When will Bykovo airport open? Ramenskoye Airport: “test” instead of opening? Airplane tickets

When reconstruction began at the Frunze Central Airfield in 1936, it was temporarily closed. And in this region, the functions of the capital’s airport were transferred to Bykovo, from where regular flights began on September 13, 1936 (according to the central schedule).

Airport "Bykovo". Map. How to get there?

Connected to the capital by the Ryazan highway, as well as the Moscow railway line, Bykovo airport is inconvenient for freight traffic. You can get to it in several ways:

  • by train from Kazansky station;
  • by bus: express trains run from the station;
  • by car - twenty minutes from the Moscow Ring Road.

Story

Located thirty-five kilometers from the center of the capital, Bykovo Airport is currently the oldest in Russia. During the Great Patriotic War, it intensively functioned for the front. Since 1948, only Russian Li-2 passenger aircraft, and later Il-12 and Il-14 airliners, were operated at Bykovo. In the sixties, a brick runway was laid out on it. Its length was about a kilometer and its width was eighty meters. This made it possible to operate not only the Il, but also the An-24 turboprop aircraft that replaced it.

In the mid-fifties, a single surveillance radar was built here. In the late sixties, with the united Bykovsky air squad, testing of the world's first jet passenger airliner, the Yak-40, began, which made its first flight along the Bykovo-Kostroma-Bykovo route.

At the same time, a major reconstruction of its territory, including the runway, was carried out. In 1975, a new building was built, with four hundred passengers per hour. In the nineties, after perestroika, 49 percent of Bykovo airport became the property of Bykovo-Avia OJSC, and the rest went to the state.

Current state of affairs

Currently, Bykovo Airport operates, serving only local air routes and a small number of medium-length routes. No work is carried out on regular flights. However, the Ministry of Emergency Situations lands here, as well as commercial and charter flights.

Today, the Bykovo airport (Moscow is forty kilometers away) is experiencing its rebirth. The plans of local authorities, as well as the regional administration, envisage the creation of the most modern international airport on its basis. The airport will have formed accompanying infrastructure - highways and railways.

The terminal building will house waiting rooms and ticket offices, as well as three halls of the Business Aviation Center with a special control point and a separate exit to the platform. It is planned to actively attract customers here with the help of a flexible pricing policy. The services of this oldest Russian airport will be used by government officials, as well as representatives of the special services and security forces. Many passengers are also expected among businessmen - those who need to cross long distances very quickly and safely. Soon the Bykovo airport, the photo of which is presented in the article, will become one of the most modernized in the region.

Incidents

The short runway was the cause of an accident that occurred in July 1971 with a Yak-40 aircraft with tail number USSR-87719. During the run after landing, the plane rolled out of the lane, crossed the road and crashed into nearby buildings. After that it caught fire. And this was not the only similar incident. Similar troubles occurred several times in the seventies. After this, the runway was reconstructed, increasing its length to 2200 meters, and at the same time increasing its strength. In addition, the lighting, communications and radio navigation equipment at the airfield was replaced.

In 1980, the Bykovsky Aviation Enterprise mastered the third generation aircraft, the one hundred and twenty-seater Yak-42, which in December of the same year carried out its first regular flight to Krasnodar. The last flight from this airport on the Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod route on this airliner was carried out by Tsentr-Avia in 2009.

Since then, Bykovo Airport no longer serves regular flights. Only helicopters and airplanes of the State Institution "MATS" or the Ministry of Internal Affairs fly here, and charter flights are also carried out.

The weather station site, located near the airfield, did not meet the requirements of current regulations, according to which it must be built ten times further from buildings and trees. In fact, AMSG was actually located just a few meters from the terminal building. This meant that this weather station significantly increased the recorded air temperature by one or two degrees. For this reason, its indicators in Bykovo were the highest among other similar points in the Moscow region. That's why the weather station was closed in August 2011.

The fourth airport of the Moscow aviation hub is expected to open in the spring of 2016. Along with Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo and Domodedovo, Ramenskoye Airport will become a major airport in the capital. It is expected that by 2021 its capacity will reach 12 million passengers per year.

Russian Aviation offers a short excursion into the history of the development of airports in the Moscow air hub.

The capital's first airport

The first air harbor appeared in Moscow in 1910 on Khodynskoye Field. Since aviation transport was just developing at that time, the airfield was built with donations from aviation enthusiasts. Nikolai Zhukovsky also took part in the creation of the airfield, who in 1904 discovered the law that determines the lift of a wing.

