“Gradually, a Turning Point Occurred, and the Idea to End an Armed Struggle Arose”

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31168/2412-6446.2024.19.1-2.03

Keywords:

Civil War, Red Army, White underground, Ukraine, N.F. Sokolovsky

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the biography of Colonel N.F. Sokolovsky, a mysterious historical figure who played a significant role in the Russian Civil War. In 1919, Sokolovsky was a military expert serving in the Kiev Provincial Military Commissariat and the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. At the same time, he was also a prominent figure of the White underground in Ukraine. After the occupation of Kiev by White forces, he defected to them and prepared a report on subversive activities for the White command. However, he later found himself on the side of the Reds again. Sokolovsky's name is linked to the story of an attempt to surrender Wrangel's army to the Red Army in the autumn of 1920. He presented himself as the leader of an anti-Wrangel underground organization in Crimea, but later evacuated to Turkey with the Russian army of General P.N. Wrangel, was in exile for some time, but returned to his homeland in early 1922. Upon his return, a detailed investigation into the circumstances of his case was conducted in Soviet Russia. According to the results of this investigation, Sokolovsky's report from 1919 was found to be largely fictitious. Sokolovsky was tried by the Military Board of the Supreme Tribunal of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. He was released from further punishment, and later the White underground worker managed to obtain a job in the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs. However, he was eventually shot during the Great terror. Thanks to the introduction of the documents from the archives of special services into scientific circulation, some details of his life and work have now been reconstructed.

Received 11 January 2024.

Revised 28 March 2024

Accepted 15 April 2024

For citation: Ganin, A.V., 2024. “Gradually, a turning point occurred, and the idea to end an armed struggle arose”. Colonel N.F. Sokolovsky between the Reds and the Whites. Slavic World in the Third Millennium, 19 (1–2), pp. 42–53. https://doi.org/10.31168/2412-6446.2024.19.1-2.03

Author Biography

  • Andrey V. Ganin

    Andrey V. Ganin

    D.Sc., Leading Researcher, Institute of Slavic Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences

    Postal address: Leninsky Prospect, 32A, Moscow, 119334 Russia

    E-mail: andrey_ganin@mail.ru

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Published

31-07-2024

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