The execution of Nicholas 2. There was no execution of the Royal family

On the night of July 16-17, 1918 in the city of Yekaterinburg, in the basement of the house of mining engineer Nikolai Ipatiev, the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Empress Alexandra Fedorovna, their children - Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatyana, Maria, Anastasia, the heir Tsarevich Alexei, as well as the life medical doctor Evgeny Botkin, valet Alexei Trupp, room girl Anna Demidova and cook Ivan Kharitonov.

The last Russian emperor, Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov (Nicholas II), ascended the throne in 1894 after the death of his father, Emperor Alexander III, and ruled until 1917, when the situation in the country became more complicated. On March 12 (February 27, old style), 1917, an armed uprising began in Petrograd, and on March 15 (March 2, old style), 1917, at the insistence of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma, Nicholas II signed the abdication of the throne for himself and his son Alexei in favor of the younger brother Mikhail Alexandrovich.

After his abdication from March to August 1917, Nikolai and his family were under arrest in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoye Selo. A special commission of the Provisional Government studied materials for the possible trial of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna on charges of treason. Not finding evidence and documents that clearly denounced them in this, the Provisional Government was inclined to deport them abroad (to Great Britain).

The execution of the royal family: a reconstruction of eventsOn the night of July 16-17, 1918, Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family were executed in Yekaterinburg. RIA Novosti offers you a reconstruction of the tragic events that took place 95 years ago in the basement of the Ipatiev House.

In August 1917, the arrested were transferred to Tobolsk. The main idea of ​​the Bolshevik leadership was an open trial of the former emperor. In April 1918, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee decided to transfer the Romanovs to Moscow. Vladimir Lenin spoke out for the trial of the former tsar, and Leon Trotsky was supposed to be made the main accuser of Nicholas II. However, information appeared about the existence of "White Guard plots" to kidnap the tsar, the concentration of "officers-conspirators" in Tyumen and Tobolsk for this purpose, and on April 6, 1918, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee decided to transfer the royal family to the Urals. The royal family was moved to Yekaterinburg and placed in the Ipatiev house.

The uprising of the White Czechs and the offensive of the White Guard troops on Yekaterinburg accelerated the decision to execute the former tsar.

It was entrusted to the commandant of the House of Special Purpose Yakov Yurovsky to organize the execution of all members of the royal family, Dr. Botkin and the servants who were in the house.

© Photo: Museum of the History of Yekaterinburg

The execution scene is known from investigative protocols, from the words of participants and eyewitnesses, and from the stories of direct perpetrators. Yurovsky spoke about the execution of the royal family in three documents: "Note" (1920); "Memoirs" (1922) and "Speech at a meeting of old Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg" (1934). All the details of this atrocity, transmitted by the main participant at different times and under completely different circumstances, agree on how the royal family and its servants were shot.

According to documentary sources, it is possible to establish the time of the beginning of the murder of Nicholas II, members of his family and their servants. The car that delivered the last order to destroy the family arrived at half past two in the night from July 16 to 17, 1918. After that, the commandant ordered the life doctor Botkin to wake the royal family. It took the family about 40 minutes to get ready, then she and the servants were transferred to the semi-basement of this house, overlooking Voznesensky Lane. Nicholas II carried Tsarevich Alexei in his arms, because he could not walk due to illness. At the request of Alexandra Feodorovna, two chairs were brought into the room. She sat on one, on the other Tsarevich Alexei. The rest lined up along the wall. Yurovsky led the firing squad into the room and read the sentence.

This is how Yurovsky himself describes the execution scene: “I suggested that everyone stand up. Everyone stood up, occupying the entire wall and one of the side walls. The room was very small. Nikolai stood with his back to me. Urala decided to shoot them. Nikolai turned and asked. I repeated the order and ordered: "Shoot." I fired the first shot and killed Nikolai on the spot. The firing lasted a very long time and, despite my hopes that the wooden wall would not ricochet, the bullets bounced off it "For a long time I was unable to stop this shooting, which had taken on a careless character. But when, finally, I managed to stop, I saw that many were still alive. For example, Dr. Botkin was lying, leaning on his elbow right hand, as if in the pose of a rester, finished him off with a revolver shot. Alexei, Tatyana, Anastasia and Olga were also alive. Demidova was also alive. Tov. Ermakov wanted to finish the job with a bayonet. But, however, it did not work. The reason became clear later (the daughters were wearing diamond shells like bras). I had to shoot each one in turn."

After the statement of death, all the corpses began to be transferred to the truck. At the beginning of the fourth hour, at dawn, the corpses of the dead were taken out of the Ipatiev house.

The remains of Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna, Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia Romanov, as well as those from their entourage, who were shot in the House of Special Purpose (Ipatiev House), were discovered in July 1991 near Yekaterinburg.

On July 17, 1998, the remains of members of the royal family were buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

In October 2008, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation decided to rehabilitate the Russian Emperor Nicholas II and members of his family. The Prosecutor General's Office of Russia also decided to rehabilitate members of the imperial family - the Grand Dukes and Princes of the Blood, who were executed by the Bolsheviks after the revolution. The servants and close associates of the royal family, who were executed by the Bolsheviks or were subjected to repression, were rehabilitated.

In January 2009, the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee under the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation stopped investigating the case on the circumstances of the death and burial of the last Russian emperor, members of his family and people from his entourage, who were shot in Yekaterinburg on July 17, 1918, "due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for bringing to criminal liability and death of the persons who committed the deliberate murder" (subparagraphs 3 and 4 of part 1 of article 24 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the RSFSR).

The tragic history of the royal family: from execution to restIn 1918, on the night of July 17 in Yekaterinburg, in the basement of the house of mining engineer Nikolai Ipatiev, the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, their children - Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, heir Tsarevich Alexei were shot.

On January 15, 2009, the investigator issued a decision to dismiss the criminal case, but on August 26, 2010, the judge of the Basmanny District Court of Moscow decided, in accordance with Article 90 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, to recognize this decision as unfounded and ordered to eliminate the violations committed. On November 25, 2010, the decision of the investigation to dismiss this case was canceled by the Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee.

On January 14, 2011, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation announced that the decision was brought in accordance with the court decision and the criminal case on the death of representatives of the Russian Imperial House and persons from their entourage in 1918-1919 was terminated. Identification of the remains of members of the family of the former Russian Emperor Nicholas II (Romanov) and persons from his retinue has been confirmed.

On October 27, 2011, the decision to close the investigation into the case of the execution of the royal family was. The ruling on 800 pages contains the main conclusions of the investigation and indicates the authenticity of the discovered remains of the royal family.

However, the question of authentication still remains open. The Russian Orthodox Church, in order to recognize the found remains as the relics of the royal martyrs, the Russian Imperial House supports the position of the Russian Orthodox Church in this matter. The director of the Chancellery of the Russian Imperial House emphasized that genetic expertise is not enough.

The Church canonized Nicholas II and his family and on July 17 celebrates the feast day of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

The 20th century did not start well for the Russian Empire. First, the failed Russo-Japanese War, as a result of which Russia lost Port Arthur, and the power of its authority among the already dissatisfied people. Nicholas II, unlike his predecessors, nevertheless decided to make concessions and give up a number of powers. So the first parliament appeared in Russia, but this did not help either.

Low level economic development states, poverty, First World War and the growing influence of the socialists led to the overthrow of the monarchy in Russia. In 1917, Nicholas II signed the abdication of the throne on his behalf and on behalf of his son, Tsarevich Alexei. After that, the royal family, namely the emperor, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, daughters Tatyana, Anastasia, Olga, Maria and son Alexei were sent to Tobolsk.

The emperor, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, daughters Tatyana, Anastasia, Olga, Maria and son Alexei were sent to Tobolsk // Photo: ria.ru

Exile to Yekaterinburg and imprisonment in the Ipatiev house

There was no unity among the Bolsheviks about the future fate of the emperor. The country was plunged into civil war, and Nicholas II could become a trump card for the Whites. The Bolsheviks did not want this. But at the same time, according to a number of researchers, Vladimir Lenin did not want to quarrel with the German emperor Wilhelm, to whom the Romanovs were close relatives. Therefore, the "leader of the proletariat" was categorically against the massacre of Nicholas II and his family.

In April 1918, a decision was made to transfer the royal family from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg. In the Urals, the Bolsheviks were more popular and were not afraid that the emperor could be released by his supporters. royal family placed in the requisitioned mansion of the mining engineer Ipatiev. The physician Evgeny Botkin, the cook Ivan Kharitonov, the valet Alexei Trupp and the room girl Anna Demidova were admitted to Nicholas II and his family. From the very beginning they declared their readiness to share the fate of the deposed emperor and his family.

As noted in the diaries of Nikolai Romanov and members of his family, exile in Yekaterinburg was a test for them // Photo: awesomestories.com

As noted in the diaries of Nikolai Romanov and members of his family, exile in Yekaterinburg became a test for them. The guards assigned to them allowed themselves liberties and often morally mocked the crowned persons. But at the same time, the nuns of the Novo-Tikhvin Monastery daily sent fresh food to the emperor's table, trying to please the exiled anointed of God.

These deliveries are associated interesting story. Once, in a cork from a bottle of cream, the emperor found a note on French. It said that officers who remembered the oath were preparing the emperor's escape and he needed to be ready. Every time Nicholas II received such a note, he and his family members went to bed dressed and waited for their deliverers.

Later it turned out that it was a provocation of the Bolsheviks. They wanted to test how ready the emperor and his family were to escape. It turned out that they were waiting for the right moment. According to some researchers, this only strengthened the new government in the belief that it was necessary to get rid of the king as soon as possible.

The execution of the emperor

Until now, historians have not been able to find out who made the decision to kill the imperial family. Some argue that it was Lenin personally. But there is no documentary evidence for this. according to another version, Vladimir Lenin did not want to stain his hands with blood, and the Ural Bolsheviks took responsibility for this decision. The third version says that Moscow found out about the incident after the fact, and the decision was actually made in the Urals in connection with the uprising of the White Czechs. As Leon Trotsky noted in his memoirs, the execution order was practically given personally by Joseph Stalin.

“Having learned about the uprising of the White Czechs and the approach of the Whites to Yekaterinburg, Stalin uttered the phrase: “The Emperor must not fall into the hands of the Whites.” This phrase became the death sentence for the royal family. Trotsky writes.

By the way, Leon Trotsky was to become the main prosecutor at the show trial of Nicholas II. But it never took place.

The facts show that the execution of Nicholas II and his family was planned. On the night of July 16-17, 1918, a car for transporting corpses arrived at Ipatiev's house. Then the Romanovs were awakened and ordered to dress urgently. Allegedly, a group of people tried to free them from captivity, so the family will be urgently transported to another place. The assembly took about forty minutes. After that, members of the royal family were taken to the basement. Tsarevich Alexei could not walk on his own, so his father carried him in his arms.

Finding that there was absolutely no furniture in the room where they were taken, the empress asked to bring two chairs, on one of which she sat herself, and on the second she sat her son. The rest were lined up against the wall. After everyone gathered in the room, their chief jailer Yurovsky went down to the royal family and read out the verdict to the king. Yurovsky himself does not exactly remember what he said at that moment. Approximately he said that the supporters of the emperor tried to free him, so the Bolsheviks were forced to shoot him. Nicholas II turned around and asked again, and immediately the firing squad opened fire.

Nicholas II turned around and asked again, and immediately the firing squad opened fire // Photo: v-zdor.com

Nicholas II was one of the first to be killed, but his daughters and the Tsarevich were finished off with bayonets and shots from a revolver. Later, when the dead were undressed, they found a huge amount of jewelry in their clothes that protected the girls and the empress from bullets. Jewelry was stolen.

Burial of the remains

Immediately after the execution, the bodies were loaded into a car. Servants and a physician were killed along with the imperial family. As the Bolsheviks later explained their decision, these people themselves expressed their readiness to share the fate of the royal family.

