From Spanish: Quinta columna. It is generally accepted that this expression is from a radio speech (autumn, 1936) by the Spanish general Emilio Mola (1887-1937), who led the rebel offensive during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Dictionary of popular words and expressions

In the Spanish Republic during the war of 1936 39 the name of General Franco's agents operated in the rear, while 4 columns of fascist rebels were advancing on Madrid. During the 2nd World War, the fifth column was the conventional name for the fascist... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- “FIFTH COLUMN”, in the Spanish Republic during the war of 1936 39 the name of the agents of General Franco, acted in the rear, while 4 columns of fascist rebels advanced on Madrid. During the 2nd World War, the “fifth column” was the code name... encyclopedic Dictionary

In the Spanish Republic during the war of 1936 39 the name of General Franco's agents operated in the rear, while 4 columns of fascist rebels were advancing on Madrid. During the 2nd World War, the “fifth column” was the conventional name for the fascist... ... Political science. Dictionary.

The name of Franco's agency operating in Spain. republic during the national revolutionary war 1936 39. The term P. k. arose in the beginning. Oct. 1936, when the Francoist gen. Mola announced on the radio that the rebels were attacking Madrid in four columns... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

fifth column- The name of Nazi agents in various countries, which carried out sabotage and espionage activities, sowed panic, engaged in sabotage and helped the capture of these countries by German troops. The term fifth column first came into use in... Encyclopedia of the Third Reich

In the Spanish Republic during the war of 1936 39 the name of General Franco's agents operated in the rear, while 4 columns of fascist rebels were advancing on Madrid. During World War II, the “Fifth Column” was the conventional name for the fascist... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Fifth column- About traitors, traitors who are maintained by hostile states and used for espionage, sabotage and corruption of the spirit of the population of one or another warring country. In every country where Hitlerism had access, a spy service was created... ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language

- (“Fifth Column”) the name of General Franco’s agents operating in the Spanish Republic during the National Revolutionary War of 1936 39. The term “P. To." arose in early October 1936, when Francoist General E. Mola declared... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Publ. Disapproved Secret agents of the enemy are spies, saboteurs, saboteurs, traitors. /i> Expression of the Francoist army general Emilio Mola, who announced during the attack on Madrid (1938) that in addition to four army columns he had in the city... ... Large dictionary of Russian sayings

Books

• "Fifth Column" and the Russian Church. A century of persecution and schisms, Shambarov Valery Evgenievich. When the USSR collapsed, one of the main organizers of this operation, Zbigniew Brzezinski, said: “We now have one enemy - the Russian Orthodox Church.” Although it is from the communist authorities...
• "The Fifth Column" and the Russian Church, Shambarov Valery Evgenievich. When the USSR collapsed, one of the main organizers of this operation, Zbigniew Brzezinski, said: 171;We now have one enemy - the Russian Orthodox Church 187;. Although she is from the communist...

The main force of the country, which organizes and controls vital changes in society, is state power. In an effort to increase the well-being of the state, the president and government are developing the economy, raising social standards of living of the population, increasing the country's defense capability and raising the image of the state in the world. But there are also political and public organizations that in society are usually called simply “5th column”. What is it, how are such associations born, and who is behind them? We'll tell you in this article.

Where did the term “5th Column” come from?

The fifth column is an organization or individual that seeks, through its actions or statements, to change the existing political system of the country in one way or another.

Exist three variants of the appearance of this term:

• General Mola. In 1936, civil war breaks out on the Iberian Peninsula. The reasons for the enmity are the dissatisfaction of part of the Spanish population with the king's reforms and the growth of the idea of ​​nationalism. The Republicans, led by a general, are laying siege to Madrid. In a radio message to the citizens of the capital, Emilio Mola threatens that in addition to a well-armed army consisting of four columns, he has his own “ fifth column, which at the most opportune moment will destabilize the situation and strike the king’s troops from the rear.”
• Table. By the power of imagination, the state system is presented in the form of a table that confidently stands on four massive legs - columns. The country is developing successfully and feels comfortable, but at a certain moment the situation is shaken with the help of radical associations: parties, organizations, etc. associations. In the design of the “table,” a fifth leg appears, that is, a column, which becomes redundant.
• Play. In 1938, Ernest Hemingway completes his play The Fifth Column, which describes the events of the Spanish Civil War.