A dirt runway and six small hangars were built on the airfield. The first takeoff from the site was made by Polish pilot Mikhail Scipio del Campo. The official opening of the airfield took place on October 3, 1910. The event was attended by representatives of the military authorities and many Russian aviators.

Photo: RIA Novosti
Test pilot Boris Illiodorovich Rossinsky with assistants during testing of a new aircraft model on Khodynskoye Field, 1910

The first flight over the city was performed by Russian aviator Mikhail Efimov. And in 1918, a “flying laboratory” was organized on the Khodynskoye field, in which, under the leadership of Zhukovsky, experiments and research on aerodynamics and aeronautics were carried out.

Subsequently, a scientific and experimental airfield of the Main Air Force was created on Khodynka. And a little later, the main aviation design bureaus and aircraft factories were located near the site.


Photo: TASS photo chronicle
Flight of one of the first Russian aviators Sergei Utochkin over the Khodynka field, 1912

The airfield received the status of the Central Aerodrome, and the first passenger transportation began on May 3, 1922. These were flights Moscow-Konigsberg-Berlin. A year later, winged aircraft began to operate within the country - air routes appeared from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod. Four-seater AK-1 airplanes covered a distance of 420 kilometers in two and a half hours.

In 1931, the first terminal building appeared at the Central Aerodrome, which at that time was one of the largest in the world. In 1936, the air harbor was reconstructed and a concrete runway was built.

Two years later, the Zamoskvoretskaya metro line was brought to the airport. The Airport station appeared under Leningradsky Prospekt. Now getting to the airport has become even easier.

After the war, almost all flights from the Central Airfield were transferred to Bykovo, Vnukovo and Ostafyevo. The main task of the airfield at Khodynka was to test new aircraft. In particular, the Il-28 bomber, as well as the Il-86 and Il-96 passenger airliners were tested here.

From 1960 to 1971, the Central Helicopter Station was located here. From Khodynka it was possible to fly to other Moscow airports - Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo.

In 2003, the last plane took off from the airfield and the airport was closed. For some time, decommissioned equipment remained on the airfield; they planned to open an aviation museum here.

However, later high-rise residential buildings appeared nearby, and they want to build a park on the site of the airfield. The terminal building today houses a shopping center.

"Bykovo", "Ostafyevo" and "Vnukovo"

Due to the increase in the volume of air traffic in the 1930s, active construction of other airfields began in the capital. The second Moscow airport was the site in Bykovo. In 1933, a dirt strip and a parking lot for aircraft were built here.

In 1936, in connection with the reconstruction of the Central Airfield, the main passenger flights were transferred to Bykovo, which were operated according to the central schedule.

During the Great Patriotic War, the airfield began to be used for military needs. At this time, a brick runway was built here. And in the 1950s, a control tower and radar were installed at the airfield.

In 1968, the Yak-40 was tested in Bykovo, which became the first jet passenger aircraft for local airlines. Yakovlev's car began to make flights along the route Bykovo-Kostroma-Bykovo, and then along other lines.


Photo: RIA Novosti
Yak-40 aircraft at Bykovo airport, 1974

After the construction of the new terminal building in 1975, passenger traffic at Bykovo exceeded 1.5 million people a year. However, soon all airport flights began to operate from other airports.

For a long time, the only flight flying from Bykovo was Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod. And in 2011 the airport closed. Now there are warehouses on the airfield, and the taxiways are used for parking cars.

A happier fate was found at the Ostafyevo airfield near Moscow, which was opened on the spot where the first Russian balloonist, Princess Praskovya Gagarina, landed her balloon in 1803.

In 1934, an airfield appeared in the historical area. From here, Li-2 mail and passenger planes regularly flew to different cities of the Soviet Union. During the war, planes that took part in the bombing of Berlin were stationed here. Later, a squadron of long-range aviation aircraft was stationed at Ostafyevo.

In the 90s, the Gazprom-Avia company began to actively develop the territory, and the airport was reconstructed. At the same time, the idea of ​​organizing a corporate airfield at Ostafyevo arose.

In the early 2000s, Moscow authorities tried to force the closure of the airport because it interfered with the construction of residential complexes in the village of Staronikolskoye, which is located in the sound impact zone of the landing site. However, the airfield was defended.

