Rasputin’s murderer has been debated to this day, although more than a century has passed since the day he was killed. Historians do not have enough documents to build a version that would suit everyone. The lack of information led to the fact that this drama is shrouded in a fleur of secrecy. Although at first glance it seems that absolutely all of its details are known. Unfortunately, many details of the murder of this unusual person are overgrown with myths and speculation.
Who killed Rasputin is still not entirely clear. Our task is to sort out this complicated story and separate the grain from the chaff.
Initial explanation
The classic version considers the death of the favorite of the crowned couple as a conspiracy of Russian high-ranking monarchists. Their goal was to free the imperial family from the Siberian crook, who managed to get into their confidence in them and influence the sovereign's policy.
Contemporaries considered this a shame. There have been numerous attempts by the political elite to “open their eyes” to the crown prince and expose the “elder”. They were unsuccessful. Then the opinion began to arise that its physical elimination was required, which would definitely put an end to and save the authority of the monarch. Four people firmly decided to come together to end the rogue who ruled the emperor and his wife. These were:
- State Duma deputy V. Purishkevich, who later colorfully described everything that happened.
- F. Yusupov is a handsome aristocrat who was married to the niece of Nicholas II, Irina Alexandrovna.
- Prince Dmitry Pavlovich - cousin of the sovereign.
- S. Sukhotin - lieutenant of the Preobrazhensky regiment.
None of them wanted to become the direct killer of Rasputin and get their hands dirty. Therefore, it was decided to poison him. 1916 was the year of the assassination of Rasputin. The poison was obtained with the help of the doctor S. Lazovert and added to almond cakes and madeira. The basement in the Yusupov Palace on the Moika was transformed into a mixture of a living room with a boudoir.
The pretext of the invitation was a meeting with the wife of Yusupov, the beautiful Irina. Incidentally, she was not in Petersburg at that time, but the "seer" did not know about this and came to Yusupov.
What happened next?
Grigory Efimovich initially refused food and waited for the ladies to appear. From above, the music of the gramophone was heard, which was started, imitating a women's party, the rest of the conspirators. Felix finally persuaded the "old man" to try refreshments. He calmly ate several poisoned cakes and drank Madeira with poison. But the poison did not affect him. Felix Yusupov was confused and panicked.
He went upstairs to ask what to do next. Dmitry Pavlovich offered to let go. Purishkevich firmly demanded to shoot the king's favorite.
How painfully killed Rasputin
Hiding the revolver behind his back, Felix returned down. How was the murder of Rasputin? Yusupov, leading the victim to a luxurious ivory crucifix, asked him to cross himself. He hoped in this way to remove Satan's powers from him. After that, a shot rang out. The body collapsed onto the carpet. Who is the killer of Rasputin? It turns out that Yusupov. The owner of the house and Purishkevich remained in the palace. Other conspirators set off to burn clothes (evidence!) In the firebox of a steam locomotive, which obeyed Purishkevich, as did the doctor who worked on it. Suddenly, the "corpse" jumped to its feet, shouted out the closed door and ran, bleeding. Purishkevich rushed after him, firing a revolver in the back on the move. A fourth shot forever stopped the fugitive. So who is Rasputin’s killer? Purishkevich? But there are photographs that clearly show the trace of a shot directly in the forehead.
So there was someone else who calmly shot almost point blank at Rasputin's face. To the question “Where was Grigory Rasputin killed?” the answer is unequivocal: in the courtyard of the palace on the Moika. The deceased was drowned near the Petrovsky bridge in Malaya Nevka to hide the traces of the crime.
Why didn’t the poison work?
This became clear when doctor Stanislav Lazovert published his memoirs in exile in the 1930s. It turns out that he did not dare to use it, but planted simple aspirin. Therefore, he behaved on the night of the murder, December 17, as Purishkevich recalled, very strange. He blushed, turned pale, almost lost his senses, ran out into the yard, refreshing himself with snow. And it was a fearless officer who had two rewards for courage. As a doctor, he understood that there would be no quiet death without poison, and terrible bloodshed would occur.
To whom did the royal favorite interfere?
There is a theory of the international Masonic conspiracy. In 1912, Grigory Rasputin, standing on his knees for 2 hours with an icon in front of Nicholas II, prevented the empire from entering the Balkan War. He always believed that the war would lead to the death of not only the country, but also the royal family. The war was required by financial corporations in order to destroy all the monarchies in Europe and, above all, in vast Russia. Masonic lodges became their means , which in the Russian Empire denounced the connection of tsarism with the libertine and sectarian, as everyone believed, Rasputin. Many are convinced that Yusupov, venturing a conspiracy, went to consult with a prominent politician and freemason V. Maklakov. The Duma deputy himself refused to participate in this case, but allegedly gave a kettlebell or a rubber club. She also finished off the dying "elder" who was 47 years old.
After the February Revolution, the freemason A. Kerensky quickly closed the “Rasputin case”, secured amnesty for everyone who participated in the conspiracy, immediately sought out the grave and insisted on the destruction of his body. The remains were excavated and burned.
Britain's footprints
Such an option looks quite convincing: the conspiracy of the Entente special services. The allies feared that as a result of the peacemaking sentiment of Rasputin, his beliefs would affect the monarch, and he would make a separate peace with Germany. For Britain, this meant defeat. Because the British agents Oswald Reiner, a friend of Yusupov for Oxford, and Samuel Khor, could easily join the society of conspirators to neutralize the protection of the "elder".
While on the street, they could also intervene when the wounded Rasputin jumped out of the basement. This is where a head shot was fired. The killer of Rasputin could be S. Khor or O. Reiner. They could act on the orders of higher authorities, and take personal initiative. In any case, this version does not seem unfounded. And who killed Rasputin, whose shot became decisive, is unclear. The investigation did not establish this.
The reasons for the murder
We tried to comprehensively consider why they killed Rasputin. It turned out that these could be offended feelings of the monarchists, the Masonic conspiracy and the machinations of Britain. Most likely, these circumstances overlapped and splashed out in the form of a meeting between Rasputin and his fate in a mansion on the Moika.
The life of F. Yusupov after the scandal
Providence to all participants in the murder was surprisingly favorable. When the body of Grigory Rasputin was found in the hole, the Empress demanded the death of all participants. The emperor exiled Dmitry's nephew to the Persian front. By this he saved his life after the revolution.
Nobody remembered the doctor at all. He subsequently lived in Paris.
Purishkevich was sent to the front. He died in the 20th year, having contracted typhoid.
What was the fate of Yusupov, who killed Rasputin? At first, Felix went to exile in his estate near Kursk, Rakitnoe. After the revolution, capturing a certain amount of jewelry and two canvases by Rembrandt, he and Irina and her daughter left first for London and then for Paris. In Russia, their innumerable wealth remained in the form of real estate, art objects and jewelry. But money abroad was sorely lacking. Helped out numerous interviews that journalists took from the murderer of Rasputin. Then the couple opened a fashion house. It was very popular because its owners had an impeccable taste, but did not bring any special income.
Adjusted the family budget for a Hollywood movie. In it, Irina was portrayed as the mistress of Rasputin. Yusupov filed a lawsuit for libel and won the trial. The family received £ 25,000 and acquired a small apartment in the 16th arrondissement on Pierre Guerin Street. There they lived until their death. The prince managed to write two books: “The End of Rasputin” (1927) and “Memoirs”. During World War II, the family did not support the Nazis, but did not return to the USSR either. Felix Yusupov died in old age. He was 80 years old. Three years later, Irina was buried next to him. Their graves are in the Russian cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.