German ambassador assassinated in Moscow by Left SRs in July 1918
A German diplomat from a Rhenish noble family, Mirbach served in London, The Hague, St Petersburg and elsewhere and took part in the Brest-Litovsk peace talks. From April 1918 he headed the German embassy newly opened in Moscow, asking Berlin for funds to keep the Bolshevik government going while sending gloomy reports on its prospects. On 6 July he was killed at the embassy by Blumkin and Andreyev, who came with Cheka credentials. The Left SRs meant the killing to wreck the Brest peace, but Germany did not go back to war.
Also known as: Count Mirbach · Ambassador Mirbach · Wilhelm von Mirbach-Harff
Activities and affiliations
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1917–1918
Germany state institutionsGerman envoy and ambassador to Soviet RussiaMain
Diplomacy and international organization
Career Timeline
- 1917.12–1918.07.06German envoy to Soviet Russia; from April 1918 at the Moscow embassy
- 1918.07.06Assassinated at the Moscow embassy by Blumkin and Andreyev