Ignatiev Alexey Alekseevich was a military figure in tsarist Russia and the USSR. As well as a diplomat, adviser to the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (then - the People’s Commissariat) and a writer. He belonged to an old noble and count family. One of his ancestors served as a bedlord with Tsar Mikhail Romanov. Consider the biography of Count Alexei Alekseevich Ignatiev in more detail.
A family
Count Ignatiev was born in 1877, March 2, in a family belonging to a very noble family. His father, Alexei Pavlovich, was a prominent figure, a member of the State Council, the governor general in three provinces, and was killed during the meeting. According to A. Ignatiev, the tsarist secret police had to do with this. Mother, Sofya Sergeevna, came from a family of princes Meshchersky.
Famous personalities were other relatives. So, the younger brother Pavel was an agent in France, and his uncle, Nikolai Pavlovich, served as Minister of the Interior and was a well-known diplomat. With his participation, the Beijing Treaty of 1860 and the San Stefano Peace Treaty, which ended the Russo-Turkish war, were signed.
early years
From his youth, Alexei’s fate was closely connected with his military career.
- In 1894, he graduated from the cadet corps in Kiev, preparing teenagers for military service with the rank of officer.
- When Count Ignatiev was 14 years old, he began his studies at the most privileged military institution of the time in Russia - the Page Corps. Here a lot of attention was paid to German and French. According to his father, Alex was sent here to get rid of tearfulness and effeminacy. General's sons and grandchildren were enrolled in the Page Corps, but sometimes exceptions were made for representatives of princely families. His father and uncle also studied here.
- In 1895, Alexei was introduced to Tsar Nicholas II, he began to serve the Empress.
- Alexey graduated from the Page Corps in 1896, was released to the Cavalier Guard regiment and was in the court service with the rank of cornet. In 1900 he received the rank of lieutenant.
- 1902 - the year of graduation from the General Staff Academy as captain of the General Staff.
- 1902-1903rd - study of the technique of cavalry in the Officer Cavalry School.
- 1903-1904th - command of the squadron in the Ulan regiment.
On the eastern front
With the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, Ignatiev Alexei Alekseevich goes to the front. He falls into the headquarters of the command of the Manchurian army, and then into the intelligence department. Thus began his activities on the basis of military diplomacy, which determined his future fate.
Contacts with military agents allowed him to study the mores of those serving in foreign armies. Under his leadership were Americans, Germans, British, he was obliged to check the correspondence. At the end of the war, Ignatiev had the rank of lieutenant colonel and was awarded two orders - St. Anne (IV century), St. Stanislav (III century). And from 1906 to 1908 he still received the order - St. Vladimir (IV century), as well as St. Stanislav (now II century) and St. Anna (now II century)
After the war
Count Ignatiev’s diplomatic career continued after the war. In 1908, he served as a military attaché in countries such as Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. In 1912 he was sent to France. He did not specifically study the activities of a military agent, and he had to work, relying on intuition. His direct responsibilities included:
- To inform your general staff about the forces of the host country by compiling reports on exercises, maneuvers, visits to military units.
- Transfer all newly appeared military and technical literature.
During his stay in France, Ignatiev was responsible for the purchase of weapons and ammunition for the Russian army, single-handedly managing the Russian account in a French bank. And he was the head of a wide agent network. In 1914, the count was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir (III century).
Paris life
With the outbreak of World War I, when the Russians were in dire need of ammunition, A. Ignatiev was given a large order for the supply of heavy shells. None of the French went to its execution. The Count was on friendly terms with Andre Citroën, a French industrialist who came to his aid. This was followed by the spread of rumors that Ignatiev made capital on military supplies, using his connections. However, no direct evidence was provided by anyone.
Representatives of the circles of Russian emigration condemned Count Ignatiev for communication with the dancer Natalya Trukhanova, who performed in a half-naked form. For the sake of Natalia, he divorced his wife, Okhotnikova Elena. Since 1914, Ignatiev and Trukhanova lived in a grand style in a luxurious apartment.
Transfer of gold to Soviet Russia
After the October Revolution took place, in Bank de France, 225 million gold rubles were in the account of Russia. They were intended for the purchase of another batch of equipment by Ignatiev. Various emigrant organizations, posing as legitimate representatives of the Russian Empire, began to claim the assets that turned out to be ownerless.
And then General Alexei Alekseevich Ignatiev committed an extraordinary act that stunned many. In the years 1924-1925. The Soviet Union established diplomatic relations with states of different continents. In this regard, many of them, including France, organized a diplomatic mission. Turning there, Ignatiev handed over the money to Leonid Krasin, who was a sales representative. In exchange, he asked for a Soviet passport and permission to return to his homeland, which had become Soviet.
The renunciation of family and friends
After that, Russian emigration declared Alexey Ignatiev a traitor, and his brother attempted on his life. But the attempt was unsuccessful - the bullet only went along the edge of the count's hat, which he kept in order to remember this event. His mother disowned him, forbidding her from appearing in her house so that he would not dare to disgrace his family.
Turned away from Alexei Alekseevich and close friends, among whom was Karl Mannerheim, who studied with him at the General Staff Academy. Only one Natalya Trukhanova remained with him.
Intelligence work
However, permission to come to Russia was not issued immediately. At the same time, family incomes decreased sharply, Ignatiev began to grow mushrooms and sell them. Until 1937, he was officially assigned to the Soviet trade mission in France. But in reality he was engaged in undercover activities, but already in the interests of Soviet intelligence.
A. A. Ignatiev managed a network of dozens of illegal intelligence officers who worked undercover in various official structures. When in 1937 he returned to his homeland, received the rank of brigade commander, and in 1940 - major general, but already of the Red Army.
In Moscow
While in Moscow, Alexey Ignatiev was the curator of the language courses held by representatives of the Red Army command. He was the head of the department of foreign languages. Since 1942, he worked as an editor in a military publishing house of the Ministry of Defense.
According to unofficial data, the knight of military diplomacy, Count A. A. Ignatiev (that is what V. I. Vinokurov calls him in his book) continued to work in foreign intelligence and even had a good account of I. V. Stalin. A former class enemy, the tsarist officer not only served the motherland as a scout, but also was engaged in creativity.
Before the war, the memoirs of Aleksei Alekseevich Ignatiev “50 years in the ranks” were published, he was a member of the Writers' Union. In the 90s, his culinary recipe book was published, which he wrote for more than 20 years.
In 1943, he initiated the creation of a cadet corps in Moscow. Stalin approved this proposal, calling the school Suvorovsky. And also with the filing of Ignatiev, shoulder straps were returned to the army. In the same year he became a lieutenant general.
After death
In 1947, Ignatiev at the age of 70 resigned. He died in Moscow in 1954. His grave is located at the Novodevichy cemetery. On the Lubyansky passage in Moscow, A. A. Ignatyev has a memorial plaque. In addition to the awards already indicated, he was awarded a medal for the victory over Germany and the commander's cross of the Legion of Honor.
The life of this wonderful person was reflected in the cinema. Director A. Razenkov made the film "Kromov" in 2009. It is based on the story of V. Livanov, which is called "The Wealth of the Military Attache," written in 1985. The main role in the film "Kromov" (2009) was played by Vladimir Vdovichenkov, known for the series "Brigade".