New-York tribune., 1918-03-23
They Change Direction of
Advance When Petro-
grad Is Evacuated
Soviets Disbanding
Old Russian Armv
Railroads Unable to Ham
die Freight and Hordes
of Refugees
BY The Associated Press

anu .ooIuleIS OeleBaLcS Ine German aO-
vance in Russia still continues, the
evacuation of Petrograd having served
only to change the German objective
to Moscow.
According to reports printed in the
newspapers this morning, the Germans
are moving toward Moscow from three
directions-so southwest, west~and north
west. From the southwest they re-
Gently have advanced twenty-five miles
from Konotop, province Of Tchernigov,
in the general direction of Bryansk,
which is 235 miles from Moscow bv
rail.
From the west the Germans are ap-
preaching Smolensk, which is about
250 miles from Moscow. In the north
west they have captured the station
of Rosenovskaya, in the government of
Vitebsk.
The order to evacuatc the hospitals
and other institutions in Gjhatsk, 100
miles from Moscow. indicates that a
further German advance is considered
imminent by the government
Seek Peace With the Ukraine
The governments Of Poltava. Khar-
kov and Tchernigov have all been de-
clared in a state of siege by the
/ Ukraine government in an effort to
save Kharkov and prevent a further
advance by the Austrans supporting
the Ukraine bourgeoisie Rada.
NJ. Tchitchern, of the Bolshevik For
eign Office. in a statement issued to-
dow +h,% l,, ,c
negotiating informally with the Ukraine
for peace and that he hopes formal
negotiations will open soon.
The Soviet government is rapidly
disarming and disbanding the old army
and eliminating its influence from pub
lie affairs. The Moscow Soviet has
removed from its executive committee
all soldier representatives. and similar
action is taking place throughout Rus
sia, as the old army is presumably out
of existence and not entitled to rep
| resentation.
The new voluntary army will select
representatives in the various soviets
The old soldiers are unwilling at many
| places to surrender their arms and re-
turn to work. At Petrograd three reg
iments declined to be demobilized. The
Bolshevik Red Guards entered the bar
racks. SURPRISED the sleeping soldiers,
seized their arms and forced them to
leave the city.
Plan Evacuation of Capital
statement saying that these regiments
were under influences contrary to the
revolutionary movement were lazy and
undisciplined and refused to assist in
guard duty. In explanation of the gov
ernments evacuation OF Pctrograd the
Soviet has issued statement saying
the commissioners went to Moscow for
the purpose Of saving Petrograd from
destruction, as they believed the gov
ernmcnts removal will demonstrate
the strength of the Russian peoples
that the capture of the capital would
be useless, as the government is pre-
pared TO fall back constantly before
the German advance, resisting and
slowing down the enemy onslaught.
All available rolling stock is being
used for the evacuation of Petrograd
| along the Trans-Siberian railroad
toward the Ural Mountains. The Put
iloff munition works and the Shlussel
burg powder factory, near Petrograd,
employing from 10000 to 10000 work
men, are being moved to Omsk and To-
bolsk.
Siberian Railway Congested
The entire western end of the Trans
Siberian railroad is congested with
trains of machinery, guns, ammunition
and automobiles. All sorts of war ma
teria and factory equipment were
stacked on fiat cars, and government
employees, factory workers and thou
sands Of German and Austrian prison
crs arc being sent to Omsk and other
Siberian cities for industrial work in
reestablishing plants.
Many prisoners when interviewed by
The Associated Press correspondent
show little interest in the war, espe-
cially the Austrians, who apparently
have no desire to return home. Some
of them sought medicines from the
American Red Cross unit for sick COM
rades and did not know that the United
States had entered the war.
Refugees Crowd Vologda
Vologda, where the American En-
bassy is now located, has suddenly de-
veloped from provincial city with
population of 10000 to congested
transfer point with large floating
population. Military missions of many
nations leaving Rumania and the
Ukraine have gathere there, awaiting
Transportation to Siberia or Kola and
Petrograd.
Refugees unable to reach Moscow and
other points southward by direct line,
because of hordes of disbanded soldiers,
have centred at Vologda in the hope of
finding accommoda dation on railway
trains leaving for southern points,
where the food situation is better
There is little freight moving except
government supplies. Every inch of
space inside of cars, on platforms and
on the bumpers is occupied by refugees.
All the stations are crowded with men,