Viktor Pokrovsky

Viktor Leonidovich Pokrovsky
Born(1889-09-14)September 14, 1889
Russian Empire
DiedNovember 9, 1922(1922-11-09) (aged 33)
AllegianceRussian Empire
White movement
Branch
Imperial Russian Air Service
White Army (Kuban Army)
Service years
World War I
Russian Civil War
Rank
Lieutenant general
Known forLeader of the White Army during the Russian Civil War
AwardsOrder of St. George

Viktor Leonidovich Pokrovsky (Russian: Виктор Леонидович Покровский; 14 September 1889 – 9 November 1922) was a Russian lieutenant general and one of the leaders of the anti-communist, counterrevolutionary White Army during the Russian Civil War.

Biography

Viktor Pokrovsky graduated from Pavlovsk Army Cadet School and the Sevastopol Aviation Military School. He served in the Russian army during the First World War as a pilot and was awarded the Order of St. George for bravery.

Russian Civil War

In December 1917, after the October Revolution, the Kuban Ataman Filimonov supported the formation of a volunteer unit under the command of Pokrovsky. On 4 and 6 February, his men won two victories over the Bolsheviks at Enem and Georgie-Afipskaia, killing the Bolshevik leaders Iakovlev and Seradze. The Kuban Rada promoted him to the rank of colonel after a hero's welcome in Ekaterinodar. On 27 February, he was made Commander-in-Chief of the Kuban Army. However, on 13 March, the army of 3,000 soldiers, accompanied by 2,000 civilians, was forced to abandon Ekaterinodar. By the end of March, Pokrovsky combined his forces with the Volunteer Army during the Ice March.[1]

Pokrovsky's men played a key role in the capture of Tsaritsyn and Kamyshin from the Bolshevik forces in the summer of 1919. Many in the White movement, including military officers, complained about Pokrovsky's penchant to hang prisoners. In September 1918, he had ordered the massacre of 2,500 people near Mayakop, including many Red Army prisoners.[2]

Exile

In April 1920, he emigrated from Crimea because General Wrangel did not appoint him to any key positions at his headquarters. In emigration, he settled in Bulgaria and continued anti-Soviet activities. On 9 November 1922, he was killed by the Bulgarian police while resisting arrest in a murder investigation.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kenez, Peter (2004). Red Attack, White Resistance; Civil War in South Russia 1918. Washington, DC: New Academia Publishing. pp. 106–111. ISBN 9780974493442.
  2. ↑ "Белый террор в Майкопе осенью 1918 года. Майкопская резня". 20 March 2017. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  3. ↑ Svindine, Nicholas & Leonard Mayhew (Trans.) (1973). The Treasure of the White Army. Paris: Éditions Robert Laffont, S.A.
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