The role of Kolchak in the civil war. Admiral A.V. Kolchak - unknown pages of biography

During the Soviet era, all representatives of the white movement in history were depicted according to the same algorithm. Their most important characteristic was that they were counter-revolutionaries. Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was described in the same way. He appears to us as a man who participated in two wars - the Russian-Japanese and the First World War. Also the fact that he was appointed “Supreme Ruler of Russia.”

The entire historical portrait of Kolchak appears to us as a description of the “Kolchakism” regime. The admiral’s activities themselves are not described. But everything changed with the destruction of the Soviet state. Ideology ceased to play a leading role in science, and this made it possible to conduct more extensive research.

Biography of Alexander Kolchak

The Kolchaks are an ancient family, it comes from Ilias Pasha Kolchak. This man was a Serb by nationality, but at one time he converted to Islam. After Russian-Turkish War he was captured with his son. If we consider the sources, then for the first time the name of Kolchak was noted by M.V. Lomonosov. Alexander Vasilyevich’s parents were Vasily Ivanovich and Olga Ilyinichna.

Alexander Kolchak was born on November 4, 1874. His father is from Odessa, very reserved by nature and an ardent Francophile, and his Cossack mother is a kind and strict woman, Alexander loved her very much. Alexander grew up in a military family, in adolescence he had high authority among his peers; they said about him that Kolchak knew everything.

He studied in the cadet corps, where he was in the forefront. He really liked military history and exact sciences. Sasha often visited the Obukhov plant, where he received practical knowledge about artillery and mines. Later, thanks to his father, he had the opportunity to study further in England, but he wanted to serve in the navy. After completing his training in the corps, he was promoted to midshipman.

The first ship in Alexander's service was the battleship Rurik, followed by the Cruiser. During his service, he became fascinated by Eastern philosophy, especially the Zen sect. Her teaching preached asceticism and aversion to everyday life. Kolchak also tried to learn Chinese on his own. His passion was Japanese blades, he collected them. He was especially proud of the blade given to him by a Japanese colonel in 1918. Kolchak said that when his heart was heavy, he turned off the light and looked at it in front of the fireplace.

Alexander Admiral Kolchak

After some time of service on warships, he became disillusioned and even thought about resigning. In 1899, he was invited to participate in the Russian polar expedition, led by E.V. Toll. Kolchak was engaged in temperature monitoring, carried out deep-sea work, etc. Later, as part of the expedition, he visited the Chelyuskin Peninsula, where he conducted surveys and observations of magnetic changes. E.V. Toll and the astronomers disappeared. Kolchak led the rescue operation. Later he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, IV degree.

When the Russian-Japanese War began, Alexander was in Yakutsk. With the permission of the Academy of Sciences, he goes to the fleet. In March of the same 1904, he married Sofya Omirova and immediately left for Port Arthur. He was assigned to the mine ship "Amur". It was on one of his mines that the cruiser Takasago was blown up. But soon, as we know, Port Arthur capitulated. Kolchak was wounded and was captured. He managed to return to Russia in April 1905, at which time he was awarded the golden saber “For Bravery.”

After the war, he returned to the Academy of Sciences and began processing materials from the polar expedition. In addition, he formed a naval circle, then worked in the Directorate of the Naval General Staff, and also translated scientific literature from French. Until 1912, he was involved in the reorganization of the naval general staff. Then he rejoined the fleet and commanded the Ussuriyets, then the destroyer Pogranichnik. During the First World War, he practically commanded the fleet. For attacks on German ships, he received a promotion and the position of commander of the Black Sea Fleet.
1917 - a turning point. This also became a difficult time for Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak. Alexander was in Sevastopol. When it became known that the Provisional Government was in power, they were given the command to stop all communication between Crimea and the rest of the territory Russian Empire. The events of February 1917 allowed Kolchak to think that this was a chance to bring the war to victory. Soon Nicholas II, and then his brother Mikhail, abandoned the throne, but this did not change Kolchak’s attitude to the situation. The fleet operated in a stationary mode. He felt the trust of the sailors and the population, so he was calm.

Kolchak tried to counteract the revolutionary movement. He never supported him and only wanted to end the war with victory. The Provisional Government valued Alexander Vasilyevich, his authority in the fleet was unshakable, so they allowed him to present conditions under which he would continue to command the fleet. Soon, mass uprisings of sailors occurred in the fleet, this frightened Kolchak. He did not want to participate in the “war” of officials and sailors, so he left the post of commander.

Alexander Vasilievich Kolchak

In August 1917, he went as part of a commission of six people to the United States via England. There he was shocked by the power of the English fleet, he became convinced that Russian fleet urgent update needed. He failed to secure US support in the war, so he began collecting technical information about the American fleet and studied at Newport Naval College.

At the end of October 1917, he was going to return to Russia; he had already been informed about the revolution, but he did not attach much importance to it. In November in Japan, he learned about Soviet power in Russia. Information was also received that the Bolsheviks wanted to make peace. This news shocked him and Alexander did not want to return to Russia. After the revolution, he began to adhere to counter-revolutionary views. In Beijing, he was elected a member of the board of the CER. There he formed troops in order to give battle to the Bolsheviks.
Later in Siberia and the Urals there were coups d'etat and the “Kolchakism” began. He was later chosen as the "Supreme Ruler" of Russia. On November 18, 1918, the Council of Ministers transferred power to him. His reign lasted until the beginning of 1920. Kolchak was arrested by the Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks. He was interrogated by the emergency commission in Irkutsk. On February 7, the Irkutsk Military Revolutionary Committee issued a decree to shoot the admiral. The verdict was carried out early in the morning.

Kolchak video

Alexander Kolchak - Russian military and political figure, oceanographer, polar explorer, naval commander, who went down in history as a leader White movement during the Civil War in Russia. Supreme Ruler of Russia and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army.

Life of Admiral Kolchak full of glorious and dramatic moments, just like Russia itself at the beginning of the 20th century. We will look at all this in this one.

Biography of Kolchak

Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was born on November 4, 1874 in the village of Aleksandrovskoye (). He grew up in a noble noble family. Many of Kolchak’s ancestors performed good service and achieved success in the military field.

He began to harbor ideas about how he could contribute to the revival of the Russian fleet.

In 1906, Alexander Kolchak led a commission that investigated the causes of the defeat at Tsushima. In parallel with this, he repeatedly made reports on this topic in the State Duma, and also asked officials to allocate funds from the treasury for the creation of the Russian fleet.

During the biography of 1906-1908. the admiral led the construction of 4 battleships and 2 icebreakers.

At the same time, he continues to study scientific activity. In 1909 it was published scientific work, dedicated to the ice cover of the Siberian and Kara seas.

