The last gendarme chief who reformed the Okhrana and warned the Tsar about Rasputin
1915: he laid out before Nicholas II, in detail, Rasputin's drunkenness and his insults against the imperial family. The Tsar's only response was to dismiss him.
A hands-on noble official who rose from Imperial Guard officer to Moscow governor and then to chief of the empire's political police. As commander of the Gendarme Corps in 1913, he abolished most district Okhrana bureaus and banned secret agents in the army and schools. In 1915 he personally reported Rasputin's scandals to the Tsar and was dismissed; after the Revolution he served as a secret consultant to the OGPU, advising on Operation Trust. His vast memoirs remain a primary source on late imperial politics and the police system.
Career Timeline
- 1891–1905Adjutant to Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Moscow Governor-General
- 1905.8–1905.11Moscow Vice-Governor
- 1905–1913Moscow Governor; promoted Major-General; civic and cultural projects
- 1913–1915Deputy Interior Minister & Gendarme Commander; Okhrana reforms
- 1915.8Dismissed after submitting Rasputin report to Nicholas II
- 1915–1917Western Front: 15th Siberian Rifle Div., 3rd Siberian Corps; Lt. General
- 1918–1921Arrested, imprisoned, 5-year sentence; released 1921
- 1920sSecret OGPU consultant; advised Operation Trust