Initially, the bodies were planned to be buried in an abandoned mine, but this idea failed because they could not arrange a collapse, and the corpses were easy to find. After the Bolsheviks made an attempt to burn the bodies. This idea was a success with the Tsarevich and the room girl Anna Demidova. The rest were buried near the road under construction, after disfiguring the corpses with sulfuric acid. The burial was also supervised by Yurovsky.

Investigation and conspiracy theories

The murder of the royal family was investigated repeatedly. Soon after the murder, Yekaterinburg was still captured by the Whites, and the investigation was entrusted to the investigator of the Omsk District, Sokolov. After they were engaged in foreign and domestic experts. In 1998, the remains of the last emperor and his family were buried in St. Petersburg. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation announced the closure of the investigation in 2011.

As a result of the investigation, the remains of the imperial family were discovered and identified. Despite this, a number of experts continue to assert that not all members of the royal family were killed in Yekaterinburg. It is worth noting that initially the Bolsheviks announced the execution of only Nicholas II and Tsarevich Alexei. For a long time, the world community and the people believed that Alexandra Fedorovna and her daughters were taken to another place and survived. In this regard, impostors periodically appeared, calling themselves the children of the last Russian emperor.

The main condition for the existence of immortality is death itself.

Stanislav Jerzy Lec

The execution of the Romanov royal family on the night of July 17, 1918 is one of the most important events of the era of the Civil War, the formation of Soviet power, and the exit of Russia from the First World War. The murder of Nicholas 2 and his family was largely predetermined by the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks. But in this story, not everything is as simple as it is commonly said. In this article, I will present all the facts that are known in this case in order to assess the events of those days.

History of events

We should start with the fact that Nicholas 2 was not the last Russian emperor, as many believe today. He abdicated (for himself and for his son Alexei) in favor of his brother, Mikhail Romanov. So he is the last emperor. This is important to remember, we will return to this fact later. Also, in most textbooks, the execution of the royal family is equated with the murder of the family of Nicholas 2. But these were far from all the Romanovs. To understand how many people we are talking about, I will give only data on the last Russian emperors:

• Nicholas 1 - 4 sons and 4 daughters.
• Alexander 2 - 6 sons and 2 daughters.
• Alexander 3 - 4 sons and 2 daughters.
• Nicholas 2 - son and 4 daughters.

That is, the family is very large, and any of the list above is a direct descendant of the imperial branch, which means a direct contender for the throne. But most of them also had children of their own ...

Arrest of members of the royal family

Nicholas 2, having abdicated the throne, put forward rather simple demands, the fulfillment of which the Provisional Government guaranteed. The requirements were as follows:

• Safe transfer of the emperor to Tsarskoe Selo to his family, where at that time Tsarevich Alexei was more.
• The safety of the whole family at the time of their stay in Tsarskoye Selo until the full recovery of Tsarevich Alexei.
• The safety of the road to the northern ports of Russia, from where Nicholas 2 and his family should cross to England.
• After graduation civil war the royal family will return to Russia and will live in Livadia (Crimea).

It is important to understand these points in order to see the intentions of Nicholas 2 and later the Bolsheviks. The emperor abdicated the throne so that the current government would provide him with a safe exit to England.

What is the role of the British government?

The provisional government of Russia, after receiving the demands of Nicholas 2, turned to England with the question of the consent of the latter to host the Russian monarch. A positive response was received. But here it is important to understand that the request itself was a formality. The fact is that at that time an investigation was underway against the royal family, for the period of which it was impossible to leave Russia. Therefore, England, giving consent, did not risk anything at all. Something else is much more interesting. After the complete justification of Nicholas 2, the Provisional Government again makes a request to England, but more specific. This time the question was no longer posed abstractly, but concretely, because everything was ready for the move to the island. But then England refused.

So when today Western countries and people screaming at every corner about the innocently killed, talk about the execution of Nicholas 2, this only causes a reaction of disgust at their hypocrisy. One word from the British government that they agree to accept Nicholas 2 with his family, and in principle there would be no execution. But they refused...

In the photo on the left is Nicholas 2, on the right is George 4, King of England. They were distant relatives and had an obvious resemblance in appearance.

When was the royal family of the Romanovs executed?

Michael's murder

After the October Revolution, Mikhail Romanov approached the Bolsheviks with a request to remain in Russia as an ordinary citizen. This request was granted. But the last Russian emperor was not destined to live "quietly" for long. Already in March 1918 he was arrested. There is no reason for the arrest. Until now, not a single historian has been able to find a single historical document explaining the reason for the arrest of Mikhail Romanov.

After his arrest, on March 17 he was sent to Perm, where he lived for several months in a hotel. On the night of July 13, 1918, he was taken away from the hotel and shot. This was the first victim of the Romanov family by the Bolsheviks. The official reaction of the USSR to this event was ambivalent:

• It was announced to its citizens that Mikhail shamefully fled from Russia abroad. Thus, the authorities got rid of unnecessary questions, and, most importantly, received a legitimate reason to toughen the maintenance of the rest of the members of the royal family.
• For foreign states through the media, it was announced that Mikhail was missing. They say he went out on the night of July 13 for a walk and did not return.

The execution of the family of Nicholas 2

The backstory here is quite interesting. Immediately after the October Revolution, the Romanov royal family was arrested. The investigation did not reveal the guilt of Nicholas 2, so the charges were dropped. At the same time, it was impossible to let the family go to England (the British refused), and the Bolsheviks really did not want to send them to the Crimea, because there were “whites” very close by. Yes, and throughout almost the entire Civil War, Crimea was under the control of the white movement, and all the Romanovs who were on the peninsula were saved by moving to Europe. Therefore, they decided to send them to Tobolsk. The fact of secrecy of the dispatch is noted in his diaries by Nikolay 2, who writes that they were taken to ONE of the cities in the depths of the country.

Until March, the royal family lived relatively calmly in Tobolsk, but on March 24 an investigator arrived here, and on March 26 a reinforced detachment of Red Army soldiers arrived. In fact, since that time, enhanced security measures have begun. The basis is the imaginary flight of Michael.

Subsequently, the family was moved to Yekaterinburg, where she settled in the Ipatiev house. On the night of July 17, 1918, the Romanov royal family was shot. Together with them, their servants were also shot. In total that day died:

• Nicholas 2,
• His wife, Alexandra
• The emperor's children are Tsarevich Alexei, Maria, Tatyana and Anastasia.
• Family doctor - Botkin
• Maid - Demidova
• Personal chef - Kharitonov
• Footman - Troupe.

In total, 10 people were shot. The corpses, according to the official version, were thrown into the mine and filled with acid.

Who killed the family of Nicholas 2?

I have already said above that since March, the protection of the royal family has been significantly increased. After moving to Yekaterinburg, it was already a full-fledged arrest. The family was settled in the house of Ipatiev, and a guard was presented to them, the head of the garrison of which was Avdeev. On July 4, almost the entire composition of the guard was replaced, as was his chief. In the future, it was these people who were accused of murdering the royal family:

• Yakov Yurovsky. Supervised the execution.
• Grigory Nikulin. Yurovsky's assistant.
• Peter Ermakov. Head of the Emperor's Guard.
• Mikhail Medvedev-Kudrin. Cheka representative.

These are the main persons, but there were also ordinary performers. It is noteworthy that all of them significantly survived this event. Most later took part in the Second World War, received a pension from the USSR.

Reprisal against the rest of the family

Since March 1918, other members of the royal family have been gathering in Alapaevsk (Perm province). In particular, Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna, Princes John, Konstantin and Igor, as well as Vladimir Paley are imprisoned here. The latter was the grandson of Alexander 2, but had a different surname. Subsequently, all of them were transported to Vologda, where on July 19, 1918 they were thrown alive into the mine.

The latest events in the destruction of the Romanov dynastic family date back to January 19, 1919, when princes Nikolai and Georgy Mikhailovich, Pavel Alexandrovich and Dmitry Konstantinovich were shot in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Reaction to the assassination of the Romanov imperial family

The murder of the family of Nicholas 2 had the greatest resonance, which is why it needs to be studied. There are many sources indicating that when Lenin was informed about the murder of Nicholas 2, he did not seem to even react to it. It is impossible to verify such judgments, but one can refer to archival documents. In particular, we are interested in Protocol No. 159 of the meeting of the Council of People's Commissars of July 18, 1918. The protocol is very short. Heard the question of the murder of Nicholas 2. Decided - to take note. That's it, just take note. There are no other documents regarding this case! This is complete absurdity. It’s the 20th century, but not a single document is preserved regarding such an important historical event, except for one note “Take note” ...

However, the underlying reaction to the murder is investigation. They started

Investigations into the murder of the family of Nicholas 2

The leadership of the Bolsheviks, as expected, began an investigation into the murder of the family. The official investigation began on 21 July. She conducted an investigation quickly enough, since Kolchak's troops approached Yekaterinburg. The main conclusion of this official investigation is that there was no murder. Only Nikolai 2 was shot by the verdict of the Yekaterinburg Soviet. But there are a number of very weak points that still cast doubt on the veracity of the investigation:

• The investigation began a week later. In Russia, the former emperor is being killed, and the authorities react to this a week later! Why was this week of pause?
• Why conduct an investigation if there was a shooting on the orders of the Soviets? In this case, right on July 17, the Bolsheviks were supposed to report that “the execution of the Romanov royal family took place on the orders of the Yekaterinburg Soviet. Nikolai 2 was shot, but his family was not touched.
• There are no supporting documents. Even today, all references to the decision of the Yekaterinburg Council are oral. Even in Stalin's times, when they were shot by the millions, documents remained, they say, "by the decision of the troika and so on" ...

On the 20th of July 1918, Kolchak's army entered Yekaterinburg, and one of the first orders was to begin an investigation into the tragedy. Today everyone is talking about investigator Sokolov, but before him there were 2 more investigators with the names Nametkin and Sergeev. No one has officially seen their reports. Yes, and Sokolov's report was published only in 1924. According to the investigator, the entire royal family was shot. By this time (back in 1921), the Soviet leadership had voiced the same data.

The sequence of the destruction of the Romanov dynasty

In the story of the execution of the royal family, it is very important to observe the chronology, otherwise it is very easy to get confused. And the chronology here is this - the dynasty was destroyed in the order of contenders for succession to the throne.

Who was the first pretender to the throne? That's right, Mikhail Romanov. I remind you again - back in 1917, Nicholas 2 abdicated the throne for himself and for his son in favor of Mikhail. Therefore, he was the last emperor, and he was the first claimant to the throne, in the event of the restoration of the Empire. Mikhail Romanov was killed on July 13, 1918.

Who was next in line of succession? Nicholas 2 and his son, Tsarevich Alexei. The candidacy of Nicholas 2 is controversial here, in the end he renounced power on his own. Although in his attitude everyone could play the other way, because in those days almost all laws were violated. But Tsarevich Alexei was a clear contender. Father didn't have legal law renounce the throne for his son. As a result, the entire family of Nicholas 2 was shot on July 17, 1918.

Next in line were all the other princes, of whom there were quite a few. Most of them were gathered in Alapaevsk and killed on July 19, 1918. As they say, rate the speed: 13, 17, 19. If we were talking about random murders that were not related to each other, then there would simply not be such a similarity. In less than 1 week, almost all pretenders to the throne were killed, and in the order of succession, but history today considers these events isolated from each other, and absolutely not paying attention to the disputed places.

Alternative versions of the tragedy

A key alternative version of this historical event is set forth in Tom Mangold and Anthony Summers' book The Murder That Wasn't. It hypothesizes that there was no execution. In general terms, the situation is as follows ...

• The reasons for the events of those days should be sought in the Brest peace treaty between Russia and Germany. The argument is that despite the fact that the secrecy stamp was removed from the documents a long time ago (it was 60 years old, that is, there should have been a publication in 1978), there is not a single full version this document. An indirect confirmation of this is that the “executions” began precisely after the signing of the peace treaty.
• It is a well-known fact that the wife of Nicholas 2, Alexandra, was a relative of the German Kaiser Wilhelm 2. It is assumed that Wilhelm 2 introduced a clause into the Treaty of Brest, according to which Russia undertakes to ensure the safe departure to Germany of Alexandra and her daughters.
• As a result, the Bolsheviks extradited women to Germany, and Nicholas 2 and his son Alexei were left hostage. Subsequently, Tsarevich Alexei grew up in Alexei Kosygin.