When Russian oceanographers studied his work, they praised it very highly. Thanks to the research conducted by Kolchak, scientists were able to reach a new level of studying the ice cover.

First World War

Henry of Prussia, who led the German fleet, developed an operation according to which St. Petersburg was to be defeated within a few days.

He planned to destroy strategically important objects and land soldiers in the occupied territories. Then, according to his calculations, the German infantrymen were supposed to capture.

In his thinking, he was like a man who was able to carry out many lightning-fast and successful attacks in his career. However, these plans were not destined to come true.

Admiral Kolchak understood perfectly well that the Russian fleet was inferior in strength and power to German ships. In this regard, he developed mine warfare tactics.

He managed to place about 6,000 mines in the Gulf of Finland, which became reliable protection for St. Petersburg.

Henry of Prussia never expected such a development of events. Instead of easily entering the territory of the Russian Empire, he began to lose his ships every day.

For skillful conduct of the war in 1915, Alexander Kolchak was appointed commander of the Mine Division.

At the end of the same year, Kolchak decided to transfer Russian troops to the shore of the Gulf of Riga to help the army of the Northern Front. He managed to incredibly quickly and accurately plan an operation that confused all the cards for the German leadership.

Less than a year later, Kolchak was promoted to vice admiral and appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet.

Admiral Kolchak

During the February Revolution of 1917, Kolchak remained loyal to the emperor, refusing to defect to the Bolsheviks.

There is a known case when, having heard an offer from revolutionary sailors to give up his golden saber, the admiral threw it overboard. He told the mutinous sailors his famous phrase: “I didn’t receive it from you, and I won’t give it to you.”.

Arriving in St. Petersburg, Kolchak accused the Provisional Government of the collapse of the army and navy. As a result, he was sent into political exile in America.

By that time, the famous October Revolution had occurred, after which power was in the hands of the Bolsheviks, led by.

In December 1917, Admiral Kolchak wrote a letter to the British government with a request to accept him into service. As a result, she willingly agreed to accept his offer, since Kolchak’s name was known throughout Europe.

Despite the fact that by this time the Russian Empire was led by the Bolsheviks, many volunteer armies remained on its territory, refusing to betray the emperor.

Having united in September 1918, they formed the Directory, which claimed to be the “Provisional All-Russian Government”. Kolchak was offered to lead it, to which he agreed.

However, he warned that if working conditions conflict with his views, he will leave this post. As a result, Admiral Kolchak became Supreme Ruler.

Kolchak government

First of all, Alexander Kolchak banned all extremist parties. After this, an economic reform was developed, according to which industrial plants were to be created in Siberia.

In 1919, Kolchak’s army occupied the entire territory of the Urals, but soon began to succumb to the onslaught of the Reds. Military failures were preceded by many different miscalculations:

• Admiral Kolchak's incompetence regarding public administration;
• Negligent attitude towards resolving the agrarian issue;
• Partisan and Socialist Revolutionary resistance;
• Political disagreements with allies.

A few months later, Alexander Kolchak was forced to leave Omsk and transfer his powers to Anton Denikin. Soon he was betrayed by the allied Czech Corps and handed over to the Bolsheviks.

Personal life

The wife of Admiral Kolchak was Sofya Omirova. When their romance began, he had to go on another expedition.

The girl faithfully waited for her groom for several years, after which they got married in March 1904.

In this marriage they had two girls and one boy. Both daughters died at an early age, and son Rostislav lived until 1965. During World War II (1939-1945) he participated in battles against the Germans on the side of the French.

In 1919, Sophia, with the support of British allies, emigrated to Paris, where she lived until the end of her life. She died in 1956 and was buried in the cemetery of Russian Parisians.

IN recent years Admiral Kolchak lived with Anna Timireva, who turned out to be his last love. He met her in 1915 in Helsingfors, where she arrived with her husband.

Having divorced her husband after 3 years, the girl followed Kolchak. As a result, she was arrested and spent the next thirty years in exile and prison. She was later rehabilitated.

Anna Timireva passed away in 1975 in Moscow. Five years before her death, in 1970, she wrote lines dedicated to the main love of her life, Alexander Kolchak:

I can’t accept it for half a century -
Nothing can help:
And you keep leaving again
On that fateful night.

And I am condemned to go,
Until the deadline passes,
And the paths are confused
Well-trodden roads...

But if I'm still alive
Against fate
It's just like your love
And the memory of you.

Death of Admiral Kolchak

After his arrest, Kolchak was subjected to constant interrogation. For this purpose, a special investigative commission was created. Some biographers believe that Lenin sought to get rid of the famous admiral as quickly as possible, because he feared that large forces of the white movement might be sent to his aid.

As a result, 45-year-old Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak was sentenced to death, which was carried out on February 7, 1920 in Irkutsk.

Naturally, during the Soviet period of Russian history, Kolchak’s personality was presented in a negative light, since he fought on the side of the whites.

However, after that the assessment and significance of Alexander Kolchak’s personality were revised. Monuments and memorial plaques began to be erected in his honor, as well as biographical films were made in which he is presented as a real hero and patriot of Russia.