5th column in Russia

The Russian Constitution states: none of the political ideologies existing in the world has the status of mandatory or national. Of the many currents of the political system, in our country there are de facto two directions:

• National patriotism. Right now this ideology dominates in the State Duma. The principles are simple: a large percentage of budget money is invested in domestic production and the development of science. Entrepreneurial activity is encouraged, but key economic sectors remain under state control.
• Liberalism. In this model, the state withdraws as much as possible from influencing the country’s economy and controls the protection of human rights and guarantees free enterprise.

It is behind some political parties or famous personalities who position themselves as liberals that hide the threat in the form of a fifth column:

• Parties and social movements. Traditionally, these are “Yabloko”, “Union of Right Forces”, “People’s Democratic Union”, “Other Russia”.
• Public figures. Irina Khakamada, Gennady Gudkov, Ilya Ponamarev, Mikhail Kasyanov, Alexey Navalny. You can also add famous cultural figures and former athletes to this list.

Fifth Column Goals

In any country that has real geopolitical significance in the world community, the so-called “fifth column” has been introduced. The goals of such associations:

• Change of power. We observed something similar in the countries of South America and Asia. People come to power who hand over the national interests of the state to a third party, and the promised economic transformations do not happen.
• Weakening economy. The weakening of situations occurs in order to weaken the economy of a particular state. While the government is engaged in protests and riots, the country that has caused a collapse in the competitor’s camp occupies a vacated economic niche in other countries.

The list may also include other goals: interethnic or religious hatred, degradation of society, attempts to dismember the country.

Financing and organization: who is behind the 5th column?

Who is behind the group of people who are playing a propaganda game on the territory of the state and shaking the situation in the country? Without going to extremes, there are two main sources:

• Intelligence services of another country. Everything is simple here. A separate state introduces its agents of influence into a certain country who engage in subversive activities: they organize television channels and newspapers, political parties that discriminate against the existing government.
• Former government. The situation is very confusing and dangerous: the political elite, which seeks to change the flow of cash flows in its favor, is engaged in sabotage in the corridors of power. Hence the failures in the country's development reforms. It is difficult to identify such werewolves, so time-tested patriots must be appointed to the most important government posts.

5th column and constructive opposition: main differences

Of course, not all liberal and national democratic movements can be called a fifth column. There are many forces in the country that strive to be useful to the country:

• Criticism. Representatives of the fifth column only criticize; the constructive opposition offers its own options for the country's development.
• Power. While agents representing the interests of another state strive for power, true patriots work together with the government.
• National interests. The opposition, even if its views on solving the problem differ from the options proposed by the authorities, always defend the national interests of the country.

Behind the destabilization of the situation in the state and the attempt to change power is the 5th column. What it is, you have now found out for yourself.

In any civilized country, which undoubtedly includes our country, the alternative to creating unrest on city streets is the procedure of democratic elections. This must always be remembered, and in order to maintain a healthy situation in society, one should not succumb to the provocative calls of representatives of the 5th column.

Video about the fifth column

In this video, Nikolai Starikov will tell you what the fifth column is and how it appeared in Spain:

We all know very well who coordinates the subversive activities of the 5th column throughout the post-Soviet space. The most striking example of the actions of the Jewish-Masonic lodge, which spread its “tentacles” from the UK and the USA, can, of course, be considered the Ukrainian crisis that occurred in early 2014, when law enforcement agencies and the security forces of Viktor Yanukovych were unable to adequately respond to the developing “Euromaidan” masquerade , which was successfully played out by the Ukrainian 5th column with direct financial, political and ideological support from Western countries.

Fortunately, the activities of the Russian 5th column are currently properly controlled and nipped in the bud at any attempt to “raise their heads.” But this question is not as simple as it might seem.

The complexity of the task of counteracting this socio-political class lies in its structure, where the main role continues to be played by the political opposition in the State Duma of Russia, radical adherents of Western ideology, as well as some legal entities that are in one way or another tied to the West with their capital (sphere activities).

Of course, the most harmless caste of the 5th Column movement can be considered radical supporters of the West, as it is often made up of simple demonstrators and “couch democrats”, the so-called. “unfinished romantics of the American dream”, there are also more dangerous personnel in this class - leakers of strategic information and coordinators of large rallies. These individuals often have certain knowledge in the field of crowd control, and, acting together, are capable of causing certain damage to the security of the state in a certain situation... they can be considered the “think tanks” of the crowd.