A new round of this version was given by Stalin. It is a well-known fact that one of his favorites was Alexei Kosygin. big reasons believe this theory is not, but there is one detail. It is known that Stalin always called Kosygin nothing more than "tsarevich".

Canonization of the royal family

In 1981, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad canonized Nicholas 2 and his family as great martyrs. In 2000, this happened in Russia as well. To date, Nicholas 2 and his family are great martyrs and innocently killed, therefore they are saints.

A few words about the Ipatiev house

The Ipatiev House is the place where the family of Nicholas 2 was imprisoned. There is a very well-reasoned hypothesis that it was possible to escape from this house. Moreover, in contrast to the unfounded alternative version, there is one important fact. So, the general version is that there was an underground passage from the basement of the Ipatiev house, which no one knew about, and which led to a factory located nearby. Proof of this has already been provided in our day. Boris Yeltsin gave the order to demolish the house and build a church in its place. This was done, but one of the bulldozers during the work fell into this very underground passage. There is no other evidence of a possible escape of the royal family, but the fact itself is curious. At the very least, it leaves room for thought.

To date, the house has been demolished, and the Church on the Blood has been erected in its place.

Summarizing

In 2008 the Supreme Court Russian Federation recognized the family of Nicholas 2 as a victim of repression. Case is closed.

Ilya Belous

Today, the tragic events of July 1918, when the Imperial Family died as a martyr, are increasingly becoming a tool for various political manipulations and suggestions of public opinion.

Many consider the leadership of Soviet Russia, namely V. I. Lenin and Y. M. Sverdlov, to be the direct organizers of the execution. It is very important to understand the truth about who conceived and committed this cruel crime, and why. Let's look into everything in detail, objectively using verified facts and documents.

On August 19, 1993, in connection with the discovery of the alleged burial of the royal family on the old Koptyakovskaya road near Sverdlovsk, at the direction of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, criminal case No. 18 / 123666-93 was initiated.

Investigator for Particularly Important Cases of the Main Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee under the RF Prosecutor's Office V.N. Solovyov, who led the criminal investigation into the death of the royal family, testified that there was not a single evidence that the execution was sanctioned by Lenin or Sverdlov, or of any involvement in the murder.

But first things first.

In August 1917 The provisional government sent the royal family to Tobolsk.

Kerensky originally intended to send Nicholas II to England via Murmansk, but this initiative met with no support from either the British or the Provisional Government.

It is not clear what made Kerensky send the Romanovs to the peasant-revolutionary Siberia, which was then under the rule of the Socialist-Revolutionaries.

According to Karabchevsky's lawyer, Kerensky did not rule out a bloody denouement:

Kerensky leaned back in his chair, thought for a moment, and, passing the forefinger of his left hand along his neck, made an energetic gesture upwards. I and everyone understood that this was a hint of hanging. - Two, three victims, perhaps, are necessary! - said Kerensky, looking around us with his eyes that were either mysterious or half-sighted thanks to the upper eyelids hanging heavily over our eyes. // Karabchevsky N. P. Revolution and Russia. Berlin, 1921. Vol. 2. What my eyes have seen. Ch. 39.

After the October Revolution, the Soviet government, according to Nicholas II, took a position on the organization open court over the former emperor.

February 20, 1918 At a meeting of the commission under the Council of People's Commissars, the issue of "preparing an investigative material on Nikolai Romanov" was considered. Lenin spoke out for the trial of the former tsar.

April 1, 1918 The Soviet government decided to transfer the royal family from Tobolsk to Moscow. This was categorically opposed by the local authorities, who believed that the royal family should remain in the Urals. They offered to transfer her to Yekaterinburg. // Kovalchenko I.D. age old problem Russian history// Magazine Russian Academy Sciences, No. 10, 1994. P.916.

At the same time, Soviet leaders, including Yakov Sverdlov, the issue of the security of the Romanovs was worked out. In particular, April 1, 1918 The Central Executive Committee issued the following resolution:

“... Instruct the commissar for military affairs to immediately form a detachment of 200 people. (including 30 people from the Partisan detachment of the Central Executive Committee, 20 people from the detachment of the Left S.R.) and send them to Tobolsk to reinforce the guard and, if possible, immediately transport all those arrested to Moscow. This resolution is not subject to publication in the press. Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee Ya. Sverdlov. Secretary of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee V. Avanesov.

Academician-Secretary of the Department of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences Ivan Dmitrievich Kovalchenko in 1994 gives information similar to the testimony of investigator Solovyov:

“Judging by the documents we found, the fate of the royal family as a whole was not discussed in Moscow at any level. It was only about the fate of Nicholas II. It was proposed to hold a trial against him, Trotsky volunteered to be the accuser. The fate of Nicholas II was actually a foregone conclusion: the court could only pass a death sentence on him. Representatives of the Urals took a different position.

They believed that it was urgent to deal with Nicholas II. A plan was even developed to kill him on the way from Tobolsk to Moscow. The chairman of the Ural Regional Council, Beloborodov, wrote in his memoirs in 1920: “We believed that, perhaps, there was even no need to bring Nikolai to Yekaterinburg, that if favorable conditions were provided during his transfer, he should be shot on the road. Zaslavsky had such an order (the commander of the Yekaterinburg detachment sent to Tobolsk. - I.K.) and all the time tried to take steps to implement it, although to no avail. " // Kovalchenko I.D. The age-old problem of Russian history // Journal of the Russian Academy of Sciences, No. 10, 1994.

April 6, 1918 The All-Russian Central Executive Committee made a new decision - to transfer Nicholas II and his family to Yekaterinburg. Such a quick change of decision is the result of a confrontation between Moscow and the Urals, academician Kovalchenko claims.

In a letter from the chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, Sverdlov, Ya.M. Uraloblsovet says:

“The task of Yakovlev is to deliver | Nicholas II | to Yekaterinburg alive and hand over either to the chairman Beloborodov or Goloshchekin. // Resolution on the termination of the criminal case No. 18/123666-93 "On the clarification of the circumstances of the death of members of the Russian Imperial House and persons from their entourage in the period 1918-1919", paragraphs 5-6.

Yakovlev Vasily Vasilyevich is a professional Bolshevik with many years of experience, a former Ural militant. Real name - Myachin Konstantin Alekseevich, pseudonyms - Stoyanovich Konstantin Alekseevich, Krylov. Yakovlev was given 100 revolutionary soldiers to the detachment, and he himself was endowed with emergency powers.

By this time, the leadership of the Council in Yekaterinburg decided the fate of the Romanovs in its own way - it made an unspoken decision on the need for the secret destruction of all members of the family of Nicholas II without trial or investigation during their move from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg.

Chairman of the Ural Council A.G. Beloborodov recalled:

“... it is necessary to dwell on one extremely important circumstance in the line of conduct of the Regional Council. We thought that there was probably no need to bring Nikolai to Yekaterinburg, that if favorable conditions were provided during his transfer, he should be shot on the road. Such an order had | the commander of the Yekaterinburg detachment | Zaslavsky and all the time tried to take steps towards its implementation, although to no avail. In addition, Zaslavsky, obviously, behaved in such a way that his intentions were unraveled by Yakovlev, which to some extent explains the misunderstandings that arose later between Zaslavsky and Yakovlev on a rather large scale. // Resolution on the termination of the criminal case No. 18/123666-93 "On the clarification of the circumstances of the death of members of the Russian Imperial House and persons from their entourage in the period 1918-1919", paragraphs 5-6.

At the same time, the Ural leadership was ready to go into direct conflict with Moscow. An ambush was being prepared to kill the entire Yakovlev detachment.

Here is the statement of the statement of the Red Guard of the Ural detachment A.I. Nevolin to Commissioner Yakovlev V.V.

“... He was a member of the Red Army in the 4th hundred in Yekaterinburg ... Gusyatsky ... says that Commissar Yakovlev is traveling with the Moscow detachment, we need to wait for him ... assistant instructor Ponomarev and instructor Bogdanov begin: “We ... now decided this: on the way to Tyumen let's set up an ambush. When Yakovlev rides with Romanov, as soon as they catch up with us, you must use machine guns and rifles to whip the entire Yakovlev detachment to the ground. And don't tell anyone. If they ask what kind of detachment you are, then say that you are from Moscow, and do not say who your boss is, because you need to do this apart from the regional one and in general all the Soviets. I then asked the question: “Robbers, then, to be?” I, they say, personally do not agree with your plans. If you need to kill Romanov, then let someone alone decide, but I don’t allow such a thought in my head, bearing in mind that our entire armed force is on guard for the defense of Soviet power, and not for individual benefits, and people, if Commissar Yakovlev, seconded after him, is from the Council of People's Commissars, then he must introduce him to where he was ordered. But we were not and cannot be robbers, so that because of one Romanov, they would shoot the same Red Army comrades as we are. ... After that, Gusyatsky became even more angry with me. I see that the matter is beginning to touch my life. Looking for ways out, I finally decided to escape with Yakovlev's detachment. // Resolution on the termination of the criminal case No. 18/123666-93 "On the clarification of the circumstances of the death of members of the Russian Imperial House and persons from their entourage in the period 1918-1919", paragraphs 5-6.

There was also a plan, tacitly approved by the Ural Council, to liquidate the royal family with the help of a train wreck on the way from Tyumen to Yekaterinburg.

A set of documents related to the relocation of the royal family from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg indicates that the Ural Council on issues related to the security of the royal family was in sharp confrontation with the central authorities.

A telegram from the Chairman of the Ural Council A.G. Beloborodov, sent by V.I. Lenin, in which he complains in an ultimatum form about the actions of the chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee Ya.M. Sverdlov, in connection with his support for the actions of Commissioner V.V. Yakovlev (Myachin), aimed at the safe transfer of the royal family from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg.

Correspondence of Yakovlev V.V. with the chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee Sverdlov Ya.M. shows the true intentions of the Bolsheviks of the Urals in relation to the royal family. Despite the clearly expressed position of Lenin V.I. and Sverdlov Ya.M. about the delivery of the royal family to Yekaterinburg alive, the Bolsheviks of Yekaterinburg went against the leadership of the Kremlin in this matter and made an official decision to arrest Yakovlev V.V. and even the use of armed force against his detachment.

On April 27, 1918, Yakovlev sends a telegram to Sverdlov, in which he testifies to the attempts of the local Bolsheviks to kill the Tsar's family (calling it with the code word "baggage") reflected by his fighters:

“I just brought some of my luggage. I want to change the itinerary due to the following extremely important circumstances. From Ekaterinburg to Tobolsk, special people arrived before me to destroy the luggage. The special-purpose detachment fought back - it almost came to bloodshed. When I arrived, the residents of Yekaterinburg gave me a hint that there was no need to bring luggage to the place. ... They asked me not to sit next to the luggage (Petrov). It was a direct warning that I might also be destroyed. ... Not having achieved their goal either in Tobolsk, or on the road, or in Tyumen, the Yekaterinburg detachments decided to ambush me near Yekaterinburg. They decided that if I did not give them the luggage without a fight, they decided to kill us too. ... Yekaterinburg, with the exception of Goloshchekin, has one desire: to do away with luggage at all costs. The fourth, fifth and sixth companies of the Red Army are preparing an ambush for us. If this is at odds with the central opinion, then it is madness to carry luggage to Yekaterinburg. // Resolution on the termination of the criminal case No. 18/123666-93 "On the clarification of the circumstances of the death of members of the Russian Imperial House and persons from their entourage in the period 1918-1919", paragraphs 5-6.

When Nicholas II arrived in Yekaterinburg, local authorities provoked a crowd at the Yekaterinburg I station, which tried to arrange lynching of the family of the former emperor. Commissar Yakovlev acted decisively, threatening those who attempted on the tsar to use machine guns against them. Only this allowed to avoid the death of the royal family.