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Good afternoon, Gossip Girls! Several years ago, or rather after watching the film “Admiral,” I became very interested in Kolchak’s personality. Of course, everything in the film is too “correct and beautiful”, that’s why it’s a film. In fact, there is a lot of different and contradictory information about this person, as is the case with many famous historical characters. Personally, I decided for myself that for me he is the personification of a real man, an officer and a patriot of Russia. Today marks the 138th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak. Alexander Vasilievich Kolchak- Russian politician, vice-admiral of the Russian Imperial Navy (1916) and admiral of the Siberian Flotilla (1918). Polar explorer and oceanographer, participant in expeditions of 1900-1903 (awarded by the Imperial Russian Geographical Society with the Great Constantine Medal, 1906). Participant in the Russian-Japanese, World War I and Civil Wars. The leader of the White movement both on a nationwide scale and directly in the East of Russia. Supreme Ruler of Russia (1918-1920), Alexander Vasilyevich was born (4) November 16, 1874 in St. Petersburg. His father, an officer of the Naval Artillery, instilled in his son early age love and interest in naval affairs and scientific pursuits. In 1888, Alexander entered the Naval Cadet Corps, which he graduated in the fall of 1894 with the rank of midshipman. Went on voyages to the Far East, Baltic, Mediterranean Sea, participated in the scientific North Polar Expedition. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, he commanded a destroyer, then a coastal battery in Port Arthur. Until 1914 he served in the Naval General Staff. During the First World War he was the head of the operational department of the Baltic Fleet, then the commander of a mine division. Since July 1916 - Commander of the Black Sea Fleet. After the February Revolution of 1917 in Petrograd, Kolchak blamed the provisional government for the collapse of the army and navy. In August, he headed the Russian naval mission to the UK and the USA, where he stayed until mid-October. In mid-October 1918, he arrived in Omsk, where he was soon appointed military and naval minister of the Government of the Directory (a bloc of right-wing Social Revolutionaries and left-wing Cadets). On November 18, as a result of a military coup, power passed into the hands of the Council of Ministers, and Kolchak was elected Supreme Ruler of Russia and promoted to full admiral. Russia's gold reserves ended up in Kolchak's hands; he received military-technical assistance from the United States and the Entente countries. By the spring of 1919, he managed to create an army with a total strength of up to 400 thousand people. The highest successes of Kolchak's armies occurred in March-April 1919, when they occupied the Urals. However, after this, defeats began. In November 1919, under the pressure of the Red Army, Kolchak left Omsk. In December, Kolchak’s train was blocked in Nizhneudinsk by the Czechoslovaks. On January 14, 1920, the Czechs hand over the admiral in exchange for free passage. On January 22, the Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry began interrogations that lasted until February 6, when the remnants of Kolchak’s army came close to Irkutsk. The Revolutionary Committee issued a resolution to shoot Kolchak without trial. On February 7, 1920, Kolchak together with Prime Minister V.N. Pepelyaev was shot. Their bodies were thrown into a hole in the Hangar. To date, the burial site has not been found. Kolchak’s symbolic grave (cenotaph) is located at his “resting place in the waters of the Angara” not far from the Irkutsk Znamensky Monastery, where the cross is installed. Some facts about my personal life. Kolchak was married to Sofya Fedorovna Kolchak, who bore him three children. Two of whom died in infancy and the only son left was Rostislav. Sofya Fedorovna Kolchak and her son were rescued by the British and sent to France. But of course the more famous woman in Kolchak’s life is Timireva Anna Vasilievna. Kolchak and Timireva met in the house of Lieutenant Podgursky in Helsingfors. Both were not free, each had a family, both had sons. Those around them knew about the sympathies of the admiral and Timireva, but no one dared to talk about it out loud. Anna's husband was silent, and Kolchak's wife did not say anything. Maybe they thought that everything would change soon, that time would help. After all, the lovers did not see each other for a long time - months, and once a whole year. Alexander Vasilyevich took her glove with him everywhere, and in his cabin there hung a photo of Anna Vasilyevna in Russian costume. "...I spend hours looking at your photograph, which stands in front of me. On it is your sweet smile, with which I associate ideas about the morning dawn, about happiness and the joy of life. Maybe that’s why, my guardian angel, things are going well are going well,” wrote Admiral Anna Vasilievna. She confessed her love to him first. "I told him I loved him." And he, who had been hopelessly in love for a long time and, as it seemed to him, answered: “I didn’t tell you that I love you.” - “No, I’m saying this: I always want to see you, I always think about you, it’s such a joy for me to see you.” “I love you more than anything”... In 1918, Timireva announced to her husband her intention to “always be close to Alexander Vasilyevich” and was soon officially divorced. By this time, Kolchak’s wife Sophia had already been living in exile for several years. After this, Anna Vasilievna considered herself Kolchak’s common-law wife. They stayed together for less than two years - until January 1920. When the admiral was arrested, she followed him to prison. Anna Timireva, a twenty-six-year-old young woman who, having self-arrested, demanded that the prison governors give Alexander Kolchak the necessary things and medicine, since he was sick. They did not stop writing letters... Almost until the very end, Kolchak and Timireva addressed each other as “You” and by their first and patronymic names: “Anna Vasilievna”, “Alexander Vasilyevich”. In Anna’s letters, she only breaks out once: “Sasha.” A few hours before the execution, Kolchak wrote her a note, which never reached the addressee: “My dear dove, I received your note, thank you for your affection and concern for me... Don’t worry about me. I feel better, my colds are passing. I think that transfer to another cell is impossible. I think only about you and your fate... I don’t worry about myself - everything is known in advance, and it’s very difficult for me to write... Write to me. notes are the only joy I can have. I pray for you and bow to your sacrifice. My dear, my beloved, do not worry about me and take care of yourself... Goodbye, I kiss your hands." After the death of Kolchak, Anna Vasilievna lived for another 55 years. She spent the first forty years of this period in prisons and camps, from which she was occasionally released on short time. Until the last years of her life, Anna Vasilyevna wrote poems, among which there is this: I can’t accept half a century, Nothing can help, And you still leave again On that fateful night. And I am condemned to go, Until the time passes, And the paths of well-trodden roads are confused. But if I’m still alive, Despite fate, It’s only as your love And the memory of you.
An interesting fact is that Anna Vasilievna worked as an etiquette consultant on the set of Sergei Bondarchuk’s film “War and Peace,” which was released in 1966.

Admiral Kolchak is an outstanding Russian statesman, military leader, one of the most famous representatives of the White movement, who participated in the Civil War. During this period he was one of its leaders. The assessment of his personality is still one of the most controversial and controversial issues in the Russian history of the 20th century.

Childhood and youth

Admiral Kolchak was born on November 16, 1874. He was born in the suburbs of St. Petersburg, in the village of Aleksandrovskoye. He was a hereditary nobleman. The Kolchak family gained fame over many years in the royal service, especially distinguishing itself in the military field. For example, Alexander Vasilyevich’s father was a hero of the defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean campaign.

Until the age of 11, Alexander received his education exclusively at home. In 1885 he entered the sixth gymnasium of the Russian capital, where he graduated from three classes. After this, the boy was transferred to the Naval Cadet Corps. At the family council, it was decided that he would follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and become a military man, a defender of the homeland. He demonstrated diligence in his studies, excelling in almost all subjects.

How best student in his class, the future Admiral Kolchak was enrolled in the class of midshipmen, and over time was appointed sergeant major. He graduated from the Cadet Corps in 1894, receiving the rank of midshipman.

Early career

His first place of service was the Baltic and Pacific Fleet. At that time he was known as an Arctic explorer and made three circumnavigation of the world. He explored the features of the Pacific Ocean, most of all he was interested in the northern territories.

In 1900, the young lieutenant, who showed great promise, was transferred to the Academy of Sciences. His first scientific works date back to this time, in particular, an article on observations of sea currents. It should be noted that the ultimate goal of the officer was always not theoretical, but practical research. He dreams of organizing a polar expedition.