Today Ostafyevo is a modern business aviation airport. Naval aviation aircraft are also stationed here.

Opened in 1935, the Tushino airfield served bombers and fighters during the war. Then it became the site of air parades, which were attended by the highest leadership of the state. In the 1970s and 80s, the Chkalov Central Aero Club was located here, where young people were taught piloting and parachute jumping.


Photo: TASS photo chronicle
Celebrating USSR Air Fleet Day at the airfield in Tushino, 1956

Since the early 90s, the airfield began to be used for holding public events. In particular, the international rock festival “Monsters of Rock” and the “Wings” festival took place here.

The last plane took off from Tushino in 2014. It was a mainline Il-14, which was stored at the airfield for more than 20 years and was restored by enthusiasts.

Moscow hydroaerodromes

In the place where Filevsky Boulevard is now located, in the period from 1923 to 1970 there was a factory airfield of the Khrunichev Space Scientific Production Center. There was also a small hydroairfield located nearby on the Moscow River.

Another water harbor for aircraft was located on the Khimki Reservoir on the outskirts of Tushino. Construction of the hydroaerodrome began simultaneously with the construction of the Moscow-Volga canal; it received its name due to the nearby village of Zakharkovo and became the Zakharkovo airfield.

Special berths for amphibious aircraft were equipped here, as well as a device for lifting them into hangars for repairs. Polar aviation aircraft were based at the Zakharkovsky airfield. It was from here that expeditions to the Arctic departed.

Now there is a new residential neighborhood here.

"Vnukovo", "Sheremetyevo" and "Domodedovo"

In 1937, due to the congestion of the Central Airfield on Khodynskoye Field, the construction of a new aviation harbor began - Vnukovo Airport. The first stage was completed before the outbreak of hostilities, so during the war the Moscow Special Purpose Air Group was already located here.

It was at Vnukovo that on May 9, 1945, a Li-2 piloted by pilot Semenkov landed, carrying the “Act of Unconditional Surrender of the Troops of Nazi Germany.” A plane flew here with the red banner of Victory, which was hoisted over the Reichstag.

After the end of the war, Vnukovo received the status of the main and first international airport of the capital. From here airliners flew to Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Poland and other European countries.


Photo: Mastyukov Valentin; Konkov Alexander / TASS
Command and control tower at Vnukovo airport, 1958

On April 14, 1961, the first cosmonaut on Earth, Yuri Gagarin, arrived at Vnukovo from the Baikonur cosmodrome. A ceremonial meeting was organized at the airport - everyone knows well the footage of Gagarin walking along the carpet to report to Khrushchev (and the untied shoelace - this all happened in Vnukovo).

In preparation for the 1980 Olympics, the airport was reconstructed, capacity increased, and now the airport could serve 2,300 passengers per hour. From here, in 1980, an ultra-long-range flight to Antarctica was made on an Il-18D aircraft, and in December of the same year, the first flight on the first Soviet wide-body airliner Il-86 was made.

The second half of the 1950s was marked by the appearance of new passenger aircraft and a significant increase in the volume of passenger traffic. The airports that existed at that time could not cope with the influx of people wishing to use air transport services. Therefore, it was decided to build two more large airports in Moscow. This is how Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo appeared.

Sheremetyevo Airport was originally built as the main military airfield of the Soviet army; in the early 1950s, it did not accept civilian flights and was called Sheremetyevo after the nearby village.

According to legend, the idea of ​​​​creating a civilian airfield in this place came from Khrushchev, who was greatly amazed by the size of London Heathrow Airport. After visiting England, he said that it was time to build a similar aviation port in the USSR. His words were taken as a guide to action, and already on August 11, 1959, Sheremetyevo accepted the first passenger flight from Leningrad.


Photo: Yu. Chuprikov / TASS
Supersonic aircraft TU-144 near the historical “glass” pavilion in Sheremetyevo, 1970

Soon an air terminal building was built here, and the geography of flights spread throughout the world: airliners began flying to the USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina and even Australia.

Domodedovo appeared a little later, but immediately as a civilian airport. The first passenger Tu-104 flew from here to Sverdlovsk in 1964, and regular passenger transportation began in 1966.

In Soviet times, there was a clear distinction between the geography of flights between the main airports of Moscow. For example, international flights and domestic flights to the north and northwest were operated from Sheremetyevo. From Vnukovo we flew to the south and to the Transcaucasian republics. Airplanes performing regional transportation throughout the European part of the country were based at Bykovo. Domodedovo specialized in flights to Central Asia, Siberia and the Far East.