April 30, 1918 Yakovlev handed over to the representatives of the Ural Regional Council Nicholas II, Alexandra Fedorovna, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, Chamberlain V.A. Dolgorukov and life physician prof. Botkin, valet T.I. Chemodurov, footman I.L. Sednev and room girl A.S. Demidov. Dolgorukov and Sednev were arrested upon arrival and placed in a prison in Yekaterinburg. The rest were sent to the house of the industrialist and engineer Ipatiev N.N.

23 May 1918 Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, Grand Duchesses Olga Nikolaevna, Tatyana Nikolaevna and Anastasia Nikolaevna were transported from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg. Along with them came a large group of servants and people from the environment. In Yekaterinburg, immediately after their arrival, Tatishchev, Gendrikova, Schneider, Nagornov, Volkov were arrested and placed in prison. The following were placed in the Ipatiev house: Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, Grand Duchesses Olga Nikolaevna, Tatyana Nikolaevna and Anastasia Nikolaevna, the boy Sednev and the footman Trupp A.E. Footman Chemodurov was transferred from the Ipatiev house to the prison in Yekaterinburg.

June 4, 1918 at a meeting of the Board of the People's Commissariat of Justice of the RSFSR, the order of the Council of People's Commissars was considered, according to which a decision was made: to delegate to the Council of People's Commissars a representative from the People's Commissariat of Justice "as an investigator Comrade Bogrov." Materials relating to Nicholas II were systematically collected. Such a trial could only take place in the capitals. In addition, V.I. Lenin and L.D. Trotsky received messages from the Urals and from Siberia about the unreliability of the protection of the royal family. // Resolution on the termination of the criminal case No. 18/123666-93 "On the clarification of the circumstances of the death of members of the Russian Imperial House and persons from their entourage in the period 1918-1919", paragraphs 5-6. 5.4. The situation of the family and people from the environment of the former Emperor Nicholas II after the Bolsheviks came to power

Sentiment towards Nicholas II in the Urals

Archival, newspaper and memoir sources coming from the Bolsheviks have preserved a lot of evidence that the “working masses” of Yekaterinburg and the Urals in general constantly expressed concern about the reliability of the protection of the royal family, the possibility of releasing Nicholas II and even demanded his immediate execution. If you believe the editor of the "Uralsky Rabochy" V. Vorobyov, "they wrote about this in letters that came to the newspaper, they spoke at meetings and rallies." This was probably true, and not only in the Urals. Among the archival documents there is, for example, this one.

July 3, 1918 The Council of People's Commissars received a telegram from the Kolomna District Committee of the Party. It reported that the Kolomna Bolshevik organization

"unanimously decided to demand from the Council of People's Commissars the immediate destruction of the entire family and relatives of the former tsar, because the German bourgeoisie, together with the Russian, are restoring the tsarist regime in the captured cities." “In case of refusal,” the Kolomna Bolsheviks threatened, “it was decided to carry out this decree on our own.” // Ioffe, G. Z. Revolution and the fate of the Romanovs / M .: Respublika, 1992 . pp.302-303

The Ural elite was all “leftist”. This was manifested in the issue of the Brest peace, and in the separatist aspirations of the Ural Regional Council, and in relation to the deposed tsar, whom the Urals did not trust Moscow. Ural Chekist I. Radzinsky recalled:

“The dominance in the head was left, left-communist ... Beloborodov, Safarov, Nikolai Tolmachev, Evgeny Preobrazhensky - they were all leftists.”

The party line, according to Radzinsky, was led by Goloshchekin, who was also a “leftist” at that time.

In their "leftism" the Ural Bolsheviks were forced to compete with the Left Social Revolutionaries and anarchists, whose influence was always tangible, and by the summer of 1918 even increased. Even in the winter of 1918, a member of the Ural Regional Committee of the Party, I. Akulov, wrote to Moscow that the Left SRs were simply "puzzling" with "their unexpected radicalism."

The Ural Bolsheviks could not and did not want to give their political rivals the opportunity to reproach them for "slipping to the right." The SRs made similar announcements. Maria Spiridonova reproached the Bolshevik Central Committee for dismissing “tsars and sub-tsars” in “Ukraine, Crimea and abroad” and raising a hand against the Romanovs “only at the insistence of the revolutionaries,” referring to the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries and anarchists.

Commandant of the Ipatiev House (until 07/04/1918) A.D. Avdeev testified in his memoirs that a group of anarchists tried to pass a resolution "that the former tsar be executed immediately." Extremist-minded groups were not limited to some demands and resolutions. // Avdeev A. Nicholas II in Tobolsk and Yekaterinburg // Krasnaya Nov. 1928. No. 5. S. 201.

Chairman of the Yekaterinburg City Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies P.M. Bykov in his memoirs points to attempts to organize an attack on the Ipatiev house and eliminate the Romanovs. // Bulls P. The last days of the Romanovs. Uralbook. 1926. S. 113

“In the morning, for a long time, but in vain, they waited for the arrival of the priest to perform the service; everyone was busy in churches. During the day, for some reason, they didn’t let us out into the garden. Avdeev came and talked for a long time with Evg. Serg. According to him, he and the Regional Council are afraid of the actions of the anarchists and therefore, perhaps, we will have to leave soon, probably to Moscow! He asked to be prepared for departure. They immediately began to pack, but quietly, so as not to attract the attention of the guards, at the special request of Avdeev. Around 11 o'clock. In the evening he returned and said that we would stay a few more days. Therefore, on June 1, we stayed in bivouac, without laying out anything. The weather was good; The walk took place, as always, in two turns. Finally, after dinner, Avdeev, slightly tipsy, announced to Botkin that the anarchists had been captured and that the danger had passed and our departure had been cancelled! After all the preparations, it even became boring! In the evening we played bezique. // Diary of Nikolai Romanov // Red Archive. 1928. No. 2 (27). pp. 134-135

The next day, Alexandra Feodorovna wrote in her diary:

"Now they say that we are staying here, because they managed to capture the leader of the anarchists, their printing house and the whole group." //TSGAOR. F. 640. Op.1. D.332. L.18.

Rumors of lynching of the Romanovs swept the Urals in June 1918. Moscow began to send disturbing requests to Yekaterinburg. On June 20, the following telegram arrived:

“In Moscow, information has spread that allegedly killed former emperor Nicholas II. Provide the information you have. Manager of the affairs of the Council of People's Commissars V. Bonch-Bruevich. // TsGAOR. F. 130. Op.2. D.1109. L.34

In accordance with this request, the commander of the North Urals group Soviet troops R. Berzin, together with the military commissar of the Urals military district Goloshchekin and other officials, checked the Ipatiev House. In telegrams to the Council of People's Commissars, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs, he reported that

“All members of the family and Nicholas II himself are alive. All information about his murder is a provocation.” // TsGAOR. F.1235. op.93. D.558.L.79; F.130.Op.2.D.1109.L.38

June 20, 1918 In the premises of the Postal and Telegraph Office of Yekaterinburg, a conversation took place over a direct wire between Lenin and Berzin.

According to three former officials of this office (Sibirev, Borodin and Lenkovsky), Lenin ordered Berzin:

“... take the entire Royal Family under your protection, and prevent any violence against it, answering in this case with your (i.e. Berzina) own life.” // Summary of information on the Royal Family of the Department of Military Field Control under the Commissioner for the Protection of State Order and Public Peace in the Perm Province dated 11/III/1919. Published: The death of the Royal Family. Materials of the investigation in the case of the murder of the Royal Family, (August 1918 - February 1920), p. 240.

Newspaper "Izvestia" June 25 and 28, 1918 published denials of rumors and reports from some newspapers about the execution of the Romanovs in Yekaterinburg. // Ioffe, G. Z. Revolution and the fate of the Romanovs / M .: Respublika, 1992 . pp.303-304

Meanwhile, the White Czechs and Siberian troops were already bypassing Yekaterinburg from the south, trying to cut it off from the European part of Russia, capturing Kyshtym, Miass, Zlatoust and Shadrinsk.

As it appears, the Ural authorities made a fundamental decision on execution by July 4, 1918: on this day, commandant Avdeev, loyal to Nicholas II, was replaced by Chekist Ya.M. Yurovsky. There was a change in the protection of the royal family.

Security guard Netrebin V.N. wrote in his memoirs:

“Soon [after entering the internal guard on July 4, 1918 - S.V.], it was explained to us that ... we might have to execute the b / c [former tsar. - S.V.], and that we must strictly keep everything a secret, everything that can happen in the house ... Having received explanations from comrade. Yurovsky, that we need to think about how best to carry out the execution, we began to discuss the issue ... The day when the execution would have to be carried out was unknown to us. But we still felt that it would come soon.”

“The All-Russian Central Executive Committee does not give sanctions for execution!”

In early July 1918, the Ural Regional Council tried to convince Moscow to shoot the Romanovs. At this time, a member of the Presidium of the Regional Council, Philip Isaevich Goloshchekin, who knew Yakov Sverdlov well from underground work, went there. He was in Moscow during the Fifth All-Russian Congress of Soviets from 4 to 10 July 1918. The congress ended with the adoption of the Constitution of the RSFSR.

According to some reports, Goloshchekin stopped at Sverdlov's apartment. Among the main questions then could be: the defense of the Urals from the troops of the Siberian army and the White Czechs, the possible surrender of Yekaterinburg, the fate of the gold reserves, the fate of the former tsar. It is possible that Goloshchekin tried to coordinate the imposition of a death sentence on the Romanovs.

Probably, Goloshchekin did not receive permission to be shot from Sverdlov, and the central Soviet government, represented by Sverdlov, insisted on litigation for which she was preparing. A participant in the execution of the royal family Medvedev (Kudrin) M.A. writes:

“... When I entered [the premises of the Ural Cheka on the evening of July 16, 1918], those present were deciding what to do with the former Tsar Nicholas II Romanov and his family. Information about a trip to Moscow to Ya.M. Sverdlov was made by Philip Goloshchekin. Goloshchekin failed to obtain sanctions from the All-Russian Central Executive Committee for the execution of the Romanov family. Sverdlov consulted with V.I. Lenin, who spoke in favor of bringing the royal family to Moscow and an open trial of Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Fedorovna, whose betrayal during the First World War cost Russia dearly ... Ya.M. Sverdlov tried to give [Lenin] Goloshchekin’s arguments about the dangers of transporting the royal family’s train through Russia, where counter-revolutionary uprisings broke out in cities every now and then, about the difficult situation on the fronts near Yekaterinburg, but Lenin stood his ground: “Well, what if the front is retreating ? Moscow is now a deep rear! And here we will arrange a trial for them all over the world.” At parting, Sverdlov said to Goloshchekin: “Say so, Philip, to your comrades: the All-Russian Central Executive Committee does not give official sanction for execution.” // Decree on the termination of the criminal case No. 18 / 123666-93 "On the clarification of the circumstances of the death of members of the Russian Imperial House and persons from their entourage in the period 1918-1919", paragraphs 5-6

This position of the Moscow leadership must be considered in the context of the events taking place at that time on the fronts. For several months now, by July 1918, the situation had become increasingly critical.

Historical context

At the end of 1917, the Soviet government was strenuously trying to get out of the First World War. Great Britain sought the resumption of the clash between Russia and Germany. On December 22, 1917, peace negotiations began in Brest-Litovsk. On February 10, 1918, the German coalition in an ultimatum demanded that the Soviet delegation accept extremely difficult peace conditions (Russia's rejection of Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, parts of Latvia, Estonia and Belarus). Contrary to Lenin's instructions, the head of the delegation, Trotsky, arbitrarily interrupted the peace negotiations, although the ultimatum had not yet been officially received, and stated that Soviet Russia did not sign peace, but stopped the war and demobilized the army. The negotiations were interrupted, and soon the Austro-German troops (over 50 divisions) went on the offensive from the Baltic to the Black Sea. On February 12, 1918, the offensive of Turkish troops began in Transcaucasia.