Arctic explorer Baron Eduard Toll soon became interested in his publications and ideas. He invites the hero of our article to go in search of the legendary Sannikov Land. This is a ghost island, which according to legend is located in the Arctic Ocean. It was allegedly observed by several researchers in the 19th century. Including the Russian merchant from Yakutsk Yakov Sannikov, who studied the New Siberian Islands. According to modern scientists, there is no Sannikov Land. Apparently, like many Arctic islands, it consisted not of rocks, but of permafrost, fossil ice, on top of which a layer of soil was applied. When the ice melted, Sannikov Land disappeared, like some other islands in those places.

Kolchak went in search of Toll's missing expedition. First he sailed on the schooner "Zarya", then on dog sleds he made a risky crossing, discovering the remains of dead researchers. Kolchak himself became seriously ill during this campaign; he caught a cold and barely survived. Toll died.

Participation in the Russo-Japanese War

In the spring of 1904, the Russian-Japanese War broke out in the Far East. Kolchak, despite the fact that he was never able to fully recover from his illness after returning from the polar expedition, achieved an appointment to Port Arthur, which at that time was already besieged by Japanese troops. On the destroyer "Angry" he took part in the placement of barrage mines in the immediate vicinity of the route along which Japanese ships were supposed to pass. Thanks to this successfully carried out operation, he managed to blow up several enemy ships.

Throughout the siege of Port Arthur he remained in the vicinity of the city. He commanded coastal artillery units, which inflicted significant damage on the enemy. During one of the battles he was wounded, after the fortress was captured, he was captured. The Japanese command highly appreciated his fighting spirit and courage. Therefore, Kolchak was released from captivity, and his weapons were even returned to him.

For his heroism in the Russo-Japanese War, the hero of our article was awarded the Orders of St. Stanislav and St. Anne, as well as the Arms of St. George.

Having regained his strength in the hospital, Kolchak received a six-month leave. But he was unable to fully rest. He was very worried about the fact that Russia had actually lost its entire fleet in the Far East due to the war with Japan. He began to carry out active work aimed at its revival.

Already in the summer of 1906, he headed a commission at the Naval General Staff, which began to clarify and analyze the reasons for which the defeat at Tsushima took place. This was one of the most sensitive and painful pages in the history of the Russian fleet. Kolchak spoke in the State Duma as a military expert. At the hearings, he convinced deputies of the need to allocate the necessary additional funding for the support and development of domestic warships.

The hero of our article developed a project that was dedicated to the revival of the domestic fleet. In fact, it became the theoretical basis for the entire Russian military shipbuilding of that time. As part of its implementation, from 1906 to 1908, Kolchak personally supervised the construction of two icebreakers and four battleships.

The government and the emperor highly appreciated his contribution to Arctic exploration. As a result, Lieutenant Kolchak was even elected to the permanent membership of the Russian Geographical Society. At that time he even received the nickname Kolchak the Polar.

At the same time, he continues to work on systematizing the materials of his past expeditions. In 1909, he published a scientific work devoted to the ice cover of the Siberian and Kara seas. This work was considered successful; science was able to make a significant step forward in the study of ice covers.

First World War

From the very beginning of the war, the Russian capital was under threat; at that time it was St. Petersburg. The fact is that the command of the German army and navy was preparing to carry out a blitzkrieg. To do this, Henry of Prussia was planning, already in the first days after the start of the military campaign, to travel along the Gulf of Finland, reach St. Petersburg and bombard the city with powerful guns, forcing it to surrender.

According to the German plan, key objects in the city were to be destroyed within a few hours of artillery bombardment. Then it was planned to land troops and capture the Russian capital. The implementation of this operation was prevented solely by the experience and brave actions of Russian naval officers.

Realizing that the German fleet significantly outnumbered the Russian fleet, it was initially decided to use mine warfare tactics. Kolchak’s division already in the first days of the war placed about six thousand mines in the waters of the Gulf of Finland. They became a reliable shield for the defense of the capital, thwarting the plans of the German fleet to capture Russia.

Having achieved the first successes, Kolchak insisted on the need to move on to aggressive actions. Soon, an operation was undertaken to mine the Danzig Bay, located directly off the enemy’s coast. This action turned out to be very successful, because as a result it was possible to blow up 35 enemy ships at once.

Kolchak's successes did not go unnoticed. In the fall of 1915, he was appointed commander of the Mine Division. In October, he had already undertaken a bold and risky maneuver when he landed troops on the shores of the Gulf of Riga to help the armies Northern Fleet. The operation was so successful that the Germans did not even realize the presence of the Russians and the true reasons for their failures.

In the summer of 1916, Kolchak was appointed commander-in-chief of the Black Sea Fleet.

Revolution in Russia

When the revolution occurred in February 1917, Kolchak remained loyal to the Russian emperor until the very end. He categorically refused to hand over his weapons to the sailors, throwing his award saber overboard.

He urgently arrives in Petrograd, where he blames the Provisional Government for the collapse of the entire country and its own army. At this moment, he turned out to be disliked by everyone. Even when the abdication of the emperor from the throne was actively discussed at the top, he remained faithful to Nicholas II. As a result, it was decided to remove it. In fact, Kolchak was sent into political exile. At the head of the allied military mission, he went to America.

While the fate of Russia was being decided, he was unable to spend much time away from his homeland. Already in December 1917, Kolchak turned to the Provisional Government with a request to enroll him in military service. This happened after he learned about the Bolsheviks’ plans to make peace with Germany. By this moment, influential politicians have already appeared, for whom the hero of our article becomes an influential leader with authority in order to be able to lead the fight against Bolshevism.

From April to September 1918, he tries to form a united armed force on the Chinese Eastern Railway in order to throw them into the fight against the Germans and Bolsheviks, but is faced with active resistance from the Japanese side. As a result, he decides to leave the Far East and join the Volunteer Army, which at that time was being formed in the south of Russia. In addition, several disparate governments that did not recognize each other operated in the East and Siberia.

By September 1918, they managed to unite into the Directory, which at the same time acted extremely inconsistently, which caused distrust in business and military circles. It was Kolchak who was entrusted with the mission of becoming a certain " strong hand", which will be able to carry out a "white coup". In November in Omsk, the hero of our article was appointed minister of naval and military in the government of the Directory. However, already on November 18, the Directory was abolished as a result of a military coup. The left cadets and the right Socialist Revolutionaries who were part of it leadership was removed. Power passed to the Council of Ministers. At the next meeting, Kolchak was promoted to full admiral, and he was also asked to accept the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia.

The key goal of the policy of Admiral Kolchak, whose photo is presented below, was full recovery foundations that existed in the Russian Empire.

With his first decrees, he banned all extremist parties. The government of Siberia, headed by Admiral Kolchak, stated that it was striving to achieve reconciliation between all groups and segments of the population without the participation of both right-wing and left-wing radicals. To overcome the political crisis, economic reform was developed. In particular, it envisaged the creation of a powerful and extensive industrial base in Siberia.