In the 90s, there was a sharp reduction in air traffic, and therefore the load on airports decreased significantly. Domodedovo Airport came under the control of the travel company and the East Line airline, which was created by entrepreneurs Anton Bakov and Dmitry Kamenshchik. In 1992, Domodedovo received the status of an international airport.

Today, Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo are considered the main airports in Moscow, receiving millions of passengers, but their specialization once existed. All air ports of the capital are international and welcome aircraft from all over the world.

Airplane tickets

Location of Bykovo airport, Moscow satellite and diagram

Moscow airport information desk

Airport address- Moscow region, Ramensky district, working village Bykovo, Sovetskaya street, 19

Official website of Bykovo Airport, Moscow -

IATA code:- B.K.A.

ICAO code:- UUBB

The airport no longer operates

How to get / get to the airport

The easiest way to get to this place is by electric trains, following with Kazansky railway station to Golutvin, Shifernaya, platform 47 km, Faustov, Ryazan and directly to the Bykovo station Moscow time. railway The frequency of trains during daylight hours is 5-10 minutes, travel time is 50 minutes. (from the Vykhino platform – 23 minutes). Fare – ք88 (ք44), parking – 1 min.

Those who are interested in gawking at what now remains of the famous Soviet airport can also take advantage of minibus No. 534(“metro station Ryazansky Prospekt – station Bykovo” c/w Lyubertsy).

Currently, people travel through Bykovo to neighboring Ramenskoye ( minibus No. 424"m. Vykhino - Ramenskoye"), where the international passenger air terminal "Zhukovsky" was located, which for some time now largely functions as a closed one. From there there are flights to the Transcaucasian capitals, some cities of Central Asia, Europe, as well as to Tel Aviv and Jinan. In addition, planes also fly from here on “local” routes – to Minsk and Simferopol.

For trips in this direction the following may also be useful:

  • buses No. 478(“metro station Kotelniki – machine plant”), No. 441 (“metro station Kotelniki – Gudkova street”);
  • minibus No. 525(“Kuzminki metro station – Gudkova street”).

Bykovo airport board in Moscow for arrivals and departures online


Bykovo Airport Moscow - brief description

The territory of the Bykovo civil airport is located 35 km southeast of the center of Moscow (13 km from the Moscow Ring Road along the Ryazanskoe highway). Refers to an urban settlement of the same name in Ramensky district, Moscow region.

During the Soviet period, these air gates of the capital served as a base for short and medium passenger aviation, receiving aircraft of the following types:

  1. Yak-40, Yak-42.
  2. An-10 (An-12).
  3. Li-2 "Douglas" (IL-12, IL-14).
  4. An-24 (An-26).
  5. An-2.
  6. L-410,

as well as helicopters.

In 1970, passenger turnover amounted to 1 million people. In 1975, a new airport building appeared, serving up to 400 passengers every hour. In the mentioned year, passenger traffic has already reached 1.5 million people. In 1990, 2.8 million passengers passed through Bykovo.

In 1994, the airline became private (JSC Bykovo-Avia), but over time it could not withstand the competition. The last regular flight on the Moscow – Nizhny Novgorod route was performed by a Yak-42 of Tsentr-Avia airlines in September 2009.

A year later, the airport finally ceased to function as a full-fledged air transportation facility, was officially closed to receive civilian ships and served only as a helipad for police units.

In April 2011, the liquidation of the airport infrastructure complex began, and in June of the same year "Bykovo" was excluded from the State Register of Civil Airfields of the Russian Federation.
Bykovo

Bykovo Airport (building demolished)
IATA: BKA– ICAO: UUBB
Information
Type civil
A country Russian Federation
Location Moscow region, Bykovo village
opening date 1933
closing date 2010
LUM height +130
Timezone UTC+3
In summer UTC+3
Working hours closed
Runways

Since October 18, 2010, the operation of the airport has been discontinued; it is closed to receive civil aviation aircraft and is used only as a landing site for helicopters of units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. Until October 2010, Dexter air taxis were based in Bykovo (then they were relocated to Zhukovsky airport).

In April 2011, dismantling (demolition) of the airport complex began.

In June 2011, Bykovo was excluded from the State Register of Civil Airfields of the Russian Federation.

Story

The airfield was created and began to operate in 1933. It served flights to large industrial centers of Russia. Initially it had a dirt runway.