For example, on December 3, 2014, Moscow law enforcement authorities detained 25 participants of the so-called “Free School of Resistance”, who were taught via the Skype interface by their Kyiv like-minded people, who gained good experience during the Kyiv events of 2013–2014. Fortunately, thanks to a call to the police from representatives of the NOD movement (National Liberation Movement), the lecture “Maidan - the organization of a space of freedom. Experience of Confrontation” can be considered a failure, but that’s not all.

It is clear that the Kyiv “junta-curators” trained the future coordinators of the “Maidanov” in Russia, and in the world of modern digital communication devices and networks, these individuals will sooner or later receive the information they need, especially since after interviews they are often immediately released , and due to the ineradicable corruption in our country, the “Maidaun children”, whose parents have influential parents-entrepreneurs with connections to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will be very slightly scolded and released (after all, unfortunately, these are not Soviet times). There is a problem brewing that needs to be solved.

In principle, in order to prevent these processes, joint actions of such Internet communities as “CyberBerkut” (engaged in the information war against the West and NATO in Novorossiya and Ukraine) with operational intelligence activities and its points “removing information from technical communication channels” are sufficient. “tapping phones” and “introducing an employee into development.” All this is functioning in the Russian Federation, but so far in insufficient quantities.

If we take information leakers, then among them you can find recruited US CIA agents. They are now quite skillfully hiding on Russian territory and are Russian-speaking citizens of the country. They have a huge variety of devices and interfaces for data transfer and programs for hiding their personal data on Internet networks, such as “Free Hide IP” (for PCs, laptops), or “Change IP timer”, “Proxy Surf” and “ Hideninja VPN" (for Android devices). These programs are also called “anonymizer” programs, since they change the real IP of your connection channel to the IP of any country in the world, and you can safely perform any actions on the network.

Let's move on. Political opposition in Russia. Parties such as Yabloko, RPR-PARNAS, and Democratic Union have been known to us for about 20-25 years. They participate in various “Peace Marches”, they organize anti-government rallies, and finally, they are the link that supports US policy, longs for the departure of President V. Putin and continues to sponsor the pro-Western movement in Russia. From what sources do funds for such events come from?

Remember November 2005, when the US Congress allocated more than 4 million dollars for the formation of opposition political parties in the Russian Federation, and this is only according to official data, not including annual transactions and injections from the “typewriter country”, known only in .n. "democratic camp". Here the State Duma found a completely adequate answer: a bill on control over the activities of NGOs, which takes full control over the receipt and movement of financial resources from Western countries, as well as the purposes for which these amounts are received.

Also such “interesting” people as Garry Kasparov (Garik Weinstein, with dual Russian-American citizenship), Mikhail Kasyanov and Boris Nemtsov.

Meeting of the Russian 5th column, represented by Nemtsov, Ryzhkov and Kasparov, in the American Congress with their curators.

Kasparov, for example, is one of the most “thoroughbred” representatives of the Jewish-Masonic lodge, unlike other oppositionists, and also enjoys some popular recognition, in particular due to his chess past. At the same time, being the “house of councils” for American “hawks” in the struggle for world domination, as well as the driving personality for the development of neo-conservative pro-American ideas in Russia, he is waging a real political war against the entire Slavic ideology, our Russian World, the idea of ​​a “multipolar world order."

Thus, in December 2006, Kasparov called on Washington to protect the Russian Federation from participating in the G8 summit, which was also put forward by American neoconservatives McCain and Lieberman. It is also well known how this man incited the United States to carry out airstrikes on Syria and Iran, trying to play the role of “first violin” - a favorite strategic move of the State of Israel against its neighbors it does not like. And he did it in the most hypocritical and “cunningly done” form, in his article for Wall Street magazine “The end of the game on the Chessboard. Preoccupied with Iraq, we have lost sight of the rest of the world” (in this title the word “we” means the USA).

Kasparov is also a member of the CSP National Security Advisory Council, which is headed by F. Gaffney, and includes former professional military personnel who are in one way or another taking part in the modernization of the US military-industrial complex. This is such a long and branched “chain” that stretches from some Russian oppositionists and comes almost immediately to the White House.

Now let's take a close look at the US Congress, where is there such an opposition, pro-Russian political figures? They simply aren't there. And we also have Kasyanov, who, together with Kasparov, creates anti-Putin conferences, and also holds “Dissent Marches” with Limonov and Anpilov.