The Supreme Ruler of Russia, Admiral Kolchak, declared increasing the combat effectiveness of the army as his most important task, and put victory over the Bolsheviks in second place. The activities of his government were aimed at ensuring that the temporary power of the Supreme Ruler would allow the fate of the state to be transferred to the hands of the people. At least that's what was declared.

The coming to power of Admiral Kolchak, which took place in Omsk on November 18, 1918, was associated with the arrest of all representatives of the Social Democratic wing of the Directory. One of his first orders, he canceled the decree that Jews were subject to eviction from the front-line zone as potential spies.

Having turned out to be the Supreme Ruler, Admiral Kolchak, whose biography is described in this article, helped ensure that the Whites recovered from the defeats inflicted on them in the Volga region by the Red Army in the fall. At the same time, his political platform narrowed noticeably, finally turning from anti-Bolshevik to the White movement.

Civil war

A photo of Admiral Kolchak at that time appeared in many domestic and foreign publications. He hoped to unite disparate political forces to create a fundamentally new state power. At first, military successes contributed to this.

In December 1918, Admiral Kolchak, whose biography you can learn from this article, managed to occupy Perm, which was of great strategic importance throughout the Civil War, since large reserves of military equipment were concentrated in the city.

At the same time, in Omsk itself, where Kolchak’s headquarters was located, on the night of December 23, a Bolshevik uprising occurred. The admiral himself was seriously ill at that moment, but the uprising was brutally suppressed.

Having suppressed the coups, Kolchak built a strong vertical of power. Even the Bolsheviks themselves reported to Lenin that in Siberia the counter-revolution had formed into an organized state with a powerful army and an extensive state apparatus.

Most of Russia's gold reserves ended up in Kolchak's hands. It was captured from the Bolsheviks in Kazan by the people's army of Komuch, commanded by General Kappel. From there she was sent to Samara, and then to Ufa and Omsk. At the same time, the admiral forbade spending gold to stabilize financial system and fighting inflation. Part of the money was spent on the purchase of uniforms and weapons, loans were obtained secured by foreign banks.

Perm operation

The fate of Admiral Kolchak today is of great interest to historians and anyone interested in the Civil War in Russia. The Supreme Ruler's plan was to abandon the attack on Moscow, sending troops to Vologda to link up with the white units based in the north and receive help from the allies through the ports of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk.

At first, the army of the white admiral Kolchak advanced successfully. Soviet troops constantly had to retreat. Near Perm, about 30,000 Red Army soldiers were captured. In certain directions, entire regiments of the Red Army gave up resistance. The capture of Perm was highly appreciated by foreign allies. Personal congratulations to Admiral Kolchak, whose life is described in this article, were sent by the French Prime Minister Clemenceau.

General offensive

According to Kolchak’s plan, it was supposed to launch an offensive in the Samara-Saratov and Perm-Vyatka directions. Then continue moving, and as a result reach Moscow from three sides at once - from the south, north and east. According to history, Admiral Kolchak planned a general offensive for April 1919.

At first everything went well. The Siberian army united with the troops of the Arkhangelsk government. Ufa, Sterlitamak, Naberezhnye Chelny, and Bugulma were taken. By the end of April, the troops of the White movement approached Samara, Kazan and Simbirsk. Having occupied these territories, Kolchak would have received carte blanche to attack Moscow.

The advance of the White Army was even called the “Flight to the Volga,” which caused enthusiasm in public and bourgeois circles.

In mid-1919, the Bolsheviks sent their main forces to the Eastern Front, realizing that the biggest threat was coming from there. The white armies initially resisted desperately, but were then forced to retreat. On June 9, Ufa passed into the hands of the Bolsheviks, and the strategic initiative was lost by Kolchak’s army. The emerging personnel shortage led to the final defeat of the White Army.

After the Bolsheviks occupied Omsk, Kolchak was forced to begin the Great Siberian Ice Campaign. This was the name given to the retreat to the east in the winter of 1920. Kolchak tried to get to Irkutsk, but was blocked in Nizhneudinsk. The admiral's echelons were stopped by the Czechoslovaks. In fact, the Supreme Ruler was under arrest, although this was not officially announced. A plan emerged to leave for Mongolia, and a personal convoy of more than 500 fighters remained with him. The admiral informed his supporters that he refused to go to Irkutsk, inviting everyone who believed in him to stay with him. The next morning, out of 500 people, 10 remained. Realizing that he was betrayed, he turned gray overnight.

As a result, the admiral's echelon was sent to Irkutsk with the support of allies whom he did not trust. Immediately following the admiral's carriage was the "golden echelon", which was guarded by the Czechoslovak corps. Arriving in Irkutsk, the Czechoslovaks announced to Kolchak that he had been arrested and would be handed over to local authorities.

On January 21, 1920, interrogations of Kolchak began by a specially created Extraordinary Commission of Investigation. The admiral turned out to be very frank, realizing that in fact they were becoming a kind of memoir, his last word, which he could address to his descendants. Now you can familiarize yourself with them. Historian Nikolai Starikov published the book "Admiral Kolchak. Interrogation Protocols."

On the night of February 7, Kolchak, together with the Chairman of the Council, Minister of the Russian Government Viktor Pepelyaev, were shot without trial by order of the Military Revolutionary Committee. According to the widespread version, the bodies of the dead were thrown into an ice hole. The fate of the hero of our article is described in detail in the book by Vladimir Maximov “The Star of Admiral Kolchak”.

Historians believe that the order for the secret murder of Kolchak without trial was personally given by Lenin in a telegram to Ephraim Sklyansky.

Personal life

The biography and personal life of Admiral Kolchak is of interest not only to his contemporaries, but also to current historians. His wife was the hereditary noblewoman Sofya Omirova. It is known that Admiral Kolchak’s wife waited for him for several years from his protracted polar expedition. Therefore, their official wedding took place only in the spring of 1904 in a church in Irkutsk.

In the biography of Admiral Kolchak, personal life played a big role. He had three children. True, the first daughter, born in 1905, died in infancy. In 1910, a son, Rostislav, was born. In 1912, another daughter, Margarita, died, but she also died when she was two years old. So the admiral raised only one child.

In 1919, Sophia emigrated with her son to Constanta and then to Paris. British allies helped her in this. She died in 1956 and was buried in a Paris cemetery.

Rostislav Kolchak was an employee at the Algerian Bank and participated in World War II on the side of the French army. Died in 1965. He left behind a son, Alexander, born in 1933. Now he lives in Paris.