In the mid-1950s, a single command and control tower was built at the airfield and a surveillance radar was installed.

In 1968, the Bykovsky United Aviation Squad participated in operational testing of the world's first jet passenger aircraft for local airlines, the Yak-40. The Yak-40 made its first flight on the route Bykovo - Kostroma - Bykovo on August 30 of the same year.

In 1970, the airport's passenger turnover reached 1 million people for the first time. A new airport terminal building was built in the city (capacity 400 passengers per hour) [ ] . Passenger traffic in 1975 amounted to 1.5 million passengers.

A short runway (less than one and a half kilometers long) was the cause of an incident that occurred on July 28, 1971 with a Yak-40 aircraft (tail number USSR-87719), which, during its run after landing, rolled off the runway, crossed the road, crashed into nearby buildings and caught fire. . Similar incidents were repeated in the 1970s. In 1979, the runway was reconstructed (its length was increased to 2200 m and its strength was increased), the lighting equipment at the airfield was updated, and new radio navigation and communications equipment was installed.

In 1980, the Bykovsky Aviation Enterprise mastered the third generation aircraft - the 120-seat Yak-42. On December 22, the first regular flight on the Yak-42 to Krasnodar and back was performed.

In 1990, the airport served 2.8 million passengers.

Prospects

In January 2011, the head of the Russian Ministry of Transport, Igor Levitin, stated that the Russian authorities do not plan to develop civil aviation transportation in Bykovo; apparently it will be an airfield for special purpose aviation.

Currently, the airport building has been demolished and warehouses have been built in its place. Aircraft parking lots are used as parking for

Since October 18, 2010, the operation of the airport has been discontinued; it is closed to receive civil aviation aircraft and is used only as a landing site for helicopters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. Until October 2011, Dexter air taxis were based in Bykovo (then they were relocated to Ramenskoye airport).

In April 2011, dismantling (demolition) of the airport complex began.

In June 2011, Bykovo was excluded from the State Register of Civil Airfields of the Russian Federation.

Story

The airfield was created and began to operate in 1933. It served flights to large industrial centers of Russia. It originally had a dirt runway.

In the mid-1950s, a single command and control tower was built at the airfield and a surveillance radar was installed.

In 1968, the Bykovsky United Aviation Squad participated in operational testing of the world's first jet passenger aircraft for local airlines, the Yak-40. The Yak-40 made its first flight on the route Bykovo - Kostroma - Bykovo on August 30 of the same year.

In 1970, the airport's passenger turnover reached 1 million people for the first time. A new airport terminal building was built in the city (capacity 400 passengers per hour). Passenger traffic in 1975 amounted to 1.5 million passengers.

A short runway (less than one and a half kilometers long) was the cause of an incident that occurred on July 28, 1971 with a Yak-40 aircraft (tail number USSR-87719), which, during its run after landing, rolled off the runway, crossed the road, crashed into nearby buildings and caught fire. . Similar incidents were repeated in the 1970s. In 1979, the runway was reconstructed (its length was increased to 2200 m and its strength was increased), the lighting equipment at the airfield was updated, and new radio navigation and communications equipment was installed.

In 1980, the Bykovsky Aviation Enterprise mastered the third generation aircraft - the 120-seat Yak-42. On December 22, the first regular flight on the Yak-42 to Krasnodar and back was performed.

In 1990, the airport served 2.8 million passengers.

Prospects

In January 2011, the head of the Russian Ministry of Transport, Igor Levitin, stated that the Russian authorities do not plan to develop civil aviation transportation in Bykovo; Apparently, this will be an airfield for special purpose aviation.

Currently, the airport building has been demolished and warehouses have been built in its place. Aircraft parking lots are used as parking for customs vehicles.

Bykovsky aircraft repair plant

On the territory of the airport there is the Bykovsky Aircraft Repair Plant (BARZ), which currently specializes in the repair of D-30 aircraft engines. The plant has existed since 1931 (until 1995 it was called “Plant No. 402 GA”), it has gone from repairing U-2, Po-2, R-5, An-2 aircraft and M-11, ASh-62IR, ASh aircraft engines -82V until the repair of modern aircraft Il-18, Il-76, Yak-42.