So the Swedish economist Anders Aslund considers Kasyanov the main element in the fight against the policies of the Russian Federation, and this is not accidental. Firstly, Mr. Kasyanov, who was nicknamed “Misha-two percent” among the people and the media back in the crisis of the early 90s, being the head of the government apparatus and the Minister of Finance under Vladimir Putin, knows very well all the ins and outs of the Russian political and economic structure, including all its strengths and weaknesses. Secondly, together with Kasparov’s party, the United Popular Front has united its political force, the People’s Democratic Union, and therefore is well guided by its anti-Russian rhetoric.

/Evgeny Damantsev/

The fifth column is secret, conspiratorial enemies, ready at any opportune moment to strike from the “rear” or, undermining the enemy’s forces, to do evil and harm on the sly
The origin of the expression is unclear. Wikipedia elevates its author to Mussolini, who, even during the First World War, allegedly asserted the existence of a certain “fifth army” of German adherents in the Entente countries.
Another creator of phraseology is the Spanish general Emilio Mola, who led Franco’s army during the Spanish Civil War. It seems that in 1936, during an attempt to capture Madrid, he declared that in addition to the “official” four military columns, he had at his disposal a fifth - in the city itself, which also had the ability to support the offensive.

Examples of the use of the concept “Fifth Column”

“Ekaterinburg, the capital of the Urals and the center of the fifth column in Russia, continues to delight us with news. Thus, in the stronghold of the white-ribbon opposition from science - the Ural Federal University, immediately after the anti-Russian speeches of Professor Inozemtsev, supported by the rector of URFU Koksharov, the adherent of the liberal traitors Venediktov spoke out"

“On March 18 of this year, on the day of signing the documents on the annexation of Crimea to Russia, President Putin countered the statements and reactions of Western politicians: “Some Western politicians are already threatening us not only with sanctions, but also with the prospect of worsening internal problems. I would like to know: what do they mean? Are the actions of some “fifth column”, various kinds of national traitors, or are they counting on being able to worsen the socio-economic situation in Russia and thereby provoke people’s discontent?!”

“Representatives of the so-called Russian “opposition” (or “fifth column”) today are waging a targeted and systematic campaign to discredit Russian foreign policy, the leaders of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, and the values ​​of the Russian World. To this end, a whole series of new statements are constantly being thrown into the information space, which cannot be ignored.”

“If initially the “fifth column,” controlled by the West, was limited primarily to peacekeeping statements, then recently it has finally dropped its masks and actually opened a second, subversive front on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The participation of representatives of the “fifth column” in direct armed actions against the Russian government is not necessary. It is enough that the “fifth column”: firstly, largely controls the Russian information space; secondly, using the influence of media persons in her orbit, she influences public opinion.”

Spanish Civil War

Lasted from July 1936 to April 1939. The Republicans representing the “left” Popular Front and the “conservatives” of General Franco opposed each other. The former were supported by all world democratic forces, including the USSR, the latter by fascist Italy and Germany. The war, naturally, was accompanied by all sorts of atrocities committed by both sides. The Frankists shot about 75 thousand enemies, the Republicans - about 50,000. 200,000 soldiers died in battle. 25,000 civilians - from hunger. The war ended with the victory of Franco's army.

Let's start with a definition. The term “fifth column” was coined by the Spanish general Emilio Mola, who commanded the Francoist army during the civil war of the 30s of the last century in Spain. Advancing on Madrid, he broadcast on the radio in early October 1936 an appeal to his dear Spaniards, who had not yet been fooled by the Republican Communists: they say that in addition to the four army columns at his disposal, he also has a “fifth column”. In Madrid itself! This decisive force will strike from the rear at the right moment.

Methods of action? The “fifth column” of the Francoists sowed panic, engaged in sabotage, espionage and sabotage. But even such actions of hers then had an exaggerated, purely “propaganda” success, because Republican Madrid held out against the Franco-fascists for two and a half years.

Foreign observers who were in Madrid at that time easily “deciphered” the composition of the Fifth Column: there were opponents of the republican regime and criminal elements hiding in the city. Most of them were hiding on the territory of the German embassy, ​​which occupied an entire block. That is, they are the same fascists, only, like the Russian Maria Ivanovna, “from other doors.”

Something similar is happening now in Ukraine.

