The Explosion in Leontievsky Lane on September 25, 1919 was a
terrorist act
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
committed by a group of
anarchists
Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessa ...
with the aim of destroying the leadership of the Moscow Committee of the
Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)
" Hymn of the Bolshevik Party"
, headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow
, general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last)
, founded =
, banned =
, founder = Vladimir Lenin
, newspaper ...
. As a result of the explosion of a bomb thrown by the terrorist Sobolev, 12 people were killed, another 55 were injured.
Terrorist act
On September 25, 1919, in the premises of the Moscow Committee of the
Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)
" Hymn of the Bolshevik Party"
, headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow
, general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last)
, founded =
, banned =
, founder = Vladimir Lenin
, newspaper ...
, located in Leontievsky Lane, a meeting was held on the organization of
agitation
Agitation may refer to:
* Agitation (action), putting into motion by shaking or stirring, often to achieve mixing
* An emotional state of stimulation, excitement or restlessness
** Psychomotor agitation, an extreme form of the above, which can be ...
and the development of a work plan in party schools. Among those present were responsible party workers in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, district delegates, agitators and lecturers, about 100–120 people in total. They were all cramped in a small room. The first to read their reports were a member of the Central Committee of the party
Nikolai Bukharin
Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin (russian: Никола́й Ива́нович Буха́рин) ( – 15 March 1938) was a Bolshevik revolutionary, Soviet politician, Marxist philosopher and economist and prolific author on revolutionary theory. ...
, as well as the famous Bolsheviks
Mikhail Pokrovsky
Mikhail Nikolayevich Pokrovsky (russian: Михаи́л Никола́евич Покро́вский; – April 10, 1932) was a Russian Marxist historian, Bolshevik revolutionary and a public and political figure. One of the earliest professi ...
and
Yevgeny Preobrazhensky
Yevgeni Alekseyevich Preobrazhensky ( rus, Евге́ний Алексе́евич Преображе́нский, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪt͡ɕ prʲɪəbrɐˈʐɛnskʲɪj; 1886–1937) was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet economi ...
, the meeting began to analyze the plan for organizing party schools submitted for consideration. At this time, part of the audience began to disperse. The Chairman of the Meeting,
Alexander Myasnikov, suggested that those wishing to leave as soon as possible to vacate the premises, as the noise interfered with the meeting. At that very moment, approximately from the side of the penultimate row, near the window into the garden, a loud crack was heard. Those present in the room at the same time ran to the doors, where congestion instantly formed.
[Alexey Velidov. Red Book of the All–Russian Extraordinary Commission. In 2 Volumes – Moscow: Publishing House of Political Literature of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1990]

As eyewitnesses later claimed, the secretary of the Moscow Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)
Vladimir Zagorsky
Vladimir Mikhailovich Zagorsky (real name ''Wolf Mikhelevich Lubotsky'', January 15, 1883, Nizhny Novgorod – September 25, 1919, Moscow) was a revolutionary, party activist, Secretary of the Moscow Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bols ...
jumped out from the presidium table, rushed to the side of the bomb that had fallen on the floor, shouting as he walked: "Calm down, nothing special, we will now find out what is the matter". Perhaps this brought peace to the crowd of delegates, and that is why a significant part of them managed to leave the premises before the explosion. Shortly after the bomb fell to the floor, it
detonated
Detonation () is a type of combustion involving a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations propagate supersonically through shock waves with s ...
. As it was later established, the criminals fled through the gate in the direction of
Chernyshevsky Lane.
Consequences of a terrorist attack

As a result of the explosion, the house was badly damaged, especially its back. The façade and the main staircase suffered relatively little damage. All the windows were smashed in front, frames and doors were torn in places. In the floor of the room, a bomb struck a large hole about three meters in diameter. The force of the explosion was such that two thick beams were broken in the floor. The entire rear of the building collapsed into the garden, and the iron roof that had been demolished by the explosion fell there.