In an attempt to provoke Soviet Russia into continuing the war with Germany, the Entente governments offered her "help," and on March 6 the British troops occupied Murmansk under the false pretext of the need to protect the Murmansk Territory from the powers of the German coalition.

The open military intervention of the Entente began. // Ilya Belous / "Red" terror arose in response to international and "white" terror

Not having sufficient forces to repulse Germany, the Soviet Republic on March 3, 1918 was forced to sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. On March 15, the Entente declared the non-recognition of the Brest Peace and accelerated the deployment of military intervention. On April 5, Japanese troops landed in Vladivostok.

Despite its severity, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk temporarily stopped the advance of German troops in the central directions and gave the Soviet Republic a little respite.

In March-April 1918, an armed struggle unfolded in Ukraine against the occupying Austro-German troops and the Central Rada, which, on February 9, concluded a “peace treaty” with Germany and its allies. The small Ukrainian Soviet units with battles retreated to the borders of the RSFSR in the direction of Belgorod, Kursk and to the Don region.

In mid-April 1918, German troops, violating Brest Treaty, occupied the Crimea and liquidated Soviet power there. Part of the Black Sea Fleet went to Novorossiysk, where, in view of the threat of the seizure of ships by the German invaders, they were flooded on June 18 by order of the Soviet government. Also, German troops landed in Finland, where they helped the Finnish bourgeoisie to eliminate the revolutionary power of the workers.

The Baltic Fleet, which was in Helsingfors, made the transition to Kronstadt under difficult conditions. On April 29, the German invaders in Ukraine eliminated the Central Rada, putting in power the puppet hetman P. P. Skoropadsky.

The Don Cossack counter-revolution also adopted a German orientation, again launching a civil war on the Don in mid-April.

On May 8, 1918, German units occupied Rostov, and then helped to take shape in the kulak-Cossack "state" - the "Great Don Host" led by Ataman Krasnov.

Turkey, taking advantage of the fact that the Transcaucasian Commissariat declared its independence from Soviet Russia, launched a broad intervention in the Transcaucasus.

On May 25, 1918, the rebellion of the Czechoslovak Corps, prepared and provoked by the Entente, began, the echelons of which were located between Penza and Vladivostok due to the upcoming evacuation to Europe. At the same time, German troops, at the request of the Georgian Mensheviks, landed in Georgia. The rebellion caused a sharp revival of the counter-revolution. Mass counter-revolutionary rebellions unfolded in the Volga region, in the South Urals, the North Caucasus, in the Trans-Caspian and Semirechensk regions. and other areas. WITH new force The civil war began to unfold in the Don, the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia.

Soviet power and the Soviet state were under the threat of complete occupation and liquidation. The Central Committee of the Communist Party directed all its forces to the organization of defense. Volunteer units of the Red Army were being formed all over the country.

In parallel, the Entente allocated significant funds and agents for the creation of military conspiratorial organizations within the country: the right-wing Socialist-Revolutionary Union for the Defense of the Homeland and Freedom, headed by Boris Savinkov, the right-wing Kadet monarchist National Center, and the coalition Union for the Revival of Russia. The Socialist-Revolutionaries and Mensheviks supported the petty-bourgeois counter-revolution, ideologically and organizationally. Work was carried out to destabilize the internal political life in the country.

On July 5, 1918, the Left Socialist-Revolutionary Yakov Blyumkin killed in Moscow the German ambassador to Moscow under the government of the RSFSR, Count Wilhelm Mirbach. The terrorist attack was designed to break the Brest Peace and a possible resumption of war with Germany. Simultaneously with the terrorist attack on July 6, 1918, an uprising of the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries took place in Moscow and a number of large Russian cities.

The Entente began to land large landings in Vladivostok, the bulk of which were Japanese (about 75 thousand people) and American (about 12 thousand people) troops. The interventionist troops in the North were reinforced, consisting of British, American, French and Italian units. In July, the Right SR Yaroslavl mutiny of 1918, prepared with the support of the Entente, and smaller mutinies in Murom, Rybinsk, Kovrov, and others took place. an agreement with the White Czechs, to move with them to Moscow.

The efforts of the interventionists and the internal counter-revolution were united.

“Their war with the civil war merges into one single whole, and this is the main source of the difficulties of the present moment, when the military question, military events, has again come to the fore as the main, fundamental question of the revolution” // Lenin V.I. Full coll. soch., 5th ed., vol. 37, p. 14.

English trace

Western services, based on Socialist-Revolutionary-anarchist elements, posed a serious threat to Russia, inflating chaos and banditry in the country in opposition to the policy of the new government.

The former Minister of War of the Provisional Government and Kolchakist A.I. Verkhovsky joined the Red Army in 1919. // Verkhovsky Alexander Ivanovich. On a difficult pass.

In his memoirs, Verkhovsky wrote that he was a member of the Union for the Revival of Russia, which had a military organization that trained personnel for anti-Soviet armed uprisings, which was financed by the "allies".

“In March 1918, I was personally invited by the Union for the Revival of Russia to join the military headquarters of the Union. The military headquarters was an organization that had the goal of organizing an uprising against the Soviet regime ... The military headquarters had connections with the allied missions in Petrograd. General Suvorov was in charge of relations with allied missions... Representatives of the allied missions were interested in my assessment of the situation from the point of view of the possibility of restoring ... the front against Germany. I had conversations on this subject with General Nissel, the representative of the French mission. Military headquarters through the cashier of the headquarters of Suvorov received funds from allied missions». // Golinkov D. L. Secret operations of the Cheka

The testimonies of A. I. Verkhovsky are fully consistent with the memoirs of another figure in the Union for the Revival of Russia, V. I. Ignatiev (1874-1959, died in Chile).

In the first part of his memoirs Some Facts and Results of the Four Years of the Civil War (1917-1921), published in Moscow in 1922, Ignatiev confirms that the organization's source of funds was "exclusively allied". the first amount from foreign sources Ignatiev received from General A.V. Gerua, to whom General M.N. Suvorov sent him. From a conversation with Gerua, he learned that the general was instructed to send officers to the Murmansk region at the disposal of the English general F. Poole, and that funds had been allocated to him for this business. Ignatiev received a certain amount from Gerua, then received money from one agent of the French mission - 30 thousand rubles.

An espionage group was operating in Petrograd, headed by the sanitary doctor V.P. Kovalevsky. She also sent officers, mostly guards, to the English General Poole in Arkhangelsk through Vologda. The group called for the establishment of a military dictatorship in Russia and was supported by British funds. The representative of this group, the English agent Captain G. E. Chaplin, worked in Arkhangelsk under the name Thomson. December 13, 1918 Kovalevsky was shot on charges of creating military organization associated with the British mission.

On January 5, 1918, the Union for the Defense of the Constituent Assembly was preparing a coup d'etat, which prevented the Cheka. English plan failed. The Constituent Assembly was dispersed.

Dzerzhinsky was aware of the counter-revolutionary activities of the socialists, mainly the Socialist-Revolutionaries; their connections with the British services, about the flows of their financing by the Allies.

Detailed information about the activities of the Socialist-Revolutionaries in the various committees "Salvation of the Motherland and the Revolution", "Protection of the Constituent Assembly" and others disclosed by the Cheka was given already in 1927 by Vera Vladimirova in her book "The Year of Service of the "Socialists" to the Capitalists. Essays on history, counter-revolution in 1918"

Russian historian and politician V. A. Myakotin, one of the founders and leaders of the Union for the Revival of Russia, also published his memoirs in 1923 in Prague “From the recent past. On the other side." According to his story, relations with the diplomatic representatives of the allies were conducted by members of the Union for the Revival of Russia, specially authorized for this. These communications were carried out through the French ambassador Noulens. Later, when the ambassadors left for Vologda, through the French consul Grenard. The French financed the Soyuz, but Noulens directly stated that “the allies, in fact, do not need the assistance of the Russians political organizations”And, they themselves may well land their troops in Russia. // Golinkov D. L. Secret operations of the Cheka.

The Russian Civil War was actively supported by British Prime Minister Lloyd George and US President Woodrow Wilson.

The US President personally oversaw the work of agents to discredit the Soviet government, and above all, the young government headed by Lenin, both in the West and in Russia.

In October 1918, on the direct orders of Woodrow Wilson, an edition was published in Washington. "German-Bolshevik conspiracy", better known as "The Sisson Documents", allegedly proving that the Bolshevik leadership consisted of direct agents of Germany, controlled by the directives of the German General Staff. // The German-Bolshevik conspiracy / by United States. Committee on Public Information; Sisson, Edgar Grant, 1875-1948; National Board for Historical Service

"Documents" was acquired at the end of 1917 by Edgar Sisson, special envoy of the US President in Russia, for 25 thousand dollars. The publisher of the publication was CPI - the Committee of Public Information under the US government. This committee was created by US President Woodrow Wilson and pursued the task of "influencing public opinion on the issues of US participation in the First World War", that is, CPI was a propaganda structure that served the US military. The committee existed from April 14, 1917 to June 30, 1919.

The Documents were fabricated by the Polish journalist and traveler Ferdinand Ossendowski. They allowed the myth to be spread throughout Europe about the leader of the Soviet state, Lenin, who allegedly "made a revolution with German money."

Sisson's mission went "brilliantly". He "obtained" 68 documents, some of which allegedly confirmed the existence of Lenin's connection with the Germans and even the direct dependence of the Council of People's Commissars on the Government of Kaiser Germany until the spring of 1918. More information about forged documents can be found on the website of academician Yu. K. Begunov.

Fake continues to spread in modern Russia. So, in 2005, the documentary film “Secrets of Intelligence. Revolution in a suitcase.

Murder

In July, the White Czechs and the White Guards captured Simbirsk, Ufa and Yekaterinburg, where the "regional government of the Urals" was created. Germany demanded that the Kremlin give permission to send a battalion of German troops to Moscow to protect its subjects.

Under these conditions, the execution of the royal family could have a negative impact on the development of relations with Germany, since the former Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and the Grand Duchesses were German princesses. Given the current situation, under certain conditions, the extradition of one or more members of the royal family of Germany in order to mitigate the serious conflict caused by the assassination the German ambassador Mirbach.

On July 16, 1918, a telegram arrived from Petrograd to Moscow with a quote from another telegram from a member of the presidium of the Ural Regional Council F. I. Goloshchekin to Moscow:

“July 16, 1918. Submitted on July 16, 1918 [at] 5:50 pm. Accepted on July 16, 1918 [at] 21:22. From Petrograd. Smolny. HP 142.28 Moscow, Kremlin, copy to Lenin.
From Yekaterinburg, the following is transmitted by direct wire: “Inform Moscow that the [trial] agreed with Filippov, due to military circumstances, cannot wait, we cannot wait. If your opinions are different, please let me know right now, out of turn. Goloshchekin, Safarov”
Get in touch with Yekaterinburg about this yourself
Zinoviev.

At that time, there was no direct connection between Yekaterinburg and Moscow, so the telegram went to Petrograd, and from Petrograd Zinoviev sent it to Moscow, to the Kremlin. The telegram arrived in Moscow on July 16, 1818 at 21:22. It was already 23:22 in Yekaterinburg.

“At this time, the Romanovs were already offered to go down to the execution room. We do not know if Lenin and Sverdlov read the telegram before the first shots were fired, but we know that the telegram did not say anything about the family and servants, so accusing the Kremlin leaders of killing children is at least unfair, ”says the investigator Solovyov in an interview with Pravda

On July 17, at 12 noon, a telegram addressed to Lenin from Yekaterinburg arrived in Moscow with the following content:

“In view of the approach of the enemy to Yekaterinburg and the disclosure by the Extraordinary Commission of a large White Guard conspiracy aimed at kidnapping the former tsar and his family ... by order of the Presidium of the Regional Council, Nikolai Romanov was shot on the night of July 16 to July 17. His family has been evacuated to a safe place.” // Heinrich Joffe. Revolution and the Romanov family

Thus, Yekaterinburg lied to Moscow: the whole family was killed.

