Grigory Semyonov
Encyclopedia
Grigory Mikhaylovich Semyonov, or Semenov (September 13(25), 1890–August 30, 1946), was a Japanese-supported leader of the White movement in Transbaikal
and beyond from December 1917 to November 1920, Lieutenant General
and Ataman of Baikal Cossacks
(1919).
region of eastern Siberia
. His father, Mikahil Petrovich Semyonov was of partial Buryat descent. Semyonov was a fluent Mongolian and Buryat language speaker. He joined the Imperial Russian Army in 1908, and graduated from Orenburg
Military School in 1911. He took part in World War I
and became a yesaul
.
According to Pyotr Wrangel:
He was somewhat of an outsider among the his fellow officers because of his Ethnicity. While serving in the Caucasus
in World War I he met another officer shunned by his peers, Baron Ungern-Sternberg whose arrogance and violent, unstable temper repelled others. He and Sternberg tried to organize a regiment of Assyrian Christians to aid in the fight against the Turks. In July 1917, Semyonov left the Caucasus and was appointed Commissar
of the Provisional Government
in the Baikal region, responsible for recruiting counterrevolutionary volunteer military units.
, Semyonov stirred up an anti-Soviet rebellion, but sustained a defeat and fled to Manchuria
. In August 1918, he managed to consolidate his positions in the Transbaikal region with the help of the Czechoslovak Legions
, and imposed his ruthless regime. In his rule over this region, he has been described as a "plain bandit[who] drew his income from holding up trains and forcing payments, no matter what the nature of the load nor for whose benefit it was being shipped." The so-called Siberian Provisional Government
appointed Semyonov commander of a detached unit with the headquarters in Chita. Initially, Admiral
Aleksandr Kolchak
refused to recognize Semyonov's authority, but he had no choice but to accept Semyonov as de facto leader and confirm Semyonov as Commander-in-Chief
of the Chita military district
. In early 1919, Semyonov declared himself Ataman
of the Transbaikal Cossack Host with support from the Imperial Japanese Army
, elements of which had been deployed to Siberia
. The region under his control extended from Verkhne-Udinsk near Lake Baikal
to the Shilka River
and town of Stretensk, to Manchuli, where the Chinese Eastern Railway
met the Chita Railway, and northeast some distance along the Amur Railway
.
Semyonov handed out copies of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion to the Japanese troops he became associated with. In February 1919, it is said that he allowed a Jewish unit to form in his Cossack-dominated army. His most illustrious mistress and partner was a Jewish cabaret singer named Mashka Sharaban.
After the defeat of the White movement
, Admiral Kolchak transferred power to Semyonov in the Far East
. However Semyonov was unable to keep his forces in Siberia under control: they stole, burned, murdered, and raped civilians, and developed a reputation for being little better than thugs. In July 1920 the Japanese Expeditionary Corps started their withdrawal in accordance with the Gongota Agreement
signed with the Far Eastern Republic
, leaving Semyonov without support. Transbaikal partisans
, internationalists and the 5th Soviet Army under Genrich Eiche
launched an operation to re-taking Chita. In October 1920, units of the Red Army
and guerrillas
forced Semyonov's tiny army out of the Baikal region. After having retreated to Primorye
, Semyonov tried to continue fighting the Soviets, but was finally forced to abandon all Russian territory by September 1921.
where, after a short period of time, he was accused of committing acts of violence against the American soldiers of the Expeditionary Corps. Semyonov was eventually acquitted, and returned to China
where he was given a monthly 1000-yen pension by the Japanese government. He settled mostly in Northern China
and Manchuria, where he had ties with the Japanese intelligence
community and where he continued to wield some influence over the exiled Russian and Cossack communities. He was also employed by Puyi
, the former Manchu
Emperor of China.
Semyonov was captured in Dalian
by Soviet paratrooper
s in September 1945 during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, when the Soviet Army conquered Manchukuo
. He was charged with counterrevolutionary activities and sentenced to death by hanging
by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR
. He was executed on August 29, 1946.
White movement in Transbaikal
The White movement in Transbaikal was a period of the confrontation between the Soviets and the Whites over dominance in Transbaikal from December 1917 to November 1920.-Initial stages:...
and beyond from December 1917 to November 1920, Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
and Ataman of Baikal Cossacks
Baikal Cossacks
Baikal Cossacks were Cossacks of the Transbaikal Cossack Host , a Cossack host formed in 1851 in the areas beyond Lake Baikal ....
