Fyodor Ivanovich Truhin (; 26 December 18961 August 1946) was a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

major general during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Following his capture during the

Baltic Operation The Baltic strategic defensive operation () encompassed the operations of the Red Army from 22 June to 9 July 1941 conducted over the territories of the occupied Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in response to the offensive launched by the Wehrm ...

he defected to

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

becoming a leading member of the

Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia The Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (, ', abbreviated as , ') was composed of military and civilian Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, collaborators with Nazi Germany from territories of the Soviet Union, mo ...

and the

National Alliance of Russian Solidarists The National Alliance of Russian Solidarists ( NTS; ) is a Russian anticommunist organization founded in 1930 by a group of young Russian anticommunist White émigrés in Belgrade, Serbia (then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia). The organizat ...

. In the aftermath of the German defeat he was captured by pro-Soviet Czech partisans, who in turn transferred him to the Soviet Union where he was executed for treason.

Military career

Fyodor Truhin was born on 29 February 1896, in

Kostroma Kostroma (, ) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. In the 2021 census, the population is 267, ...

. Truhin's father Ivan was the leader of the Kostroma Governorate's nobility, and served as a

state councillor A State Councillor of the People's Republic of China () serves as a senior vice leader within the State Council of the PRC, State Council and shares responsibilities with the Vice Premier of China, Vice Premiers in assisting the Premier of China, ...

after retiring from his service in the 1st Grenadier Artillery Brigade in the rank of captain. His mother Nadezhda descended from the Tregubov noble family. Truhin graduated from primary school in 1906, enrolling into the 2nd Kostroma Gymnasium from which he graduated in 1914. During the course of his studies at the gymnasium Truhin became a member of a secret revolutionary organization. He then went on to study law at the

Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...

, dropping out after finishing his second semester. In 1916, Truhin graduated from the 2nd Moscow

Praporshchik (, , ) is a rank used by the Russian Armed Forces and a number of former communist states. The rank is a non-commissioned officer's and is equivalent to in the corresponding navies. It is usually equivalent to warrant officer class 1 or serge ...

School. In 1917, he became a soldier-elected battalion commander in the 46th Division of the Southwestern Front which fought in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. During the course of the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, Truhin joined the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

, fighting on the Southwestern Front against the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and various insurgent bands. In November 1918, he was appointed commander of the Kostroma Reserve Cavalry Regiment, a year later he was transferred to the 363rd Rifle Regiment where he led a company. In July 1920, he became a battalion commander, taking over the 362nd Rifle Regiment in October. In January 1921, Truhin went on sick leave. In the meantime his father and older brother were executed for organizing an anti-

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

uprising in the Kostroma Governorate. In September 1922, Truhin enrolled into the M. V. Frunze Military Academy. In 1924, he was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

. Following his graduation in August 1925, Truhin was appointed commander of the 133rd Rifle Regiment of the

45th Rifle Division The 45th Rifle Division was a Red Army infantry division formed originally during the Russian Civil War that fought in World War II and then served through the Cold War in the Leningrad Military District. The division was originally formed 16 J ...

. In September 1926, he was appointed staff commander of the 7th Rifle Division. In 1931, he was appointed staff commander of the

12th Rifle Corps The 12th Rifle Corps () was an infantry corps of the Red Army during the interwar period and World War II, formed four times. The corps headquarters was briefly active between late 1922 and early 1923 as part of the Separate Caucasus Army, and a ...

. In February 1932, he began teaching at the Frunze Military Academy. In 1935, he was promoted to colonel. On 5 June 1940, Truhin was promoted to major general. On 28 January 1941, Truhin was promoted to deputy staff commander of the

Baltic Military District The Baltic Military District () was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Baltic states, formed shortly before the German invasion during World War II. After the end of the war the Kaliningrad Oblast was added to the District's co ...

. Six days after the Soviet Union entered

, Truhin became deputy staff commander of the

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-c ...

. A day earlier he was tasked with overseeing the withdrawal of Soviet troops in the area of

Panevėžys Panevėžys () is the fifth-largest List of cities in Lithuania, city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, eighth-most-populous city in the Baltic States. it occupies with 89,100 inhabitants. As defined by Eu ...

during the course of the

. Truhin's car was attacked by several German armored vehicles south of Jakobstadt. His adjutant was killed while he was wounded and captured. On 30 June 1941, Truhin was taken to the Schtalulelen prisoner of war camp and later transferred to Oflag XIII-D in

Hammelburg Hammelburg is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It sits in the district of Bad Kissingen, in Lower Franconia. It lies on the river Franconian Saale, 25 km west of Schweinfurt. Hammelburg is the oldest winegrowing town (''Weinstadt'') in Francon ...

. On 6 October, he was declared

missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty (person), casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoner of war, prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been ...

