Ivan Romanovsky: who killed my best friend Denikin

History 05/01/20 Ivan Romanovsky: who killed my best friend Denikin

the White movement in southern Russia in the period after the death of Kornilov and before the Peter Wrangel command over the remnants had taken refuge in the Crimea troops – firmly associated with the name of Anton Denikin. This General, the son of polka and Russian peasant who rose to the Mallorcan title, led the Volunteer army and then the armed forces of South Russia, in which she joined, in the midst of the Civil war, when the outcome hadn’t been predetermined.

the Most hated white guard

Not many people know that the figure of Denikin – like in the days of big victories when the whites sat in Kiev, took Kharkov and was eager to Moscow, and during severe defeats, which has led to the actual collapse of the army – was always the other person, which almost never reported in the Newspapers. His name is Ivan Romanovskiy, he was chief of staff and first Deputy commander in chief. Almost all military operations carried out by the volunteers in the campaign were developed and implemented with his direct participation. Denikin was the soul of the White matter, and Romanovsky, without a doubt, the brain.

at the same time the chief of staff performed at the commander-in-chief role of a lightning rod. Romanowski did not like anyone – he hated everything from division commanders to privates. The monarchists believed Denikin’s assistant a traitor to the monarchy and a Republican, supporters of the Republican regime, respectively – monarchist. In the army his name is simply reviled, considering the culprit of military setbacks and never after remembering the triumphs.

Uncommunicative, cold and sharp in appearance, often rude with subordinates, Romanovsky, despite inner goodness (according to Denikin) and the willingness to lay themselves on the altar of common victory, managed to alienate the White movement. Even to the Soviet narkomanu Lev Trotsky white officers were sometimes treated Lojalinea. For the eyes with many wished for death. But he only shrugged, answering questions about the causes of this relationship.

Denikin compared his Deputy, Mikhail Barclay de Tolly, who, in contrast to Mikhail Kutuzov, not loved for the complex nature and foreign origin. Romanovsky was a full-blooded Russian, also a veteran of two wars, not counting Civil. That had little effect on his image.

“unfortunately, the character of Ivan Pavlovich contributed to hostile relations to him. He was straight and sharply expressed his views without using them in the accepted forms of diplomatic guile,” – said the Commander in chief in his “Essays on Russian troubles”.

the motives of the Wrangell and trail drozdovtsev

the Successor of Denikin at the head of the white forces in the South of the country, Wrangell, not just stayed on the identity of the Romanov in his autobiographical “Notes”. Throughout the book can be seen as changing attitude of the Baron to the chief of staff with the deepening of experience and the emergence of differences.

“My companion has impressed me has been perfectly informed and very intelligent – as described Wrangel acquaintance with the under shape. — A good impression was slightly spoiled with the peculiar General habit to avoid the gaze of the interlocutor. In our subsequent frequent meetings, this feature always jarred me.”

as commander of the Caucasian army, the armed forces of South Russia, as well as occupying other positions, Wrangell Romanovsky filled up with requests for improved security forces. The staff tried to satisfy all requests hot the Baron, but he often thought that Romanovsky intentionally does not fulfill the commitments. As we know from “Memoirs” in his telegrams Wrangel sometimes did not hesitate in expressions. The chief of staff had to endure the tone of the Baron.

However, once Romanovsky broke down and after a meeting with Denikin Wrangel was taken aside and asked to explain “negative attitude”. In the “confrontation” InRangel backpedaled and assured the chief of staff in the absence of any negativity on their part.

“If I often with excessive vehemence and Express their opinions, it is only because I can’t help but share the joys and sorrows of my troops and remain indifferent to the plight of the army” – confessed to Wrangell, which, incidentally, was subsequently named one of the possible organizers of the murder of the Romanov. This version was considered, but was never a major in the environment of Russian emigration.