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Links

  • (English)

Literature

  • Sytnik G. I., Kalinin V. I. Averyanova M. G. JSC "Bykovo-Avia" (airport "Bykovo") // Averyanova M. G. Region Ramensky. Century XX: Essays of a local historian. M., 1998. ISBN 5-89673-003-9 pp. 562-567.

Notes


Moscow
Moscow region
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An excerpt characterizing Bykovo (airport)

Those in the dimly lit room spoke in an uneven whisper to each other and fell silent each time and, with eyes full of question and expectation, looked back at the door that led to the dying man’s chambers and made a faint sound when someone came out of it or entered it.
“The human limit,” said the old man, a clergyman, to the lady who sat down next to him and naively listened to him, “the limit has been set, but you cannot pass it.”
“I’m wondering if it’s too late to perform unction?” - adding the spiritual title, the lady asked, as if she had no opinion of her own on this matter.
“It’s a great sacrament, mother,” answered the clergyman, running his hand over his bald spot, along which ran several strands of combed, half-gray hair.
-Who is this? was the commander in chief himself? - they asked at the other end of the room. - How youthful!...
- And the seventh decade! What, they say, the count won’t find out? Did you want to perform unction?
“I knew one thing: I had taken unction seven times.”
The second princess just left the patient’s room with tear-stained eyes and sat down next to Doctor Lorrain, who was sitting in a graceful pose under the portrait of Catherine, leaning his elbows on the table.
“Tres beau,” said the doctor, answering a question about the weather, “tres beau, princesse, et puis, a Moscou on se croit a la campagne.” [beautiful weather, princess, and then Moscow looks so much like a village.]
“N"est ce pas? [Isn’t that right?],” said the princess, sighing. “So can he drink?”
Lorren thought about it.
– Did he take the medicine?
- Yes.
The doctor looked at the breget.
– Take a glass of boiled water and put in une pincee (with his thin fingers he showed what une pincee means) de cremortartari... [a pinch of cremortartar...]
“Listen, I didn’t drink,” the German doctor said to the adjutant, “so that after the third blow there was nothing left.”
– What a fresh man he was! - said the adjutant. – And who will this wealth go to? – he added in a whisper.
“There will be a okotnik,” the German answered, smiling.
Everyone looked back at the door: it creaked, and the second princess, having made the drink shown by Lorren, took it to the sick man. The German doctor approached Lorrain.
- Maybe it will last until tomorrow morning? - asked the German, speaking bad French.
Lorren, pursing his lips, sternly and negatively waved his finger in front of his nose.
“Tonight, not later,” he said quietly, with a decent smile of self-satisfaction in the fact that he clearly knew how to understand and express the patient’s situation, and walked away.