Defection

In October 1941, Truhin signed a document declaring his allegiance to Nazi Germany and joined an anti-communist

collaborationist Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime. As historian Gerhard Hirschfeld says, it "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to the 19th ...

organization founded by Soviet prisoners of war, the Russian People's Labour Party, in which he later became "the head of the military department". On 15 March 1942, Truhin was transferred to the Wustrau special camp along with fellow major general Dimitry Zakutnyi, where they underwent a course for propagandists. On 24 April, he was appointed commandant of the Zittenhorst propaganda school. On 5 May, the school was visited by Georg Leibbrandt. During a conversation with Leibbrandt, Truhin demanded that the

Russian Liberation Army The Russian Liberation Army (; , ), also known as the Vlasov army () was a collaborationist formation, primarily composed of Russians, that fought under German command during World War II. From January 1945, the army was led by Andrey Vlasov, ...

(ROA) be formed and insisted on the transformation of the war into a fight against the regime of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

. In early July he traveled to

Abwehr The (German language, German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', though the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context) ) was the German military intelligence , military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ...

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

office where he created three espionage training manuals for Russian collaborationist officers, returning to Zittenhorst on the 22nd. In October, Truhin joined the

(NTS) becoming a member of its executive committee. In February 1943, Truhin conducted a meeting with

Andrey Vlasov Andrey Andreyevich Vlasov (, – August 1, 1946) was a Soviet Russian Red Army general. During the Eastern Front (World War II), Axis-Soviet campaigns of World War II, he fought (1941–1942) against the ''Wehrmacht'' in the Battle of Moscow ...

, accepting his offer of becoming the headmaster of ROA's Dabendorf school. Under his supervision the school had an attendance of 5,000 cadets, destined to become ROA's officer corps. Truhin actively recruited his students into the NTS and hired 10 NTS members as teaching staff, despite the fact that it had been outlawed by the German authorities. At the same time he developed NTS' political programme. In October 1944, Truhin was appointed staff commander of

's (KONR) armed wing. In January 1945, Truhin took part in the talks between Vlasov and

Pyotr Krasnov Pyotr Nikolayevich Krasnov (; – 17 January 1947), also known as Peter Krasnov, was a Russian military leader, writer and later Nazi collaborator. Krasnov served as a lieutenant general in the Imperial Russian Army during World War I and la ...

regarding the formation of a

Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...

unit within KONR, advocating the incorporation of the

XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps The XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps was a World War II cavalry corps of the Waffen-SS, the armed wing of the German Nazi Party, primarily recruited from Cossacks. It was originally known as the XIV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps from September 1944, after H ...

into KONR. In March, Truhin founded a KONR espionage school outside of

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

, enrollment totaled 100 cadets. Despite his noble descent, Truhin opposed the appointment of former

White movement The White movement,. The old spelling was retained by the Whites to differentiate from the Reds. also known as the Whites, was one of the main factions of the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It was led mainly by the Right-wing politics, right- ...

members to leading positions within KONR. In the summer of 1945, Truhin led KONR's southern group of armed forces during the Bratislava–Brno Offensive. On 18 April, he ordered his troops to march to the Czech lands in order to unite with KONR's northern formations commanded by

Sergei Bunyachenko Sergei Kuzmich Bunyachenko (, ; 5 October 1902 – 1 August 1946) was a Soviet Red Army defector to the German side during World War II and a major general in the collaborationist Russian Liberation Army (ROA). He was convicted of treason and ha ...

. On 1 May, Truhin reached Rainbach between

Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...

and

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 97,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is the largest ...

. After handing over the troops under his command to the American 26th Infantry Division, Truhin was informed of Vlasov's whereabouts and Bunyachenko's defection to the Czech partisans. On 8 May, Truhin and KONR major general Michael Shapovalov were detained by pro-Soviet Czech partisans outside of

Příbram Příbram (; or ''Przibram'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. It is known for its mining history, and more recently, its new venture into economic restructuring. The town is the t ...

while traveling towards Vlasov. The following day the partisans executed Shapovalov and handed Truhin to the Soviets; he was then taken to Moscow. A criminal investigation into Truhin's defection had been launched on 4 September 1942. He was sentenced to death in December 1945, sentence was canceled on 26 March 1946 in order for

SMERSH SMERSH () was an umbrella organization for three independent counter-intelligence agencies in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially announced only on 14 April 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Joseph Stalin. The form ...

to continue their investigation. On 11 April, Truhin pleaded guilty to the charge of treason. On 1 August, he was hanged in

Butyrka prison Butyrskaya prison (), usually known simply as Butyrka ( rus, Бутырка, p=bʊˈtɨrkə), is a prison in the Tverskoy District of central Moscow, Russia. In Imperial Russia it served as the central transit prison. During the Soviet Uni ...

. An order dating to 7 January 1947, stripped him of his decorations.

Footnotes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Truhin, Fyodor 1896 births 1946 deaths 1940s missing person cases Frunze Military Academy alumni Soviet major generals Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Soviet military personnel of World War II Executed Russian collaborators with Nazi Germany People executed by the Soviet Union by hanging Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner People from Kostroma Nobility from the Russian Empire Russian Liberation Army personnel Executed military leaders Inmates of Butyrka prison National Alliance of Russian Solidarists members German Army generals of World War II