Written: 10 April, 1919
First Published: Petrograclskaya Pravda No. 81, April 12, 1919; Published according to the newspaper text
Source: Lenin’s Collected Works, 4th English Edition, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1972 Volume 29, page 275
Translated: George Hanna
Transcription/HTML Markup: David Walters & Robert Cymbala
Copyleft: V. I. Lenin Internet Archive (www.marx.org) 2002. Permission is granted to copy and/or distribute this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
To the Petrograd workers
Comrades, the situation on the Eastern Front has become extremely grave. Today, Koichak captured the Votkinsk Iron Works and Bugulma is in danger. Evidently, Koichak will advance still farther.
The danger is a serious one.
Today, the Council of People’s Commissars will decide on a number of urgent measures to assist the Eastern Front; we are increasing the work of agitation.
We request the Petrograd workers to do everything possible, to mobilise all forces to help the Eastern Front.
The soldier workers there will obtain food for themselves, and will be able to send food parcels to their families. The main thing, however, is that there the fate of the revolution is being decided.
By victory there, we shall bring the war to a close, for the Whites will get no more assistance from abroad. In the South, victory is near. We cannot withdraw forces from the South until we have won there completely.
Hence, help the Eastern Front!
Both the Soviet of Workers’ and Red Army Deputies and the trade unions must exert every effort to mobilise all forces and render all possible assistance to the Eastern Front.
I am certain, comrades, that the Petrograd workers will set an example to the whole of Russia.
With communist greetings,
Lenin
Moscow, April 10, 1919