Lenin learned about the murder not immediately. On July 16, the editors of the Danish newspaper National Tidende sent Lenin the following request:

“There are rumors here that the former tsar has been killed. Please report the actual state of affairs." // IN AND. Lenin. unknown documents. 1891-1922 M., Russian Political Encyclopedia (ROSSPEN). 2000. p. 243

Lenin sent a reply to the telegraph:

"National Tidende. Copenhagen. The rumor is false, the former tsar is unharmed, all the rumors are just lies of the capitalist press.” //IN AND. Lenin. unknown documents. 1981-1922 M., Russian Political Encyclopedia (ROSSPEN). 2000. p. 243

Here is the conclusion of the investigator of the ICR for especially important cases Solovyov:

“The investigation has reliably established that Yakov Mikhailovich (Yankel Khaimovich) Yurovsky, his deputy Grigory Petrovich Nikulin, Chekist Mikhail Alexandrovich Medvedev (Kudrin), head of the 2nd Ural squad Pyotr Zakharovich Ermakov, his assistant Stepan Petrovich Vaganov, security guard Pavel Spiridonovich Medvedev, Chekist Alexei Georgievich Kabanov. Participation in the execution of the guard Viktor Nikiforovich Netrebin, Jan Martynovich Tselms and the Red Guard Andrey Andreyevich Strekotin is not excluded. There is no reliable information about the other participants in the execution.

According to the national composition, the “firing” team included Russians, Latvians, one Jew (Yurovsky), possibly one Austrian or Hungarian.

These persons, as well as other participants in the execution, after Yurovsky pronounced Ya.M. The sentence began indiscriminate shooting, and the shooting was carried out not only in the room where the execution was carried out, but also from the adjacent room. After the first volley, it turned out that Tsarevich Alexei, the daughters of the Tsar, the maid A.S. Demidova and Dr. E.S. Botkin show signs of life. Grand Duchess Anastasia screamed, the maid Demidova A.S. rose to her feet, Tsarevich Alexei remained alive for a long time. They were shot with pistols and revolvers, Ermakov P.Z. finished off the survivors with a rifle bayonet. After the statement of death, all the corpses began to be transferred to the truck.

As established by the investigation, on the night of July 16-17, 1918, in the Ipatiev house in Yekaterinburg, the following were shot: the former Emperor Nicholas II (Romanov), the former Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova, their children - Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov, Grand Duchesses Olga Nikolaevna Romanova, Tatyana Nikolaevna Romanova, Maria Nikolaevna Romanova and Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, life physician Evgeny Sergeevich Botkin, maid Anna Stepanovna Demidova, cook Ivan Mikhailovich Kharitonov and footman Aloisy Egorovich Trupp.

The version is often circulated that the murder was “ritual”, that the heads of the corpses of members of the royal family were cut off after death. This version is not confirmed by the results of the forensic examination.

“In order to study the possible postmortem amputation of the head, the necessary forensic medical examinations were carried out on all sets of skeletons. According to the categorical conclusion of the forensic medical examination on the cervical vertebrae of skeletons No. 1-9 there are no traces that could indicate a post-mortem detachment of heads. At the same time, the version about a possible opening of the burial in 1919-1946 was checked. Investigative and expert data indicate that the burial was not opened until 1979, and during this opening, the remains of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna were not affected. Checking the FSB Office for Yekaterinburg and Sverdlovsk region showed that the UFSB does not have data on a possible opening of the burial in the period from 1919 to 1978. // Resolution on the termination of the criminal case No. 18/123666-93 "On the clarification of the circumstances of the death of members of the Russian Imperial House and persons from their entourage in the period 1918-1919", paragraphs 7-9.

The All-Russian Central Executive Committee did not punish the Uraloblsovet for arbitrariness. Some consider this evidence that the sanction to kill did exist. Others - that the central government did not go into conflict with the Urals, because in the conditions of the successful offensive of the Whites, the loyalty of the local Bolsheviks, and the propaganda of the Social Revolutionaries about Lenin's slipping "to the right" were more important factors than the disobedience and execution of the Romanovs. The Bolsheviks may have feared a split under difficult conditions.

People's Commissar for Agriculture in the first Soviet government, Chairman of the Supreme Economic Council of the RSFSR V.P. Milyutin recalled:

“I returned late from the Council of People's Commissars. There were "current" cases. During the discussion of the draft on health care, Semashko's report, Sverdlov entered and sat down in his place on a chair behind Ilyich. Semashko finished. Sverdlov went up, leaned over to Ilyich and said something.
— Comrades, Sverdlov is asking for the floor for a message.
“I must say,” Sverdlov began in his usual tone, “a message has been received that in Yekaterinburg, by order of the regional Soviet, Nikolai was shot ... Nikolai wanted to run away. The Czechoslovaks advanced. The Presidium of the CEC decided to approve...
“Now let’s move on to reading the project article by article,” suggested Ilyich ... ” // Sverdlova K. T. Yakov Mikhailovich Sverdlov. - 4th. - M .: Young Guard, 1985.

“On July 8, the first meeting of the Presidium of the Central I.K. of the 5th convocation took place. Comrade presided. Sverdlov. Members of the Presidium were present: Avanesov, Sosnovsky, Teodorovich, Vladimirsky, Maksimov, Smidovich, Rozengolts, Mitrofanov and Rozin.
Chairman comrade. Sverdlov announces a message just received via a direct wire from the Regional Ural Council about the execution of the former Tsar Nikolai Romanov.
IN last days the capital of the Red Urals, Yekaterinburg, was seriously threatened by the danger of the approach of the Czecho-Slovak gangs. At the same time, a new conspiracy of counter-revolutionaries was uncovered, with the aim of wresting the crowned executioner from the hands of Soviet power. In view of this, the Presidium of the Ural Regional Council decided to shoot Nikolai Romanov, which was carried out on July 16th.
The wife and son of Nikolai Romanov were sent to a safe place. Documents about the revealed conspiracy were sent to Moscow with a special courier.
Having made this message, comrade. Sverdlov recalls the story of the transfer of Nikolai Romanov from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg after the disclosure of the same organization of the White Guards, which was preparing the escape of Nikolai Romanov. In recent times, it has been proposed to bring the former king to justice for all his crimes against the people, and only the events of recent times have prevented this from being carried out.
The Presidium of the Central I.K., having discussed all the circumstances that forced the Ural Regional Council to decide on the execution of Nikolai Romanov, decided:
The All-Russian Central I.K., represented by its Presidium, recognizes the decision of the Ural Regional Council as correct.

The historian Ioffe believes that specific people played a fatal role in the fate of the royal family: the head of the Ural party organization and military commissar of the Ural region F.I. Goloshchekin, Chairman of the Presidium of the Executive Committee of the Ural Regional Council A. Beloborodov, and a member of the collegium of the Ural Cheka, the commandant of the "special purpose house" Ya.M. Yurovsky. // Ioffe, G. Z. Revolution and the fate of the Romanovs / M .: Respublika, 1992 . pp.311-312 Holo

It should be noted that in the summer of 1918 a whole "campaign" was carried out in the Urals to exterminate the Romanovs.

At night from 12 to 13 June 1918 Several armed men came to a hotel in Perm, where Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich and his personal secretary and friend Brian Johnson were living in exile. They took their victims into the forest and killed them. The remains have not been found so far. The murder was presented to Moscow as the kidnapping of Mikhail Alexandrovich by his supporters or a secret escape, which was used by local authorities as a pretext for tightening the regime for the detention of all the exiled Romanovs: the royal family in Yekaterinburg and the grand dukes in Alapaevsk and Vologda.

At night from 17 to 18 July 1918, simultaneously with the execution of the royal family in the Ipatiev House, the murder of six grand dukes who were in Alapaevsk was committed. The victims were taken to an abandoned mine and dumped into it.

The corpses were discovered only on October 3, 1918, after policeman Malshikov T.P. excavations in an abandoned coal mine located 12 versts from the city of Alapaevsk at a fork in the roads leading from the city of Alapaevsk to the Verkhotursky tract and to the Verkhne-Sinyachikhinsky plant. The doctor of the military hospital train No. 604 Klyachkin, on the instructions of the chief of police of the city of Alapaevsk, opened the corpses and established the following:

“Based on the data of a forensic autopsy of a citizen of the city of Petrograd, doctor Fyodor Semenovich REMEZ, I conclude:
Death occurred from hemorrhage of the pleural cavity and hemorrhages under the dura due to contusion.
Bruised injuries are fatal...
1. Death b. Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich occurred from a hemorrhage under the dura mater and a violation of the integrity of the substance of the brain as a result of a gunshot wound.
This damage is classified as lethal.
2. Death b. Prince John Konstantinovich's death occurred from a hemorrhage under the dura mater and in both pleural cavities. The indicated injuries could have occurred from blows with a blunt hard object or from bruises when falling from a height onto some hard object.
3. Death b. Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich's death occurred from a hemorrhage under the dura mater and in the region of the pleural sacs. The indicated injuries occurred either as a result of blows to the head and chest with some hard blunt object, or from a bruise when falling from a height. Damage is classified as lethal.
4. Death b. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna occurred from a hemorrhage under the dura mater. This injury could have occurred from a blow to the head with some blunt heavy object or from a fall from a height. The injury is classified as lethal.
5. The death of Prince Vladimir Paley occurred from hemorrhages under the dura mater and into the substance of the brain and into the pleura. These injuries could occur when falling from a height or from blows to the head and chest with a blunt hard tool. Damage is classified as lethal.
6. Death b. Prince Igor Konstantinovich occurred from a hemorrhage under the dura mater and a violation of the integrity of the cranial bones and the base of the skull and from hemorrhages into the pleural cavity and into the peritoneal cavity. These injuries occurred from blows by some blunt solid object or from a fall from a height. Damage is classified as lethal.
7. The death of the nun Varvara Yakovleva occurred from a hemorrhage under the dura mater. The damage in question could have been caused by blows with a blunt hard object or a fall from a height.
This whole act was drawn up in the most essential justice and conscience, in accordance with the rules of medical science and on duty, which we certify with our signatures ... "

Investigator Sokolov, Judicial Investigator for Particularly Important Cases of the Omsk District Court N. A. Sokolov, whom Kolchak instructed in February 1919 to continue the case of the murder of the Romanovs, testified:

“Both the Yekaterinburg and Alapaevsk murders are the product of the same will of the same people.” // Sokolov N. The murder of the royal family. S. 329.

Obviously: the incitement of the Ural Bolshevik elite to the murder of the royal family, and the incitement by the Socialist-Revolutionaries of such public requests in the Urals; material and consulting support for the White movement; sabotage activities of the counter-revolution within Russia; attempts to stir up a conflict between Russia and Germany; the accusation of the Soviet leadership of "involvement in German intelligence", which allegedly was the reason for his unwillingness to continue the war with Germany - all links in the same chain that stretches to the British and American intelligence services. We should not forget that a similar policy of clash between Russia and Germany was supported by British and American bankers just a few years after the events we are considering, taking on the financing of the Nazi military machine and fanning the fire of a new World War. // .

At the same time, even during the Second World War, the Third Reich, with all its sophisticated propaganda, did not release any German intelligence documents that would indicate connections with Lenin. But what a moral blow to Leninism, to the system of ideological coordinates of the Red Army soldiers who went into battle under Lenin's banners, and in general all Soviet citizens, would be! Obviously: such documents simply did not exist, just as Lenin's connection with German intelligence did not exist.

Note: the version that the execution of the Royal Family was initiated by the Soviet leadership does not find a single scientific confirmation, as well as the myth of the “ritual murder”, which today has become the core of monarchist propaganda, through which Western intelligence incites extremism of the Black Hundreds, anti-Semitic persuasion in Russia.

Were everyone who, in one way or another, approached the case of the execution of the royal family? Why is it impossible to trust the books of Sokolov (the seventh! investigator in this case), published after his murder? These questions are answered by the historian of the royal family, Sergei Ivanovich.

The royal family was not shot!

The last Russian tsar was not shot, but possibly left as a hostage.