The clearing of the rubble and the removal of the dead and wounded began about fifteen minutes after the explosion. The work lasted all night. Most of the killed and seriously wounded were in the middle and rear rows; those who were sitting in the front rows and on the podium received bruises and contusions. Almost all of the participants in the
plenum
Plenum may refer to:
* Plenum chamber, a chamber intended to contain air, gas, or liquid at positive pressure
* Plenism, or ''Horror vacui'' (physics) the concept that "nature abhors a vacuum"
* Plenum (meeting), a meeting of a deliberative asse ...
of the
Moscow Soviet
The Mossoviet (Russian: Моссовет), an abbreviation of Moscow Soviet, (Московский Совет) was established following the February Revolution . Initially it was a parallel, shadow city administration of Moscow, Russia run by le ...
arrived at the scene of the explosion.
The bodies of the nine victims of the explosion were transferred in zinc coffins to the
House of Unions
The House of the Unions (russian: Дом Союзов) (also called ''Palace of the Unions'') is a historic building in the Tverskoy District in central Moscow, Russia. It is situated on the corner of Bolshaya Dmitrovka and Okhotny Ryad streets. ...
. On
September 28
Events Pre-1600
*48 BC – Pompey disembarks at Pelusium upon arriving in Egypt, whereupon he is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy XIII.
* 235 – Pope Pontian resigns. He is exiled to the mines of Sardinia, along with Hippolytus o ...
, 1919, mass
rallies were held, at which workers and military personnel carried posters with the slogans:
*«Your martyrdom is a call for reprisals against
counter–revolutionaries!»;
*«We accept your challenge, long live the merciless
Red Terror
The Red Terror (russian: Красный террор, krasnyj terror) in Soviet Russia was a campaign of political repression and executions carried out by the Bolsheviks, chiefly through the Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police. It started i ...
!»;
*«
Burlak
A burlak ( rus, бурла́к, p=bʊrˈlak) was a towpath puller in Russian Empire.
Overview
The exact origin of the word is unknown. Different versions include old middle-German ''bûrlach'' (working team with fixed rules, artel), or Tatar ...
soul mourns your death, burlak hearts will not forgive murderers!»;
*«Let's not cry for the killed, we will close our ranks closer!»;
*«You were killed from around the corner, we will win openly!».
On the same day, the dead were buried in a mass grave near the Kremlin Wall. Speeches dedicated to their memory were made by
Kamenev
Lev Borisovich Kamenev. (''né'' Rozenfeld; – 25 August 1936) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and a prominent Soviet politician.
Born in Moscow to parents who were both involved in revolutionary politics, Kamenev attended Imperial Moscow Uni ...
,
Trotsky
Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian M ...
,
Kalinin
Kalinin may refer to:
* Mikhail Kalinin (1875–1946), Bolshevik revolutionary and Soviet functionary
* Kalinin (surname)
Places
*Kalinin, former name of Noramarg, Armenia
*Kalinin, former name of Tashir, Armenia
*Kalinin, former name of Burunqo ...
and
Zinoviev Zinoviev, Zinovyev, Zinovieff (russian: Зино́вьев), or Zinovieva (feminine; Зино́вьева), as a Russian surname, derives from the personal name Zinovi, from Greek '' Zenobios''.
Notable people with the surname include:
* Alexand ...
.
Victims
A total of 12 people died as a result of the terrorist attack:
#Maria Volkova, an employee of the Provincial Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) (died on September 29, 1919 in the hospital);
#Irina Ignatova, a worker of the Khamovnichesky District Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks);
#
Vladimir Zagorsky
Vladimir Mikhailovich Zagorsky (real name ''Wolf Mikhelevich Lubotsky'', January 15, 1883, Nizhny Novgorod – September 25, 1919, Moscow) was a revolutionary, party activist, Secretary of the Moscow Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bols ...
, Secretary of the Moscow Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks);
#Anfisa Nikolaeva, Secretary of the Railway District Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks);
#Georgy Razoryonov–Nikitin, Agitator of the Alekseev–Rostokinsky District Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks);
#Grigory Titov, Agitator;
#Anna Khaldina, an employee of the Moscow Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks);
#Nikolay Kropotov, Member of the Moscow Council;
#Alexander Safonov, member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Eastern Front;
#Abram Kvash;
#Solomon Tankus, a student of the Central Party School;
#Kolbin, a student of the Central Party School.
Among the 55 wounded were
Nikolai Bukharin
Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin (russian: Никола́й Ива́нович Буха́рин) ( – 15 March 1938) was a Bolshevik revolutionary, Soviet politician, Marxist philosopher and economist and prolific author on revolutionary theory. ...