More rumors circulated about revenge Romanovsky from drozdovtsev veterans division super white commander Mikhail Drozdovsky, in January 1919, who died from the effects obtained in October 1918 of wounds in the leg, which all, without exception, considered trifling. In life drozdowski categorically did not get along with Romanov, which was known to the troops: a successful leader is not shy about publicly complaining annoys him the chief of staff.

the Conflict between the generals was developed in the spring of 1918, when drozdowski led the squad with officer of the Romanian front in the location of volunteers. A personal dislike was aggravated by the competition for the status position of Denikin. After the death drozdowski, there were those who directly blamed Romanovsky. Allegedly he had sent to the dying doctor-killer, who had the job not to cure the General, and “help” him to depart to the other world. After a tragic outcome the physician has behaved strangely fled abroad and returned to Russia after the victory of the Reds in the Civil war. But Romanovsky by the time he was already dead.

Killer Romanov himself was killed

the Assassination who left his post and emigrated, together with General Denikin was held on April 5, 1920, the day after two friends go from Theodosia to Constantinople on the English ship “Emperor of India”. In the building of the Russian diplomatic mission at the time was chaos. The Embassy was not guarded, which was used by Lieutenant Mstislav of HorusJohn first served in Denikin’s counterintelligence and holding to their former bosses big grudge: the officer considered the generals guilty in defeat of the White matter.

“Denikin responsible, but on his conscience, no dark spots; the General Romanovsky stained with the relationship, though not proven, but his personal opinion and on the basis of existing documents existed, even if only indirectly, between General Romanovsky and Constantinople banking offices, supplied with money and documents of the Bolshevik agents going to work in the Volunteer army,” said Harazin to your fellow officers shortly before the attack.

so, arriving to the Embassy directly from the port around 17:00, Romanovsky went out into the yard, with the aim to give the order for the delivery of forgotten them on the boat folder with important documents – so described the time of the murder Russian military representative in Constantinople, General Vladimir Agapiev. In that moment, when Romanovsky, coming back into the building, got out of the lobby to the pool room, unknown, dressed in officer’s coat sample in peacetime, gold epaulettes, quickly approached him from behind. Hearing the steps, ex-chief of staff turned to his killer, who fired three shots from a revolver at point blank range. General Romanovsky fell and in two minutes, without regaining consciousness, has died. In the confusion provoked by the villain managed to escape from the crime scene. Later the assailant was identified Haruzina.

Denikin with a shudder he recalled in his memoirs about how he learned about the murder the next colleague and faithful friend,

“Back in the room, wanted to talk to Ivan Pavlovich that now to leave this inhospitable shelter. But the General Romanovsky was not. Aides are not arrived yet, and he went through the enfilade of the hall of the ambassadors in the lobby to dispose of the vehicle.

Opened the door, and it appeared pale as death, and the Colonel Boris Engelgardt:

— Your Excellency, General Romanovsky killed.

This strike is killing me. Consciousness has dimmed, and my strength left me — for the first time in my life.”

“Moral murderers romanovskogo I know well,’ continued Denikin. – Physical killer who wore the form of a Russian officer, escaped. Don’t know if he’s still alive, or telling the truth to the rumor, as if to hide traces of the crime he was drowned in the Bosphorus.”

the British urgently introduced to the Embassy officer detachment for the protection of the former commander in chief VSYUR.

white emigre Known to the writer Roman Gul, who participated in the Ice campaign of the Volunteer army, and in the autumn of 1918 went to Kiev, recalled the attitude of Romanovsky among his colleagues: “I didn’t know the deceased, never met, but was not surprised his murder in Constantinople. According to the army, he was the evil genius, whose influence is explained all the failures of voluntary movement”.

Gul also reported that a month after the shots Romanovsky, in may 1920, the Lieutenant of Haruzin, nobody caught, went to Ankara to participate in the war for the independence of Turkey on the side of Mustafa Kemal, known in history under the name of Ataturk. However, to the camp of Turkish nationalists officer never made it. On the road, in the middle of nowhere he was killed is unknown. Explorers emigrants believed that a hand in this offense could make the real customers of murder of the Romanov or the Greek rebels. Hardly ever will already be installed, whether involved in the elimination of former chief of staff of the armed forces of South Russia, Baron Wrangel, or the companions of General Drozdovsky.

Okunev Dmitry

Source:
© Russian Seven

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