golovnin on Kunashir. Over the past two centuries, the Russian-Japanese border has changed several times.
In 1855, in accordance with the Shimodsky Treaty, the border passed between the islands of Urup and Iturup, while Sakhalin was left undivided. In 1875, Russia handed over to Japan the Northern Kuriles that belonged to it, receiving in return all rights to Sakhalin.
In 1869-1906. Sakhalin was the largest penal servitude in Russia. Hard labor was used in the development of coal, logging. In order to quickly colonize the island, the accelerated formation of new settlements began, and female criminals were also brought to the island.
Over the entire existence of hard labor, more than 30 thousand people were sent to the island, including 54 participants in the revolutionary movement. Most of the political prisoners were highly educated people who, through their scientific and educational activities, made a significant contribution to the formation cultural life Sakhalin Islands.

Sakhalin region in the XX century.

In 1904, the Japanese captured Sakhalin. Having landed on the island, from where the Russian administration had already been evacuated, the Japanese began to manage in their own way. They shot most of the convicts held in prisons, established new rules for the exiled settlers. They soon felt that life under the Japanese was even worse than hard labor and masses rushed to the mainland. The number of Russians on the island decreased from 40 to 5-6 thousand people.
In 1905, after the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, only half of Sakhalin Island, north of the 50th parallel, remained behind Russia. Under the Treaty of Portsmouth, the southern half of the island went to Japan. Along the border, across the island, a giant clearing was cut in the taiga and border posts were installed. With the capture of the southern half of Sakhalin, Japan closed the island ring, with which she surrounded the Russian possessions off the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
After the division of Sakhalin, the Japanese began to intensively populate the southern part of the island.
In 1909, the Sakhalin Region with its center in Aleksandrovsk was separated from the Primorsky General Government. The Russian government took measures to settle Northern Sakhalin. But these measures were as little successful as in the days of the Sakhalin penal servitude. Sakhalin has won notoriety. Population growth on Sakhalin has been extremely weak.
Work continued to explore the island. New information about the natural resources of Sakhalin has appeared. Exploration for oil began at a number of points. In the Okha region, oil was discovered by the Russians back in the 80s of the 19th century. Representatives of the resettlement department studied the soil, climate and vegetation of the island, identified areas suitable for settlement.
Russian merchants and industrialists showed great interest in developing the natural resources of Sakhalin. With the assistance of the government, the economy of Northern Sakhalin could develop rapidly. But the tsarist administration not only did not provide this assistance, on the contrary, it created such conditions under which all attempts by the population and entrepreneurs to promote the development of the Sakhalin industry remained in vain.
In 1920-1925. Northern Sakhalin was under Japanese occupation.

Sakhalin Region during the Great Patriotic War

On the evening of June 22, 1941, the island became aware of the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union and the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. And although Northern Sakhalin remained deep in the rear for almost the entire war, people here also worked for victory. The exposition presents a model of the Okha-Sofiyskoye-on-Amur oil pipeline, built in the cold winter of 1941-1942. He played an important role in providing fuel to the Far East and Eastern Siberia. Photographs and documents of the exposition tell about the hard and hard work of Sakhalin oilmen, miners and fishermen. Among them are G.T. Podshivailov, N.T. Volkov, I.K. Krasyukov, F.I. Ilyin. In one of the pictures, a women's team in the oil field. Women replaced men in the workplace. The showcase contains a photograph and documents of one of them, Ksenia Semyonovna Borodina, who worked as a field foreman at the Krasnaya Tym state farm and escorted her five sons and her husband to the front.
Next is an exposition complex dedicated to the Sakhalin people who fought on the fronts. It contains documents, personal belongings, letters from front-line soldiers, including N.D. Grishchenko, M.R. Khasanshin, S.E. Valenteev. Courageously fighting the enemy, the people of Sakhalin contributed to the cause of victory. In the photo that completes this exposition, a rally in Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky in honor of the victory on May 9, 1945.
In August 1945, Sakhalin turned from a deep rear into a combat arena when Soviet landing troops crossed the border and landed in southern ports. The photographs and documents at the beginning of the exposition testify to the Tehran 1943 and Yalta 1945 conferences, where the USSR committed itself to enter the war with Japan. Although the main events unfolded in Manchuria, the South Sakhalin and Kuril operations also had a very importance. The diagrams in the exposition show the directions of the main attacks of the Soviet troops. Nearby are portraits of the Heroes of the Soviet Union S.T.Yudin, G.G.Svetetsky, P.N.Sidorov, and L.V.Smirnykh and A.E.Buyukly received this title posthumously. Photographs and documents tell about the landing of amphibious assault forces in the Japanese ports of Esutoro, Maoka, Otomari and related bloody battles. Further things and documents of the participants in the battles, Lieutenant Colonel D.T. Serdyuk and M.G. Dodonov. On August 25, the fighting on Sakhalin ended, and the territory lost in 1905 was returned to Russia.
The exposition continues with materials on the Kuril landing operation, which occupies a special place in the actions of Soviet troops in the Far East. Among the exhibits are schemes of operations, Soviet and captured weapons. Japan had numerous garrisons in the Kuriles. On August 18, Soviet troops landed on the island-fortress Shumshu. Superiority in strength was on the side of the enemy. In heavy fighting, which lasted five days, the soldiers showed mass heroism. The photographs depict sailors N.A. Vilkov and P.I. Ilyichev, the commander of the forward detachment, Major P.I. Shutov, foreman V.I. Sigov and many others. On August 23, Japanese resistance was broken. The garrisons of the other islands surrendered without a fight. By September 1, the entire territory of the future Sakhalin Oblast was liberated. The exhibition concludes with a photograph depicting the signing of Japan's surrender aboard the American battleship Missouri on September 2, 1945. Thus ended the Second World War.