, who was wounded in the arm during the explosion, and
Arvid Pelshe
Arvid, Arved, Arnvid or Arvydas is a male given name, most common in Scandinavia but also in Iran and Lithuania. In Scandinavia it is derived from Old Norse and means "forest of eagles" or 'eagle wood'. Arvid is a royal male name that is compose ...
, a future member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Investigation of a terrorist attack
On September 25, 1919, the newspaper Anarchia published a statement in which the anarchist group, the All–Russian Insurgent Committee of Revolutionary Partisans, claimed responsibility for the terrorist act. The Moscow
Extraordinary Commission undertook to investigate the terrorist act. The organizer of the terrorist act Kazimir Kovalevich and the bomber Pyotr Sobolev were killed during the arrest, as they were desperately shooting back and throwing bombs. Seven more anarchists committed suicide bombing of the dacha at
Kraskovo station when they realized that they were surrounded by extraordinary commissioners. Another, a certain Baranovsky, survived and was arrested. Eight participants in the preparation of the terrorist act – Grechanikov, Tsintsiper, Dombrovsky, Voskhodov, Nikolaev, Isaev, Khlebnysky and the already mentioned Baranovsky – were
shot
Shot may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Shot'' (album), by The Jesus Lizard
*''Shot, Illusion, New God'', an EP by Gruntruck
*'' Shot Rev 2.0'', a video album by The Sisters of Mercy
* "Shot" (song), by The Rasmus
* ''Shot'' (2017 ...
by order of the Moscow Extraordinary Commission.
In literature
*
Mark Aldanov
Mark Aldanov (russian: Марк Алда́нов; Mordkhai-Markus Israelevich Landau, Mark Alexandrovich Landau, russian: Мордхай-Маркус Израилевич Ландау, Марк Алекса́ндрович Ланда́у; – Fe ...
in 1936 published an essay "Explosion in Leontievsky Lane", where he connected the "anarchists of the underground" with the
Makhnovists
The Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine ( uk, Революційна Повстанська Армія України), also known as the Black Army or as Makhnovtsi ( uk, Махновці), named after their leader Nestor Makhno, was a ...
;
*
Vladislav Khodasevich
Vladislav Felitsianovich Khodasevich (russian: Владисла́в Фелициа́нович Ходасе́вич; 16 May 1886 – 14 June 1939) was an influential Russian poet and literary critic who presided over the Berlin circle of Russian e ...
dedicated a
essayof the same name to Cherepanov, one of the leaders of the left–wing Socialist Revolutionaries who, in collaboration with the anarchists, prepared the explosion;
*The story of Theodor Gladkov "Explosion at Leontievsky";
*Andrey Solovyov. "Explosion at Leontievsky". From the book "Wolves Dying in Traps". Moscow. "Military Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union." 1976.
In the cinema
*The film "About Friends and Comrades".
Gallery
File:Anarchy_newspaper.jpg, The editorial of the newspaper "Anarchy" with the declaration of the anarchistsExplosion in Leontievsky Lane. Moscow, 1919. 3 Photos
/ref>
File:Explosion in Leontief lane.jpg, The doors ripped off as a result of the explosion
File:Cottage in Kraskovo.jpg, Blown up summer house in Kraskovo
File:Kwash&Kropotov.jpg, The bodies of Kvasha (above) and Kropotov (below)
File:Nikolaeva&Safonov.jpg, The bodies of Nikolaeva (left) and Safonov (right)
File:Casimir Kovalevich.jpg, Dead Kazimir Kovalevich
File:Pyotr Sobolev.jpg, Dead Peter Sobolev
File:Firefighters on the explosion in the Leontief lane.jpg, Firefighters work at the scene of the explosion
File:Work for retrieving corpses in the street Leontief.jpg, Clearing debris at the explosion site
File:Сoffins in the House of Unions.jpg, Coffins in the Column Hall of the House of Unions
File:Funeral killed in an explosion in the Leontief lane on Red Square.jpg, The funeral of the victims
File:Л. Д . Троцкий на митинге, посвященном похоронам жертв взрыва в Леонтьевском переулке. 1919.jpg, Leon Trotsky
Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian M ...
at a rally dedicated to the burial of the victims of the explosion
References
External link
{{Commonscatinline
Terrorist incidents in Moscow
History of anarchism
September 1919 events
Tverskoy District
Terrorism in the Soviet Union