In the last years of his life, significant changes took place in the personal life of Admiral Kolchak. His last love was Anna Timireva, whom he met in 1915 in Helsingfors, where she was vacationing with her husband, a naval officer. In 1918, she divorced her husband and followed the admiral to the east of the country. After his execution, she was arrested and spent about 30 years in prison and exile. It was finally rehabilitated only in 1960. After that, she settled in Moscow, worked as a consultant at Mosfilm, and starred in a cameo role in Sergei Bondarchuk’s film War and Peace.

She died in 1975 at the age of 81 and was buried at the Vagankovskoye cemetery.

Memory of the Admiral

Biography of Admiral Kolchak, personal life often became the reason for creating works of art. In 2008, Andrei Kravchuk’s military-historical film “Admiral” was released. It tells in detail the biography of a white officer and his love story.

The monument to Admiral Kolchak was erected in Irkutsk in 2004. Also at the site of his supposed death there is a cross on the Angara River. The admiral's name is carved in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery on the monument to the heroes of the White movement.

Kolchak Alexander Vasilyevich (November 4 (16), 1874, St. Petersburg province - February 7, 1920, Irkutsk) - Russian politician, vice admiral of the Russian Imperial Fleet (1916) and admiral of the Siberian Flotilla (1918). Polar explorer and oceanographer, participant in expeditions of 1900-1903 (awarded by the Imperial Russian Geographical Society with the Great Constantine Medal). Participant in the Russian-Japanese, World War I and Civil Wars. Leader and leader of the White movement in the East of Russia. The Supreme Ruler of Russia (1918-1920), was recognized in this position by the leadership of all white regions, “de jure” - by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, “de facto” - by the Entente states.

Alexander Vasilyevich was born into the family of a representative of this family, Vasily Ivanovich Kolchak (1837-1913), a staff captain of the naval artillery, later a major general in the Admiralty. V. I. Kolchak received his first officer rank after being seriously wounded during the defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War of 1853-1856: he was one of the seven surviving defenders of the Stone Tower on Malakhov Kurgan, whom the French found among the corpses after the assault. After the war, he graduated from the Mining Institute in St. Petersburg and, until his retirement, served as a receptionist for the Maritime Ministry at the Obukhov plant, having a reputation as a straightforward and extremely scrupulous person.

Mother Olga Ilyinichna Kolchak, née Kamenskaya, was the daughter of Major General, Director of the Forestry Institute F.A. Kamensky, the sister of the sculptor F.F. Kamensky. Among the distant ancestors were Baron Minich (brother of the field marshal, an Elizabethan nobleman) and Chief General M.V. Berg (who defeated Frederick the Great in the Seven Years' War).

The future admiral received his primary education at home, and then studied at the 6th St. Petersburg Classical Gymnasium.

In 1894, Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps, and on August 6, 1894 he was assigned to the 1st rank cruiser "Rurik" as an assistant watch commander and on November 15, 1894 he was promoted to the rank of midshipman. On this cruiser he departed for the Far East. At the end of 1896, Kolchak was assigned to the 2nd rank cruiser “Cruiser” as a watch commander. On this ship he went on campaigns in the Pacific Ocean for several years, and in 1899 he returned to Kronstadt. On December 6, 1898, he was promoted to lieutenant. During the campaigns, Kolchak not only fulfilled his official duties, but also actively engaged in self-education. He also became interested in oceanography and hydrology. In 1899 he published the article "Observations on Surface Temperatures and specific gravity sea ​​water produced on the cruisers “Rurik” and “Cruiser” from May 1897 to March 1898.”

Upon arrival in Kronstadt, Kolchak went to see Vice Admiral S. O. Makarov, who was preparing to sail on the icebreaker Ermak in the Arctic Ocean. Alexander Vasilyevich asked to be accepted into the expedition, but was refused “due to official circumstances.” After this, for some time being part of the personnel of the ship "Prince Pozharsky", Kolchak in September 1899 transferred to the squadron battleship "Petropavlovsk" and went to the Far East on it. However, while staying in the Greek port of Piraeus, he received an invitation from the Academy of Sciences from Baron E.V. Toll to take part in the mentioned expedition

In the spring of 1902, Toll decided to head on foot north of the New Siberian Islands together with magnetologist F. G. Seberg and two mushers. The remaining members of the expedition, due to a lack of food supplies, had to go from Bennett Island to the south, to the mainland, and then return to St. Petersburg. Kolchak and his companions went to the mouth of the Lena and arrived in the capital through Yakutsk and Irkutsk.

Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, Alexander Vasilyevich reported to the Academy about the work done, and also reported on the enterprise of Baron Toll, from whom no news had been received either by that time or later. In January 1903, it was decided to organize an expedition, the purpose of which was to clarify the fate of Toll’s expedition. The expedition took place from May 5 to December 7, 1903. It consisted of 17 people on 12 sledges pulled by 160 dogs. The journey to Bennett Island took three months and was extremely difficult. On August 4, 1903, having reached Bennett Island, the expedition discovered traces of Toll and his companions: expedition documents, collections, geodetic instruments and a diary were found. It turned out that Toll arrived on the island in the summer of 1902, and headed south, having a supply of provisions for only 2-3 weeks. It became clear that Toll's expedition was lost.

In December 1903, 29-year-old Lieutenant Kolchak, exhausted from the polar expedition, set off on his way back to St. Petersburg, where he planned to marry his bride Sofia Omirova. Not far from Irkutsk he was caught by the news of the beginning Russo-Japanese War. He summoned his father and bride by telegram to Siberia and immediately after the wedding he left for Port Arthur.

The commander of the Pacific Squadron, Admiral S. O. Makarov, invited him to serve on the battleship Petropavlovsk, which was the flagship of the squadron from January to April 1904. Kolchak refused and asked to be assigned to the fast cruiser Askold, which soon saved his life. A few days later, the Petropavlovsk hit a mine and quickly sank, taking to the bottom more than 600 sailors and officers, including Makarov himself and the famous battle painter V.V. Vereshchagin. Soon after this, Kolchak achieved a transfer to the destroyer "Angry". Commanded a destroyer. By the end of the siege of Port Arthur, he had to command a coastal artillery battery, since severe rheumatism - a consequence of two polar expeditions - forced him to abandon the warship. This was followed by injury, the surrender of Port Arthur and Japanese captivity, in which Kolchak spent 4 months. Upon his return, he was awarded the Arms of St. George - the Golden Saber with the inscription “For Bravery.”

Freed from captivity, Kolchak received the rank of captain of the second rank. The main task of the group of naval officers and admirals, which included Kolchak, was to develop plans further development Russian Navy.