Sakhalin Region in the post-war years

In 1945, when our country regained South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands as a result of the victory in World War II, the Russian-Japanese border underwent changes in last time. After 1945, the southern part of Sakhalin Island, together with the Kuriles, was returned to Russia by Japan, and for some time the Sakhalin and Yuzhno-Sakhalin regions existed separately.
On January 2, 1947, the united Sakhalin Oblast was formed as part of the RSFSR.
The 50s passed for the Sakhalin region, as well as throughout the country, under the sign of a great post-war rise in the labor and creative activity of the Soviet people.
In the postwar years, the development National economy Sakhalin region was directly dependent on the resettlement policy of the Soviet state. The first settlers arrived in June 1946. On the territory of the current district, collective farms "4th Five-Year Plan" were organized with a central estate in the village. Buyukly, "Dawn" (Berezino), " New life"(Orlovo village). Muisky, Vladimirovsky, Pervomaisky timber enterprises functioned.
In the postwar years, the oil industry of the Sakhalin Oblast faced new challenges and opened up new prospects for a further increase in oil and gas production.
Much attention was paid to the expansion of prospecting and exploration work. If in 1945 13.5 thousand meters of exploratory wells were drilled, then already in 1950 the volume of exploratory drilling exceeded 53 thousand meters, in 1958 - 90 thousand meters and continued to grow steadily, which led to the discovery of a number of oil and gas deposits: Paromay, Gilyako-Abunan, East Ekhabi, Sabo, Mukhto, Tungor, Kolendo, Kydylani and others.

Sakhalin is Russia's largest island, located in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, east of Russia and north of Japan.

Since in its structure, Sakhalin Island resembles a fish, with a fin and a tail, the island does not have proportional dimensions.

Its dimensions are:
- in length, more than 950 kilometers
- in width, in its narrowest part, more than 25 kilometers
- in width, in its widest part, more than 155 kilometers
- total area islands, reaches more than 76,500 square kilometers

And now let's plunge into the history of Sakhalin Island.

The island was discovered by the Japanese around the middle of the 16th century. And by 1679, in the south of the island, a Japanese settlement called Otomari (the current city of Korsakov) was officially formed.
During the same period, the island was given its name, Kita-Ezo, which means Northern Ezo. Ezo - former name Japanese island Hokkaido. Translated into Russian, the word Ezo means shrimp. This suggests that near these islands, there lived a large accumulation of one of the main Japanese delicacy, shrimp.

Russians, the island was discovered only at the beginning of the 18th century. And the first official settlements on the current island of Sakhalin were mastered by 1805.

I would like to note that when the Russian colonists began to create topographic maps Sakhalin, they had one mistake because of which the island got its name, Sakhalin. All due to the fact that the maps were made taking into account the rivers, and because of the location from which the colonists began the topography of the map, the main river was the Amur River. Since some of the guides of the Russian colonists through the untouched thickets of Sakhalin were immigrants from China, the Arum River, according to the old written Chinese languages, namely from the Manchu dialect, the Amur River sounded like Sakhalyan-Ulla. Due to the fact that Russian cartographers incorrectly entered this name, namely, the place Sakhalyan-Ulla, they entered it as Sakhalin, and they wrote this name on most maps where there were branches from the Amur River, on big land considered that such a name was given to this island.

But back to history.

Due to the abundant resettlement of Russian colonists to the island, the Japanese, in 1845, the current island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, were declared independent, inviolable property of Japan.

But due to the fact that most of the north of the island was already inhabited by Russian colonists, and the entire territory of present-day Sakhalin was not officially assigned by Japan and was considered not disbanded, Russia began disputes with Japan about the division of the territory. And already by 1855, the Shimoda Treaty was signed between Russia and Japan, in which it was accepted that Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands are a joint undivided possession.

Then in 1875, in St. Petersburg, a new treaty was signed between Russia and Japan, according to which Russia renounced its part of the Kuril Islands in exchange for full ownership of the island.

Photos taken on Sakhalin Island, between the middle of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century

In 1905, due to the defeat of Russia in the Russo-Japanese War, which took place from 1904 to 1905, Sakhalin was divided into 2 parts - the Northern part, which remained under the control of Russia and the South, which was ceded to Japan.

In 1907, the southern part of Sakhalin was designated Karafuto Prefecture, with its main center represented by the first Japanese settlement on Sakhalin Island, the city of Otomari (now Korsakov).
Then the main center was moved to another large one, japanese city, Toekhara (the current city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk).

In 1920, Karafuto Prefecture was officially given the status of an external Japanese territory and she from an independent Japanese territory came under the control of the Ministry of Colonial Affairs, and by 1943, Karafuto received the status of inland lands of Japan.

On August 8, 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, and 2 years later, namely in 1947, the Soviet Union won this, the second Russo-Japanese War, taking the southern part of Sakhalin and all the Kuril Islands.

And so, starting from 1947 to the present day, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands remain part of the Russian Federation.

I would like to note that after the deportation of more than 400,000 Japanese back to their homeland began by the end of 1947, at the same time, the mass migration of the Russian population to Sakhalin Island began. This is due to the fact that the infrastructure built by the Japanese in the southern part of the island needed labor.
And since there were many minerals on the island, the extraction of which required a lot of labor, a mass exile of prisoners began on Sakhalin Island, which was an excellent free labor force.

But due to the fact that the deportation of the Japanese population was slower than the migration of the Russian population and Sylochnikov, and finally the deportation was completed by the end of the 19th century. Russian and Japanese Citizens had to live side by side for a long time.

Photos taken on Sakhalin Island, between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.