(1919).
Biography
Semyonov was born in the TransbaikalTransbaikal
Transbaikal, Trans-Baikal, Transbaikalia , or Dauria is a mountainous region to the east of or "beyond" Lake Baikal in Russia. The alternative name, Dauria, is derived from the ethnonym of the Daur people. It stretches for almost 1000 km from north to south from the Patomskoye Plateau and North...
region of eastern Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. His father, Mikahil Petrovich Semyonov was of partial Buryat descent. Semyonov was a fluent Mongolian and Buryat language speaker. He joined the Imperial Russian Army in 1908, and graduated from Orenburg
Orenburg
Orenburg is a city on the Ural River and the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies southeast of Moscow, very close to the border with Kazakhstan. Population: 546,987 ; 549,361 ; Highest point: 154.4 m...
Military School in 1911. He took part in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and became a yesaul
Yesaul
Yesaul, or Osaul , , a post and a rank in the Ukrainian and Russian Cossack units.The first records of the rank imply that it was introduced by Stefan Batory, King of Poland in 1576.-Cossacks in Russia:...
.
According to Pyotr Wrangel:
Semenov was a Transbaikalian CossackBaikal CossacksBaikal Cossacks were Cossacks of the Transbaikal Cossack Host , a Cossack host formed in 1851 in the areas beyond Lake Baikal ....
- dark and thickset, and of the rather alert Mongolian type. His intelligence was of a specifically Cossack calibre, and he was an exemplary soldier, especially courageous when under the eye of his superior. He knew how to make himself popular with Cossacks and officers alike, but he had his weaknesses a love of intrigue and indifference to the means by which he achieved his ends, Though capable and ingenious, he had received no education, and his outlook was narrow. I have never been able to understand how he came to play a leading role.
He was somewhat of an outsider among the his fellow officers because of his Ethnicity. While serving in the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
in World War I he met another officer shunned by his peers, Baron Ungern-Sternberg whose arrogance and violent, unstable temper repelled others. He and Sternberg tried to organize a regiment of Assyrian Christians to aid in the fight against the Turks. In July 1917, Semyonov left the Caucasus and was appointed Commissar
Commissar
Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title used in Russia from the time of Peter the Great.The title was used during the Provisional Government for regional heads of administration, but it is mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in Bolshevik and Soviet...
of the Provisional Government
Provisional government
A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a very large government. The early provisional governments were created to prepare for the return of royal rule...
in the Baikal region, responsible for recruiting counterrevolutionary volunteer military units.
The Russian Civil War in Transbaikal
After the October RevolutionOctober Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, Semyonov stirred up an anti-Soviet rebellion, but sustained a defeat and fled to Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. In August 1918, he managed to consolidate his positions in the Transbaikal region with the help of the Czechoslovak Legions
Czechoslovak Legions
The Czechoslovak Legions were volunteer armed forces composed predominantly of Czechs and Slovaks fighting together with the Entente powers during World War I...
, and imposed his ruthless regime. In his rule over this region, he has been described as a "plain bandit
Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia
The Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia , was an ephemeral government for Siberia created by the White movement.After the Bolsheviks' seizure of power in Petrograd, All-Siberian Extraordinary Congress of Delegates from Public Organizations, was convened in Tomsk on December 7, 1917...
appointed Semyonov commander of a detached unit with the headquarters in Chita. Initially, Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Aleksandr Kolchak
Aleksandr Kolchak
Aleksandr Vasiliyevich Kolchak was a Russian naval commander, polar explorer and later - Supreme ruler . Supreme ruler of Russia , was recognized in this position by all the heads of the White movement, "De jure" - Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, "De facto" - Entente States...
refused to recognize Semyonov's authority, but he had no choice but to accept Semyonov as de facto leader and confirm Semyonov as Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the Chita military district
Military district
Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.Navies have also used...
. In early 1919, Semyonov declared himself Ataman
Ataman
Ataman was a commander title of the Ukrainian People's Army, Cossack, and haidamak leaders, who were in essence the Cossacks...
of the Transbaikal Cossack Host with support from the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
, elements of which had been deployed to Siberia
Siberian Intervention
The ', or the Siberian Expedition, of 1918–1922 was the dispatch of troops of the Entente powers to the Russian Maritime Provinces as part of a larger effort by the western powers and Japan to support White Russian forces against the Bolshevik Red Army during the Russian Civil War...