Agree: it would be foolish to shoot the tsar without first squeezing honestly earned money from him from the capsules. So they didn't shoot him. However, it was not immediately possible to get money, because it was too turbulent time ...

Regularly, by the middle of summer of each year, loud lamentation for the tsar, who was killed for nothing, resumes. NicholasII, whom Christians also “canonized as saints” in 2000. Here is Comrade. Starikov, exactly on July 17, once again threw "firewood" into the furnace of emotional lamentations about nothing. I was not interested in this issue before, and would not pay attention to another dummy, BUT... At the last meeting with readers in his life, Academician Nikolai Levashov just mentioned that in the 30s Stalin met with NikolaiII and asked him for money to prepare for a future war. Here is how Nikolai Goryushin writes about this in his report “There are prophets in our fatherland too!” about this meeting with readers:

“... In this regard, information related to tragic fate last Emperor Russian Empire Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov and his family ... In August 1917, he and his family were sent to the last capital of the Slavic-Aryan Empire, the city of Tobolsk. The choice of this city was not accidental, since the highest degrees of Freemasonry are aware of the great past of the Russian people. The exile to Tobolsk was a kind of mockery of the Romanov dynasty, which in 1775 defeated the troops of the Slavic-Aryan Empire (Great Tartaria), and later this event was called the suppression of the peasant revolt of Emelyan Pugachev ... In July 1918 Jacob Schiff gives command to one of his confidants in the leadership of the Bolsheviks Yakov Sverdlov for the ritual murder of the royal family. Sverdlov, after consulting with Lenin, orders the commandant of the Ipatiev house, a Chekist Yakov Yurovsky bring the plan to fruition. According to official history, on the night of July 16-17, 1918, Nikolai Romanov, along with his wife and children, was shot.

At the meeting, Nikolai Levashov said that in fact NikolaiII and his family were not shot! This statement immediately raises many questions. I decided to look into them. Many works have been written on this topic, and the picture of the execution, the testimony of witnesses, look plausible at first glance. The facts obtained by the investigator A.F. do not fit into the logical chain. Kirsta, who joined the investigation in August 1918. During the investigation, he interviewed Dr. P.I. Utkin, who said that at the end of October 1918 he was invited to the building occupied by the Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution to provide medical assistance. The victim was a young girl, presumably 22 years old, with a cut lip and a tumor under her eye. To the question "who is she?" the girl replied that she was daughter of the Sovereign Anastasia". During the course of the investigation, investigator Kirsta did not find the corpses of the royal family in Ganina Yama. Soon, Kirsta found numerous witnesses who told him during interrogations that in September 1918, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and the Grand Duchesses were kept in Perm. And the witness Samoilov stated from the words of his neighbor, the guard of the house of Ipatiev Varakushev, that there was no execution, the royal family was loaded into a wagon and taken away.

After receiving these data, A.F. Kirsta is removed from the case and ordered to hand over all materials to investigator A.S. Sokolov. Nikolai Levashov said that the motive for saving the life of the Tsar and his family was the desire of the Bolsheviks, contrary to the orders of their masters, to take possession of the hidden wealth of the dynasty Romanovs, about the location of which Nikolai Aleksandrovich certainly knew. Soon the organizers of the execution in 1919, Sverdlov, died in 1924, Lenin. Nikolai Viktorovich clarified that Nikolai Aleksandrovich Romanov communicated with I.V. Stalin, and the wealth of the Russian Empire was used to strengthen the power of the USSR ... "

Speech by Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Veniamin Alekseev.
Yekaterinburg remains - more questions than answers:

If this were the first lie of comrade. Starikov, it would be quite possible to think that a person knows little yet and was simply mistaken. But Starikov is the author of several very good books and is very savvy in matters of recent Russian history. From this follows the obvious conclusion that he is lying on purpose. I won’t write about the reasons for this lie here, although they lie right on the surface ... I’d better give a few more evidence that the royal family was not shot in July 1918, and the rumor about the execution was most likely launched for the “report” to customers - Schiff and other comrades who financed the coup d'état in Russia in February 1917…

Nicholas II met with Stalin?

There are suggestions that Nicholas II was not shot, and the entire female half of the royal family was taken to Germany. But the documents are still classified...

For me, this story began in November 1983. I then worked as a photojournalist for a French agency and was sent to the summit of heads of state and government in Venice. There I accidentally met an Italian colleague who, having learned that I was Russian, showed me a newspaper (I think it was La Repubblica) dated the day of our meeting. In the article, which the Italian drew my attention to, it was about the fact that in Rome, at a very old age, a certain nun, Sister Pascalina, died. I later learned that this woman held an important position in the Vatican hierarchy under Pope Pius XII (1939-1958), but that is not the point.

The Secret of the Iron Lady of the Vatican

This sister Pascalina, who earned the honorary nickname of the “iron lady” of the Vatican, before her death called a notary with two witnesses and, in their presence, dictated information that she did not want to take with her to the grave: one of the daughters of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II - Olga- was not shot by the Bolsheviks on the night of July 16-17, 1918, but lived a long life and was buried in a cemetery in the village of Marcotte in northern Italy.

After the summit, I went to this village with an Italian friend, who was both a driver and an interpreter for me. We found the cemetery and this grave. On the plate was written in German:

« Olga Nikolaevna, eldest daughter Russian Tsar Nicholas Romanov"- and dates of life: "1895-1976".

We talked with the cemetery watchman and his wife: they, like all the villagers, perfectly remembered Olga Nikolaevna, knew who she was, and were sure that the Russian Grand Duchess was under the protection of the Vatican.

This strange find interested me greatly, and I decided to find out for myself all the circumstances of the execution. And in general, was he?

I have every reason to believe that there was no shooting. On the night of July 16-17, all the Bolsheviks and their sympathizers left for railway to Perm. The next morning, leaflets were pasted around Yekaterinburg with the message that the royal family was taken away from the city, and so it was. Soon the whites occupied the city. Naturally, a commission of inquiry was formed "on the case of the disappearance of Tsar Nicholas II, the Empress, the Tsarevich and the Grand Duchesses", which did not find any convincing traces of execution.

Investigator Sergeev in 1919 he said in an interview with an American newspaper:

“I don’t think that everyone was executed here - both the king and his family. In my opinion, the Empress, the Tsarevich and the Grand Duchesses were not executed in the Ipatiev House. This conclusion did not suit Admiral Kolchak, who by that time had already proclaimed himself "the supreme ruler of Russia." And really, why does the “supreme” need some kind of emperor? Kolchak ordered a second investigative team to be assembled, which got to the bottom of the fact that in September 1918 the Empress and the Grand Duchesses were kept in Perm. Only the third investigator, Nikolai Sokolov (conducted the case from February to May 1919), turned out to be more understanding and issued a well-known conclusion that the whole family had been shot, the corpses dismembered and burned on fires. “The parts that did not succumb to the action of fire,” Sokolov wrote, “were destroyed with the help of sulfuric acid».

What, then, was buried in 1998. in the Peter and Paul Cathedral? Let me remind you that soon after the start of perestroika, some skeletons were found on the Piglet Log near Yekaterinburg. In 1998, they were solemnly reburied in the family tomb of the Romanovs, after numerous genetic examinations had been carried out before that. Moreover, the secular power of Russia in the person of President Boris Yeltsin acted as a guarantor of the authenticity of the royal remains. But the Russian Orthodox Church refused to recognize the bones as the remains of the royal family.

But let's go back to the Civil War. According to my information, the royal family was divided in Perm. The path of the female part lay in Germany, while the men - Nikolai Romanov himself and Tsarevich Alexei - were left in Russia. Father and son were kept near Serpukhov for a long time at the former dacha of the merchant Konshin. Later, in the reports of the NKVD, this place was known as "Object No. 17". Most likely, the prince died in 1920 from hemophilia. I can't say anything about the fate of the last Russian emperor. Except one: in the 30s "Object No. 17" twice visited Stalin. Does this mean that in those years Nicholas II was still alive?

The men were held hostage

To understand why such incredible events from the point of view of a person of the 21st century became possible and to find out who needed them, you will have to go back to 1918 again. Do you remember from the school history course about the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk? Yes, on March 3, in Brest-Litovsk, a peace treaty was concluded between Soviet Russia on the one hand and Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey on the other. Russia lost Poland, Finland, the Baltic States and part of Belarus. But it was not because of this that Lenin called the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk “humiliating” and “obscene.” By the way, the full text of the treaty has not yet been published either in the East or in the West. I believe that because of the secret conditions in it. Probably the Kaiser, who was a relative of Empress Maria Feodorovna, demanded that all the women of the royal family be handed over to Germany. The girls had no right to the Russian throne and, therefore, could not threaten the Bolsheviks in any way. The men, on the other hand, remained hostages - as guarantors that the German army would not go further east than it was written in the peace treaty.

What happened next? How was the fate of women exported to the West? Was their silence a necessary condition for their immunity? Unfortunately, I have more questions than answers.

Interview with Vladimir Sychev on the Romanov case

An interesting interview with Vladimir Sychev, who refutes the official version of the execution of the royal family. He talks about the grave of Olga Romanova in northern Italy, about the investigation of two British journalists, about the conditions of the Brest Peace of 1918, according to which all the women of the royal family were transferred to the Germans in Kiev ...

Author - Vladimir Sychev

In June 1987 I was in Venice with the French press accompanying François Mitterrand to the G7 summit. During the breaks between pools, an Italian journalist approached me and asked me something in French. Realizing from my accent that I was not French, he looked at my French accreditation and asked where I was from. “Russian,” I replied. – Is that how? my interlocutor was surprised. Under his arm, he held an Italian newspaper, from where he translated a huge, half-page article.

Sister Pascalina dies in a private clinic in Switzerland. She was known throughout the Catholic world, because. passed with the future Pope Pius XXII from 1917, when he was still Cardinal Pacelli in Munich (Bavaria), until his death in the Vatican in 1958. She had such a strong influence on him that he entrusted the entire administration of the Vatican to her, and when the cardinals asked for an audience with the Pope, she decided who was worthy of such an audience and who was not. This is a short retelling of a large article, the meaning of which was that we had to believe the phrase uttered at the end and not by a mere mortal. Sister Pascalina asked to invite a lawyer and witnesses, as she did not want to take her to the grave the secret of your life. When they arrived, she only said that the woman buried in the village Morcote, not far from Lake Maggiore - indeed daughter of the Russian Tsar - Olga!!

I convinced my Italian colleague that this was a gift from Fate and that it was useless to resist it. Having learned that he was from Milan, I told him that I would not fly back to Paris on the presidential press plane, but we would go to this village for half a day. We went there after the summit. It turned out that this was no longer Italy, but Switzerland, but we quickly found a village, a cemetery and a cemetery watchman who led us to the grave. On the gravestone - photography elderly woman and an inscription in German: Olga Nikolaevna(without a surname), the eldest daughter of Nikolai Romanov, Tsar of Russia, and dates of life - 1985-1976 !!!

The Italian journalist was an excellent translator for me, but he clearly did not want to stay there for the whole day. I had to ask questions.

When did she move in here? - In 1948.

- She said that she was the daughter of the Russian Tsar? “Of course, and the whole village knew about it.

Did it get into the press? - Yes.

- How did the other Romanovs react to this? Did they sue? - Served.

And she lost? Yes, I lost.

In this case, she had to pay the opposing party's legal costs. - She paid.

- She worked? - No.

Where does she get the money from? “Yes, the whole village knew that the Vatican was keeping her!”

The ring is closed. I went to Paris and began to look for what is known on this issue ... And quickly came across a book by two English journalists.

II

Tom Mangold and Anthony Summers published a book in 1979 "Dossier on the king"(“The Case of the Romanovs, or the execution that never happened”). They began with the fact that if the secrecy stamp is removed from state archives after 60 years, then in 1978 60 years from the date of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles expire, and you can “dig up” something there by looking into the declassified archives. That is, at first there was an idea just to look ... And they very quickly got on telegrams English ambassador to his Foreign Office that the royal family was taken from Yekaterinburg to Perm. There is no need to explain to professionals from the BBC that this is a sensation. They rushed to Berlin.