The process of forming our Fifth Column has already begun. According to our and foreign media reports, State Duma deputy, Supreme Ataman of the Union of Cossack Troops of Russia and Abroad, Viktor Vodolatsky, said: he is ready to send 15 thousand Cossacks to Ukraine! Well, of course, if a request for this comes “from the Ukrainian Cossacks.”

The number of the 5th column of “help for Ukrainians” from the Cossack formations of Russia seems considerable. It is believed that the registered Cossacks, who, for example, are led by the chairman of the Council for Cossack Affairs, a certain Alexander Belov, are “only” 760 thousand people. These guys are eager to support the current government and, of course, oppose the Kyiv Maidan. They have already shown what they are capable of in dispersing demonstrators in Lugansk, Donetsk and Zaporozhye.

Behind all this is some more organized force than the still operetta “Cossack Army”. In fact, this is the FSB and a significant part, alas, of the same Ukrainian special services. Both of these state intelligence services are the legal successors of the legendary KGB and operate using the same methods (remember the history of the “export of socialist revolutions” to third countries) and pursue the same goals. That is, the strengthening of totalitarianism and the restoration of the empire, its former power.

When I worked in Ukraine, in Poltava, for many years, I had to meet quite often and obtain information “for the public” from the press service of the local SBU department. The impression I got from this “office” was twofold. On the one hand, I don’t remember a case in these twenty-odd years of Independence of our state when Poltava SSB officers caught and put in a prison cell some venerable spy, saboteur, or, as they used to say, a “pest” of the national economy. Even if not a venerable one, but some low-life agent... On the other hand, these people, many of whom came to serve in the SBU after 1991, expressed patriotic sentiments and swore allegiance and devotion to the “cause of Independence.”

The actions of the SBU (as well as similar special-purpose organizations) must be assessed not by words, but by deeds. The affairs of our “knights of cloak and dagger” have always been quite secret. And the Poltava public, for example, learned about their exploits only from their own laconic newsletters and rare public appearances.

But based on indirect signs, it was possible to draw... um... rather unusual, paradoxical conclusions about the “patriotically oriented” activities of the secret agency.

Just take even the external surroundings. Red stars, a symbol of the Bolshevik evil empire, have been “hovering proudly” over the Poltava SBU headquarters for decades now! This is no less strange than the numerous Lenin monuments that decorate the squares of our cities - and as if they do not oblige anyone to anything or any special worship.

God be with them, with the monuments for now (or rather, to hell with them)!

But regarding the pentagram signs on all four turrets of our SBU, I even personally addressed one of the heads of this regional department. The answer was this. They say that for this - for the liquidation of the symbols of the totalitarian regime - the SSB men have no money, they say, they are a poor organization, budget-funded...

Then I waited for the moment when the roof of the SBU building finally began to be repaired. Have you finally found the money to even replace the façade? And I called the boss again. His answer was evasive. The stars remained on the towers.

According to some indirect answers from unofficial persons (I also have informants in this office), these stars, they say, if historical authenticity is to be restored (and before the revolution, the KGB-SBU building belonged to the Peasant Bank), they should be replaced with... cockerels! Our special services, of course, didn’t want to walk under the “cockerels”! And yet this whole plot seems symptomatic to me. And in this context, rumors and conversations about the ongoing close cooperation of former KGB agents of both post-Soviet republics seem non-random and natural. And it’s clear: SBU agents are unlikely to play for their own, for the Ukrainian “gates”; most likely, they carry out special orders from their “big brothers”...

From recent media reports...

Russians in Cossack uniforms managed to take part, together with the so-called “titushki,” in a raid on the local Euromaidan on January 27, the day before the above statement by the Ataman of the Russian Cossack troops. Their arrival is also expected in Sevastopol, where a group of representatives of the Russian biker club “Night Wolves” is already stationed. This public group is, in fact, one of the pro-Putin organizations. “Night Wolves” are ready to die on the Ukrainian barricades,” the club’s website reports. These militants from the Fifth Ukrainian Column have their own camp near Sevastopol. “We will do everything possible to prevent aggressive protest movements in Crimea,” the Wolves say.

A few days before these events, almost simultaneously, a propaganda campaign began in all Russian media, designed to justify such an invasion of Ukraine. One after another, materials began to appear that said: Ukrainians and Russians are one people. Like, Russia... well, it’s simply obliged to provide assistance to the Ukrainians in repelling the attempts of the “Bandera fascists” to seize power. And so on...