Meanwhile, Prince Vasily opened the door to the princess’s room.
The room was dim; only two lamps were burning in front of the images, and there was a good smell of incense and flowers. The entire room was furnished with small furniture: wardrobes, cupboards, and tables. The white covers of a high down bed could be seen from behind the screens. The dog barked.
- Oh, is it you, mon cousin?
She stood up and straightened her hair, which had always, even now, been so unusually smooth, as if it had been made from one piece with her head and covered with varnish.
- What, did something happen? – she asked. “I’m already so scared.”
- Nothing, everything is the same; “I just came to talk to you, Katish, about business,” said the prince, wearily sitting down on the chair from which she had risen. “How did you warm it up, however,” he said, “well, sit here, causons.” [let's talk.]
“I was wondering if something had happened?” - said the princess and with her unchanged, stone-stern expression on her face, she sat down opposite the prince, preparing to listen.
“I wanted to sleep, mon cousin, but I can’t.”
- Well, what, my dear? - said Prince Vasily, taking the princess’s hand and bending it downwards according to his habit.
It was clear that this “well, what” referred to many things that, without naming them, they both understood.
The princess, with her incongruously long legs, lean and straight waist, looked directly and dispassionately at the prince with her bulging gray eyes. She shook her head and sighed as she looked at the images. Her gesture could be explained both as an expression of sadness and devotion, and as an expression of fatigue and hope for a quick rest. Prince Vasily explained this gesture as an expression of fatigue.
“But for me,” he said, “do you think it’s easier?” Je suis ereinte, comme un cheval de poste; [I'm as tired as a post horse;] but still I need to talk to you, Katish, and very seriously.
Prince Vasily fell silent, and his cheeks began to twitch nervously, first on one side, then on the other, giving his face an unpleasant expression that had never appeared on Prince Vasily’s face when he was in the living rooms. His eyes, too, were not the same as always: sometimes they looked brazenly joking, sometimes they looked around in fear.
The princess, holding the dog on her knees with her dry, thin hands, looked carefully into the eyes of Prince Vasily; but it was clear that she would not break the silence with a question, even if she had to remain silent until the morning.
“You see, my dear princess and cousin, Katerina Semyonovna,” continued Prince Vasily, apparently not without an internal struggle as he began to continue his speech, “in moments like now, you need to think about everything.” We need to think about the future, about you... I love you all like my children, you know that.
The princess looked at him just as dimly and motionlessly.
“Finally, we need to think about my family,” Prince Vasily continued, angrily pushing the table away from him and not looking at her, “you know, Katisha, that you, the three Mamontov sisters, and also my wife, we are the only direct heirs of the count.” I know, I know how hard it is for you to talk and think about such things. And it’s not easier for me; but, my friend, I’m in my sixties, I need to be prepared for anything. Do you know that I sent for Pierre, and that the count, directly pointing to his portrait, demanded him to come to him?
Prince Vasily looked questioningly at the princess, but could not understand whether she was understanding what he told her or was just looking at him...
“I never cease to pray to God for one thing, mon cousin,” she answered, “that he would have mercy on him and allow his beautiful soul to leave this world in peace...
“Yes, that’s so,” Prince Vasily continued impatiently, rubbing his bald head and again angrily pulling the table pushed aside towards him, “but finally... finally the thing is, you yourself know that last winter the count wrote a will, according to which he owned the entire estate.” , in addition to the direct heirs and us, he gave it to Pierre.
– You never know he wrote wills! – the princess said calmly. “But he couldn’t bequeath to Pierre.” Pierre is illegal.
“Ma chere,” said Prince Vasily suddenly, pressing the table to himself, perking up and starting to speak quickly, “but what if the letter was written to the sovereign, and the count asks to adopt Pierre?” You see, according to the Count’s merits, his request will be respected...
The princess smiled the way people smile who think they know the matter more than those they are talking to.
“I’ll tell you more,” Prince Vasily continued, grabbing her hand, “the letter was written, although not sent, and the sovereign knew about it.” The only question is whether it is destroyed or not. If not, then how soon will it all be over,” Prince Vasily sighed, making it clear that he meant by the words everything will end, “and the count’s papers will be opened, the will with the letter will be handed over to the sovereign, and his request will probably be respected. Pierre, as a legitimate son, will receive everything.
– What about our unit? - asked the princess, smiling ironically, as if anything but this could happen.
- Mais, ma pauvre Catiche, c "est clair, comme le jour. [But, my dear Catiche, it is clear as day.] He alone is the rightful heir of everything, and you will not get any of this. You should know, my dear, were the will and the letter written, and were they destroyed? And if for some reason they were forgotten, then you should know where they are and find them, because...
- This was all that was missing! – the princess interrupted him, smiling sardonically and without changing the expression of her eyes. - I am a woman; according to you, we are all stupid; but I know so well that an illegitimate son cannot inherit... Un batard, [Illegitimate,] - she added, hoping with this translation to finally show the prince his groundlessness.
- Don’t you understand, finally, Katish! You are so smart: how do you not understand - if the count wrote a letter to the sovereign in which he asks him to recognize his son as legitimate, it means that Pierre will no longer be Pierre, but Count Bezukhoy, and then he will receive everything in his will? And if the will and the letter are not destroyed, then you will have nothing left except the consolation that you were virtuous et tout ce qui s"en suit [and everything that follows from here]. This is true.
– I know that the will has been written; but I also know that it is invalid, and you seem to consider me a complete fool, mon cousin,” said the princess with the expression with which women speak when they believe that they have said something witty and insulting.
“You are my dear Princess Katerina Semyonovna,” Prince Vasily spoke impatiently. “I came to you not to pick a fight with you, but to talk about your own interests as with my dear, good, kind, true relative.” I’m telling you for the tenth time that if a letter to the sovereign and a will in favor of Pierre are in the count’s papers, then you, my dear, and your sisters, are not the heir. If you don’t believe me, then trust people who know: I just spoke with Dmitry Onufriich (he was the house’s lawyer), he said the same thing.
Apparently something suddenly changed in the princess’s thoughts; her thin lips turned pale (her eyes remained the same), and her voice, while she spoke, broke through with such peals that she, apparently, herself did not expect.

 

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