. The region under his control extended from Verkhne-Udinsk near Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
to the Shilka River
Shilka River
Shilka is a river in Zabaykalsky Krai, south-eastern Russia. It has a length . It originates as a confluence of the Onon and Ingoda rivers. Its confluence with the Ergune on the Russia-China border gives rise to the Amur River. The river is navigable for its entire length....
and town of Stretensk, to Manchuli, where the Chinese Eastern Railway
Chinese Eastern Railway
The Chinese Eastern Railway or was a railway in northeastern China . It connected Chita and the Russian Far East. English-speakers have sometimes referred to this line as the Manchurian Railway...
met the Chita Railway, and northeast some distance along the Amur Railway
Amur Railway
The broad gauge Amur Railway is the last section of the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia, built in 1906-1916. The construction of this railway favored the development of gold mining industry, logging, fishery, and fur trade in Siberia and Russian Far East. It is over 2115 km in length, stretching...
.
Semyonov handed out copies of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion to the Japanese troops he became associated with. In February 1919, it is said that he allowed a Jewish unit to form in his Cossack-dominated army. His most illustrious mistress and partner was a Jewish cabaret singer named Mashka Sharaban.
After the defeat of the White movement
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
, Admiral Kolchak transferred power to Semyonov in the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. However Semyonov was unable to keep his forces in Siberia under control: they stole, burned, murdered, and raped civilians, and developed a reputation for being little better than thugs. In July 1920 the Japanese Expeditionary Corps started their withdrawal in accordance with the Gongota Agreement
Gongota Agreement of 1920
The Gongota Agreement of 1920 was a milestone in the Russian Civil War in Transbaikal. The Agreement was finalized at Gongota railway station on July 15, 1920 between the Far Eastern Republic's delegation headed by Alexander Krasnoshchyokov and Genrich Eiche and the Japanese Expeditionary Corps...
signed with the Far Eastern Republic
Far Eastern Republic
The Far Eastern Republic , sometimes called the Chita Republic, was a nominally independent state that existed from April 1920 to November 1922 in the easternmost part of the Russian Far East...
, leaving Semyonov without support. Transbaikal partisans
Eastern Transbaikalian Front
The Eastern Transbaikalian Front was a Soviet partisan front from April 21, 1919 to October 7, 1920.Initially it consisted of three regiments which had fought against Grigory Semyonov's troops and the Japanese Expeditionary Corps. Its headquarters was in villages Bogdat and Zilovo...
, internationalists and the 5th Soviet Army under Genrich Eiche
Genrich Eiche
Henrichs Eiche or Genrich Hristoforovich Eiche was a Latvian Soviet military commander, revolutionary, and historian....
launched an operation to re-taking Chita. In October 1920, units of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and guerrillas
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
forced Semyonov's tiny army out of the Baikal region. After having retreated to Primorye
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
, Semyonov tried to continue fighting the Soviets, but was finally forced to abandon all Russian territory by September 1921.
In exile
Semyonov first escaped to Manchuria, then to Nagasaki, and later he settled in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where, after a short period of time, he was accused of committing acts of violence against the American soldiers of the Expeditionary Corps. Semyonov was eventually acquitted, and returned to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
where he was given a monthly 1000-yen pension by the Japanese government. He settled mostly in Northern China
North China
thumb|250px|Northern [[People's Republic of China]] region.Northern China or North China is a geographical region of China. The heartland of North China is the North China Plain....
and Manchuria, where he had ties with the Japanese intelligence
Intelligence (information gathering)
Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...
community and where he continued to wield some influence over the exiled Russian and Cossack communities. He was also employed by Puyi
Puyi
Puyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the...
, the former Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
Emperor of China.
Semyonov was captured in Dalian
Dalian
Dalian is a major city and seaport in the south of Liaoning province, Northeast China. It faces Shandong to the south, the Yellow Sea to the east and the Bohai Sea to the west and south. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, Dalian is the southernmost city of Northeast China and China's...
by Soviet paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
s in September 1945 during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, when the Soviet Army conquered Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
. He was charged with counterrevolutionary activities and sentenced to death by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR
Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR
Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR was created in 1924 to the Supreme Court of the USSR as a court for the higher military and political personnel of Red Army and Fleet...
. He was executed on August 29, 1946.