In 1906, the Naval General Staff was created (including on Kolchak’s initiative), which took over the direct combat training of the fleet. Alexander Vasilyevich was the head of his department, was involved in developments for the reorganization of the navy, spoke in State Duma as an expert on naval matters. Then a shipbuilding program was drawn up. To obtain additional funding, officers and admirals actively lobbied their program in the Duma. The construction of new ships progressed slowly - 6 (out of 8) battleships, about 10 cruisers and several dozen destroyers and submarines entered service only in 1915-1916, at the height of the First World War, and some of the ships laid down at that time were already being completed in the 1930s.

Considering the significant numerical superiority of the potential enemy, the Naval General Staff developed new plan protection of St. Petersburg and the Gulf of Finland - in the event of a threat of attack, all ships of the Baltic Fleet, at an agreed signal, had to go to sea and place 8 lines of minefields at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland, covered by coastal batteries.

Captain Kolchak took part in the design of special icebreaking ships “Taimyr” and “Vaigach”, launched in 1909. In the spring of 1910, these ships arrived in Vladivostok, then went on a cartographic expedition to the Bering Strait and Cape Dezhnev, returning back to the autumn Vladivostok. Kolchak commanded the icebreaker Vaygach on this expedition. In 1908 he went to work at the Maritime Academy. In 1909, Kolchak published his largest study - a monograph summarizing his glaciological research in the Arctic - “Ice of the Kara and Siberian Seas” (Notes of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. Ser. 8. Physics and Mathematics Department. St. Petersburg, 1909. T.26, No. 1.).

Participated in the development of an expedition project to study the Northern sea ​​route. In 1909-1910 The expedition, in which Kolchak commanded the ship, made the transition from the Baltic Sea to Vladivostok, and then sailed towards Cape Dezhnev.

Since 1910, he was involved in the development of the Russian shipbuilding program at the Naval General Staff.

In 1912, Kolchak transferred to serve in the Baltic Fleet as a flag captain in the operational department of the fleet commander's headquarters. In December 1913 he was promoted to captain of the 1st rank.

To protect the capital from a possible attack by the German fleet, the Mine Division, on the personal order of Admiral Essen, set up minefields in the waters of the Gulf of Finland on the night of July 18, 1914, without waiting for permission from the Minister of the Navy and Nicholas II.

In the fall of 1914, with the personal participation of Kolchak, an operation to blockade German naval bases with mines was developed. In 1914-1915 destroyers and cruisers, including those under the command of Kolchak, laid mines at Kiel, Danzig (Gdansk), Pillau (modern Baltiysk), Vindava and even at the island of Bornholm. As a result, 4 German cruisers were blown up in these minefields (2 of them sank - Friedrich Karl and Bremen), 8 destroyers and 11 transports.

In addition to successfully laying mines, he organized attacks on caravans of German merchant ships. From September 1915 he commanded a mine division, then naval forces in the Gulf of Riga.

In April 1916 he was promoted to rear admiral.

In July 1916, by order of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, Alexander Vasilyevich was promoted to vice admiral and appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet.

After the February Revolution of 1917, in the spring of 1917, Headquarters began preparing an amphibious operation to capture Constantinople, but due to the disintegration of the army and navy, this idea had to be abandoned (largely due to active Bolshevik agitation). He received gratitude from the Minister of War Guchkov for his quick and reasonable actions, with which he contributed to maintaining order in the Black Sea Fleet.

In June 1917, the Sevastopol Council decided to disarm officers suspected of counter-revolution, including taking away Kolchak’s St. George’s weapon - the golden saber awarded to him for Port Arthur. The admiral chose to throw the blade overboard with the words: “The newspapers don’t want us to have weapons, so let him go to sea.” On the same day, Alexander Vasilyevich handed over the affairs to Rear Admiral V.K. Lukin. Three weeks later, divers lifted the saber from the bottom and handed it to Kolchak, engraving on the blade the inscription: “To the Knight of Honor Admiral Kolchak from the Union of Army and Navy Officers.” At this time, Kolchak, along with the General Staff infantry general L. G. Kornilov, was considered as a potential candidate for military dictator.

It was for this reason that in August A.F. Kerensky summoned the admiral to Petrograd, where he forced him to resign, after which he, at the invitation of the command of the American fleet, went to the United States and at the request of the Provisional Government to advise American specialists on the experience of Russian sailors using mine weapons in the Baltic and Black Seas during the First World War.

In San Francisco, Kolchak was offered to stay in the United States, promising him a chair in mine engineering at the best naval college and a rich life in a cottage on the ocean. Kolchak refused and went back to Russia.

Arriving in Japan, Kolchak learned about October Revolution, the liquidation of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the negotiations begun by the Bolsheviks with the Germans

On October 13, 1918, he arrived in Omsk, where at that time a political crisis erupted. On November 4, 1918, Kolchak, as a popular figure among officers, was invited to the post of Minister of War and Navy in the Council of Ministers of the so-called “Directory” - the united anti-Bolshevik government located in Omsk, where the majority were Socialist Revolutionaries. On the night of November 18, 1918, a coup took place in Omsk - Cossack officers arrested four Socialist Revolutionary leaders of the Directory, led by its chairman N. D. Avksentiev. In the current situation, the Council of Ministers - the executive body of the Directory - announced the assumption of full supreme power and then decided to hand it over to one person, giving him the title of Supreme Ruler of the Russian State. Kolchak was elected to this post by secret ballot of members of the Council of Ministers. The admiral announced his consent to the election and with his first order to the army announced that he would assume the title of Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

In January 1919 His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon blessed the Supreme Ruler of Russia Admiral A.V. Kolchak to fight against the God-fighting Bolsheviks. Earlier, Patriarch Tikhon refused to bless the command of the “democratic” Volunteer Army of the South of Russia, organized by generals Alekseev and Kornilov, the perpetrators of the abdication and subsequent arrest of Sovereign Nicholas II. Admiral Kolchak was not involved in these tragic events. That is why at the beginning of January 1919 (crossing the front line) a priest sent by Patriarch Tikhon came to see Admiral Kolchak. The priest brought the admiral a personal letter from the Patriarch with a blessing and a photograph of the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from the St. Nicholas Gate of the Moscow Kremlin, which was sewn into the lining of a peasant scroll.

MESSAGE OF PATRIARCH TIKHON TO ADMIRAL KOLCHAK

“As is well known to all Russians and, of course, Your Excellency, before this Icon, revered throughout Russia, every year on December 6, on the day of winter St. Nicholas, a prayer was offered, which ended with the nationwide singing of “Lord, save Thy people” by all those praying on their knees. And so on December 6, 1918, the people of Moscow, faithful to Faith and tradition, at the end of the prayer service, knelt down and sang: “God save us!” The arriving troops dispersed the worshipers, firing at the Icon with rifles and cannons. The saint on this icon of the Kremlin wall was depicted with a cross in his left hand and a sword in his right. The bullets of the fanatics fell all around the Saint, not touching the Pleasant of God anywhere. The shells, or rather, fragments from explosions, knocked off the plaster on the left side of the Wonderworker, which destroyed almost the entire left side of the Saint with the hand in which the cross was on the Icon.