It quickly became clear that the Whites, having entered Yekaterinburg on July 25, immediately appointed an investigator to investigate the execution of the royal family. Nikolai Sokolov, whose book everyone still refers to, is the third investigator who received the case only at the end of February 1919! Then a simple question arises: who were the first two and what did they report to the authorities? So, the first investigator named Nametkin, appointed by Kolchak, having worked for three months and declaring that he is a professional, is a simple matter, and he does not need additional time (and the Whites were advancing and had no doubts about their victory at that time - i.e. all the time is yours, don’t rush, work!), puts a report on the table that there was no shooting, but there was a staged execution. Kolchak this report - under the cloth and appoints a second investigator by the name of Sergeev. He also works for three months and at the end of February gives Kolchak the same report with the same words (“I am a professional, it’s a simple matter, no extra time is needed,” there was no shooting- there was a staged execution).

Here it is necessary to explain and remind that it was the Whites who overthrew the tsar, and not the Reds, and they sent him into exile in Siberia! Lenin in these February days was in Zurich. Whatever ordinary soldiers say, the white elite are not monarchists, but republicans. And Kolchak did not need a living tsar. I advise those who have doubts to read Trotsky's diaries, where he writes that "if the whites put up any tsar - even a peasant one - we would not have lasted even two weeks"! These are the words of the Supreme Commander of the Red Army and the ideologist of the Red Terror!! Please believe.

Therefore, Kolchak already puts "his" investigator Nikolai Sokolov and gives him a task. And Nikolai Sokolov also works for only three months - but for a different reason. The Reds entered Yekaterinburg in May, and he retreated along with the Whites. He took the archives, but what did he write?

1. He did not find the bodies, and for the police of any country in any system “no bodies - no murder” is a disappearance! After all, when arresting serial killers, the police demand to show where the corpses are hidden !! You can say whatever you want, even at yourself, and the investigator needs material evidence!

And Nikolai Sokolov "hangs the first noodles on his ears":

“thrown into a mine, filled with acid”.

Now they prefer to forget this phrase, but we heard it until 1998! And for some reason no one ever doubted. Is it possible to flood the mine with acid? But acid is not enough! In the local history museum of Yekaterinburg, where the director Avdonin (the same, one of the three who "accidentally" found bones on the Starokotlyakovskaya road, cleared to them by three investigators in 1918-19), hangs a certificate about those soldiers on the truck that they had 78 liters of gasoline (not acid). In July, in the Siberian taiga, having 78 liters of gasoline, you can burn the entire Moscow zoo! No, they went back and forth, first they threw it into the mine, poured it with acid, and then they took it out and hid it under the sleepers ...

By the way, on the night of the "execution" from July 16 to July 17, 1918, a huge train with the entire local Red Army, the local Central Committee and the local Cheka left Yekaterinburg for Perm. The Whites entered on the eighth day, and Yurovsky, Beloborodov and his comrades shifted the responsibility to two soldiers? The inconsistency, - tea, they did not deal with a peasant revolt. And if they shot at their own discretion, they could have done it a month earlier.

2. The second "noodle" of Nikolai Sokolov - he describes the basement of the Ipatievsky house, publishes photographs where it is clear that bullets are in the walls and in the ceiling (apparently, they do this when staging an execution). Conclusion - women's corsets were stuffed with diamonds, and the bullets ricocheted! So, like this: the king from the throne and into exile in Siberia. Money in England and Switzerland, and they sew diamonds into corsets to sell to peasants in the market? Well well!

3. In the same book by Nikolai Sokolov, the same basement in the same Ipatiev house is described, where in the fireplace lies clothes from each member of the imperial family and hair from each head. Were they sheared and changed (undressed??) before being shot? Not at all - they were taken out by the same train on that very “night of execution”, but they cut their hair and changed clothes so that no one would recognize them there.

III

Tom Magold and Anthony Summers intuitively realized that the clue to this intriguing detective story must be sought in Brest Peace Treaty. And they began to look for the original text. And what?? With all the removal of secrets after 60 years of such an official document nowhere! It is not in the declassified archives of London or Berlin. They searched everywhere - and everywhere they found only quotes, but nowhere could they find the full text! And they came to the conclusion that the Kaiser demanded the extradition of women from Lenin. The tsar's wife is a relative of the Kaiser, the daughters are German citizens and did not have the right to the throne, and besides, the Kaiser at that moment could crush Lenin like a bug! And here are Lenin's words that "the world is humiliating and obscene, but it must be signed", and the July coup attempt of the Socialist-Revolutionaries with Dzerzhinsky, who joined them at the Bolshoi Theater, take on a completely different look.

Officially, we were taught that Trotsky signed the treaty only on the second attempt and only after the start of the offensive german army when it became clear to everyone that the Republic of Soviets could not resist. If there is simply no army, what is “humiliating and obscene” here? Nothing. But if it is necessary to hand over all the women of the royal family, and even to the Germans, and even during the First World War, then ideologically everything is in its place, and the words are read correctly. What Lenin did, and the entire ladies' section was handed over to the Germans in Kyiv. And immediately the murder of the German ambassador Mirbach in Moscow and the German consul in Kyiv makes sense.

"Dossier on the Tsar" is a fascinating investigation into one cunningly tangled intrigue of world history. The book was published in 1979, so the words of Sister Pascalina in 1983 about Olga's grave could not get into it. And if there were no new facts, then simply retelling someone else's book here would not make sense.

10 years have passed. In November 1997, in Moscow, I met the former political prisoner Geliy Donskoy from St. Petersburg. The conversation over tea in the kitchen also touched the king and his family. When I said that there was no execution, he answered me calmly:

- I know it wasn't.

- Well, you are the first in 10 years,

I answered him, almost falling off my chair.

Then I asked him to tell me his sequence of events, wanting to find out up to what point our versions agree and at what point they start to diverge. He did not know about the extradition of women, believing that they died somewhere in different places. There was no doubt that they were all taken out of Yekaterinburg. I told him about the "Dossier on the Tsar", and he told me about one seemingly insignificant find, which he and his friends drew attention to in the 80s.

They came across the memoirs of the participants in the "execution", published in the 30s. In addition to the well-known facts that two weeks before the “execution” a new guard arrived, they said that a high fence had been built around the Ipatievsky house. For execution in the basement, he would be useless, but if the family needs to be taken out unnoticed, then he is just the way. The most important thing - which no one had ever paid attention to before them - the head of the new guard spoke with Yurovsky on foreign language! They checked the lists - the head of the new guard was Lisitsyn (all participants in the "execution" are known). It seems nothing special. And here they were really lucky: at the beginning of perestroika, Gorbachev opened hitherto closed archives (my fellow Sovietologists confirmed that this had been the case for two years), and then they started searching in declassified documents. And found! It turned out that Lisitsyn was not Lisitsyn at all, but the American Fox !!! I have been ready for this for a long time. I already knew from books and from life that Trotsky came to make a revolution from New York on a steamer full of Americans (everyone knows about Lenin and two carriages with Germans and Austrians). The Kremlin was full of foreigners who did not speak Russian (there was even Petin, but an Austrian!) Therefore, the guards were from Latvian riflemen, so that the people would not even think that foreigners had seized power.

And then my new friend Helium Donskoy completely captivated me. He asked himself one very important question. Fox-Lisitsyn arrived as the head of the new guard (in fact, the head of the royal family) on July 2. On the night of the "execution" on July 16-17, 1918, he left by the same train. And where did he get a new appointment? He became the first head of the new secret facility No. 17 near Serpukhov (on the estate of the former merchant Konshin), which Stalin visited twice! (why?! More on that below.)

I have been telling this whole story with a new continuation to all my friends since 1997.

On one of my visits to Moscow, my friend Yura Feklistov asked me to visit his school friend, and now a candidate historical sciences so that I can tell him everything. That historian named Sergei was the press secretary of the Kremlin commandant's office (scientists were not paid salaries in those days). At the appointed hour, Yura and I climbed the wide Kremlin stairs and entered the office. Just like now in this article, I started with Sister Pascalina, and when I got to her phrase that “the woman buried in the village of Morcote is really the daughter of the Russian Tsar Olga,” Sergei almost jumped: “Now it’s clear why The patriarch did not go to the funeral! he exclaimed.

It was also obvious to me - after all, despite the strained relations between different confessions, when it comes to persons of this rank, information is exchanged. I just didn’t understand and still have the position of the “working people”, who suddenly turned from faithful Marxist-Leninists into orthodox Christians, do not value a few statements of His Holiness himself. After all, even I, visiting Moscow only on short visits, even twice heard the Patriarch say on central television that the examination of royal bones cannot be trusted! I heard it twice, but what, no one else?? Well, he could not say more and announce publicly that there was no execution. This is the prerogative of the highest state officials, not the church.

Further, when I told at the very end that the tsar and the tsarevich were settled near Serpukhov on the estate of Konshin, Sergey shouted: - Vasya! You have all the movements of Stalin in the computer. Well, tell me, was he in the Serpukhov area? - Vasya turned on the computer and answered: - There were two times. Once at the dacha of a foreign writer, and another time at the dacha of Ordzhonikidze.

I was prepared for this turn of events. The fact is that not only John Reed (a journalist-writer of one book) is buried in the Kremlin wall, but 117 foreigners are buried there! And this is from November 1917 to January 1919!! These are the same German, Austrian and American communists from the Kremlin offices. The likes of Fox-Lisitsyn, John Reed, and other Americans who left their mark on Soviet history after the fall of Trotsky were legalized as journalists by official Soviet historians. (An interesting parallel: the expedition of the artist Roerich to Tibet from Moscow was paid for in 1920 by the Americans! So there were a lot of them). Others fled - they are not children and knew what awaited them. By the way, apparently, this Fox was the founder of the XX Century Fox movie empire in 1934 after Trotsky was expelled.

But back to Stalin. I think few people will believe that Stalin traveled 100 km from Moscow to meet with " foreign writer or even with Sergo Ordzhonikidze! He received them in the Kremlin.

He met the King there! With the man in the iron mask!!!

And that was in the 30s. That's where the fantasy of writers could unfold!

These two meetings are very intriguing to me. I'm sure they seriously discussed at least one topic. And Stalin did not discuss this topic with anyone. He believed the king, not his marshals! This Finnish war- the Finnish campaign, as it is shyly called in Soviet history. Why the campaign - after all, there was a war? Yes, because there was no preparation - a campaign! And only the tsar could give such advice to Stalin. He has been in prison for 20 years. The tsar knew the past - Finland has never been a state. The Finns really defended themselves to the last. When the order for a truce came, several thousand soldiers came out of the Soviet trenches, and only four from the Finnish ones.

Instead of an afterword

About 10 years ago I told this story to my Moscow colleague Sergey. When he reached Konshin's estate, where the tsar and the prince were settled, he got excited, stopped the car and said:

Let my wife speak.

I dialed a number on my mobile and asked:

- Dear, do you remember how we were students in 1972 in Serpukhov in the Konshin estate, where is the local history museum? Tell me, why were we shocked then?

And my dear wife answered me on the phone:

“We were completely horrified. All graves were opened. We were told that they were looted by bandits.

I think that not the bandits, but that even then they decided to deal with the bones at the right moment. By the way, in the Konshin estate there was the grave of Colonel Romanov. The king was a colonel.

June 2012, Paris - Berlin

The Romanov case, or the execution that never happened

A. Summers T. Mangold

translation: Yuri Ivanovich Senin

The case of the Romanovs, or the Execution, which was not

The story described in this book can be called a detective, although it is the result of a serious journalistic investigation. Dozens of books spoke with great persuasiveness about how the Bolsheviks shot the Tsar's family in the basement of the Ipatiev House.

It would seem that the version of the execution of the Royal Family has been unambiguously proven. However, in most of these works, in the "bibliography" section, the book of American journalists A.Summers, T.Mangold "The file on the tsar", published in London in 1976, is mentioned. Mentioned, and nothing more. No comments, no links. And no translations. Even the original of this book is hard to find.