On the same day, by order of the authorities of the Antichrist, this Holy Icon was hung with a large red flag with a satanic emblem. An inscription was made on the Kremlin wall: “Death to faith is the opium of the people.” The next day, December 7, 1918, a lot of people gathered for a prayer service, which, undisturbed by anyone, came to an end! But when the people, kneeling down, began to sing “God Save!” - the flag fell from the Image of the Wonderworker. The atmosphere of prayerful ecstasy is beyond description! It had to be seen, and whoever saw it remembers and feels it today. Singing, sobbing, screams and raised hands, rifle fire, many wounded, some were killed, and the place was cleared.

The next early morning, by my Blessing, the Image was photographed by a very good photographer. The Lord showed the Perfect Miracle through His Saint to the Russian people in Moscow. I am sending a photographic copy of this Miraculous Image, as Mine to you, Your Excellency, Alexander Vasilyevich - Blessing - for the fight against the atheistic temporary power over the suffering people of Rus'. I ask you to see, venerable Alexander Vasilyevich, that the Bolsheviks managed to recapture left hand A saint with a cross, which is, as it were, an indicator of the temporary trampling of the Orthodox Faith. But the punishing sword right hand The Wonderworker remained to help and Blessing Your Excellency, and your Christian struggle for salvation Orthodox Church and Russia."

Admiral Kolchak, having read the Patriarch’s letter, said: “I know that there is a sword of the state, a surgeon’s lancet. I feel that it is the strongest: a spiritual sword, which will be an invincible force in the crusade - against the monster of violence!

On the initiative of the Siberian bishops, a Temporary Higher Church Administration was created in Ufa, headed by Archbishop Sylvester of Omsk. In April 1919, the Omsk Council of the Clergy of Siberia unanimously approved Admiral Kolchak as the temporary head of the Orthodox Church in the Siberian territories liberated from the Bolsheviks - until the liberation of Moscow, when His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon will be able (not constrained by the atheists) to fully begin his duties. At the same time, the Omsk Council decided to mention Kolchak’s name during official church services.

Admiral Kolchak actually declared a crusade against the atheists. He gathered more than 3.5 thousand Orthodox clergy, including 1.5 thousand military clergy. On Kolchak’s initiative, separate combat units were even formed, consisting only of clergy and believers (including Old Believers), which was not the case with Kornilov, Denikin and Yudenich. These are the Orthodox squad of the “Holy Cross”, “333rd regiment named after Mary Magdalene”, “Holy Brigade”, three regiments of “Jesus Christ”, “Virgin Mary” and “Nicholas the Wonderworker”. On Kolchak’s personal instructions, investigator for especially important cases Sokolov organized an investigation into the villainous murder Royal family in Yekaterinburg.

In March 1919, Kolchak’s troops launched an attack on Samara and Kazan, in April they occupied the entire Urals and approached the Volga. However, due to Kolchak’s incompetence in organizing and managing the ground army (as well as his assistants), the militarily favorable situation soon gave way to a catastrophic one. The dispersion and stretching of forces, the lack of logistics support and the general lack of coordination of actions led to the fact that the Red Army was able to first stop Kolchak’s troops and then launch a counteroffensive.

In May, the retreat of Kolchak’s troops began, and by August they were forced to leave Ufa, Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk.

In June 1919, the Supreme Ruler of Russia rejected K. G. Mannerheim’s proposal to move a 100,000-strong army to Petrograd in exchange for recognizing the independence of Finland, declaring that he would never give up “the idea of ​​a great indivisible Russia” for any minimal benefits.

On January 4, 1920, in Nizhneudinsk, Admiral A.V. Kolchak signed his last Decree, in which he announced his intention to transfer the powers of the “Supreme All-Russian Power” to A.I. Denikin. Until the receipt of instructions from A.I. Denikin, “the entirety of military and civil power throughout the entire territory of the Russian Eastern Outskirts” was granted to Lieutenant General G.M. Semyonov.

On January 5, 1920, a coup took place in Irkutsk, the city was captured by the Socialist-Revolutionary-Menshevik Political Center. On January 15, A.V. Kolchak, who left Nizhneudinsk on a Czechoslovak train, in a carriage flying the flags of Great Britain, France, the USA, Japan and Czechoslovakia, arrived on the outskirts of Irkutsk. The Czechoslovak command, at the request of the Socialist Revolutionary Political Center, with the sanction of the French General Janin, handed over Kolchak to his representatives. On January 21, the Political Center transferred power in Irkutsk to the Bolshevik Revolutionary Committee. From January 21 to February 6, 1920, Kolchak was interrogated by the Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry.

On the night of February 6-7, 1920, Admiral A.V. Kolchak and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Government V.N. Pepelyaev were shot on the banks of the Ushakovka River without trial, by order of the Irkutsk Military Revolutionary Committee. The resolution of the Irkutsk Military Revolutionary Committee on the execution of the Supreme Ruler Admiral Kolchak and Chairman of the Council of Ministers Pepelyaev was signed by A. Shiryamov, the chairman of the committee and its members A. Snoskarev, M. Levenson and the committee manager Oborin. The text of the resolution on the execution of A.V. Kolchak and V.N. Pepelyaev was first published in an article by the former chairman of the Irkutsk Military Revolutionary Committee A. Shiryamov

At the end of the Civil War in the Far East and in subsequent years in exile, February 7 - the day the admiral was executed - was celebrated with memorial services in memory of the “killed warrior Alexander” and served as a day of remembrance for all fallen participants in the White movement in the east of the country, primarily those who died during the retreat of Kolchak’s army winter 1919-1920 (the so-called “Siberian Ice March”). Kolchak’s name is carved on the monument to the heroes of the White movement (“Gallipoli Obelisk”) at the Parisian cemetery of Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois.

In the post-Soviet “democratic” Russian Federation, Irkutsk and other patriotic organizations repeatedly tried to achieve the rehabilitation of A.V. Kolchak. In 1999, this issue was considered by the military court of the Trans-Baikal Military District in accordance with the Law of the Russian Federation “On the rehabilitation of victims of political repression.” By a court ruling, Kolchak was declared not subject to rehabilitation. This definition appealed to the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, which came to the conclusion that there were no grounds for canceling the court decision made in the case. The last time the prosecutor's office of the Omsk region refused rehabilitation was in January 2007.