Yrjö Elfvengren (8 September 1889 – 10 June 1927) was a Finnish
nobleman
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...
and white officer who was Chairman of the Provisional Committee of the unrecognized state of the
Republic of North Ingria.
Background
Georg Elfvengren's father was the Finnish Colonel Uno-Eugen Elfvengren of the Russian army, who served as the military commissar of Pori from 1903 to 1905 and as the commander of the Turku and Pori military district from 1905 to 1908. Elfvengren studied at the
Naval Cadet School and the
Imperial Alexander Cadet Corps from 1900 to 1906, where he faced difficulties due to his poor command of the
Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
language. On August 15, 1908, he entered the
Nikolayev Cavalry School, from which he graduated on August 6, 1911. From 1911 to 1913, Georg Elfvengren served as a cornet in the
Life Guard Cuirassier Regiment, based in
Gatchina
Gatchina (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-south-west of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which links Saint Petersburg and Pskov. Population: It was pr ...
near St. Petersburg.
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 ...
, Georg Elfvengren successfully engaged in reconnaissance activities behind enemy lines. He was awarded the fourth class of the
Order of St. George
The Order of Saint George () is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. It was originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) as the highest military decoration of the Russian Empire for commiss ...
for his service. After being wounded, he was transferred to the
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo (, , ) was the town containing a former residence of the Russian House of Romanov, imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of Saint Petersburg. The residence now forms part of the Pushkin, Saint Peter ...
military hospital. Following the murder of
Grigori Rasputin
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian Mysticism, mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II of Russia, Nicholas II, the last Emperor of all the Russias, Emperor of Russia, th ...
, he was briefly detained for investigation, mainly due to his acquaintance with
Felix Yusupov
Knyaz Felix Felixovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston (; – 27 September 1967) was a Russian aristocrat from the House of Yusupov who is best known for participating in the assassination of Grigori Rasputin and for marrying Princess Irina ...
and
Vladimir Purishkevich
Vladimir Mitrofanovich Purishkevich (, ; – 1 February 1920) was a Russian politician and right-wing extremist known for his monarchist, ultra-nationalist, antisemitic and anticommunist views. He helped lead the paramilitary Black Hundreds duri ...
, a representative of the
State Duma
The State Duma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly (Russia), Federal Assembly of Russia, with the upper house being the Federation Council (Russia), Federation Council. It was established by the Constitution of Russia, Constitution of t ...
, and suspicion of involvement in the planning of the murders of Empress
Alexandra
Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...
and
Anna Vyrubova
Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova (''née'' Taneyeva; ; 16 July 1884 – 20 July 1964) was a lady-in-waiting in the late Russian Empire, the best friend and confidante of Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna.
Early life
Anna Alexandrovna Taneeva was born in ...
. He was released after the
February Revolution
The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...
in March 1917.
Anti Bolshevik action, 1917–1918
During the time of the Russian Provisional Government and Kerensky's administration in 1917, Elfvengren became the vice-chairman of the Order of the Cross of St. George. Its purpose was to oppose the Bolsheviks while keeping Russia in the war alongside Britain and France. After the October Revolution in November 1917, on January 14, 1918, Elfvengren participated in a terrorist act against Lenin along with other frontline officers. In late January to early February, he became the leader of the Crimean Tatars fighting against the Soviet government.
Commander of the North Ingrian Regiment
In June 1919, the interim committee of
North Ingria
The Republic of Kirjasalo (), commonly known as the Republic of North Ingria () was a short-lived unrecognized state from 9 July 1919 to 5/6 December 1920.Most Finnish-language sources state 5 December 1920 as the date when the republic was diss ...
came to request Elfvengren to become the commander of the North Ingrian Regiment, to which he agreed. The committee held control of the
Kirjasalo area. At that time, the regiment consisted of 580 personnel. In July 1919, the North Ingrian Regiment conquered the border zone but suffered a defeat and had to retreat.
The next attack occurred on October 21, 1919, with 1,700 soldiers in cooperation with
Nikolai Yudenich
Nikolai Nikolayevich Yudenich ( Russian: Николай Николаевич Юденич; – 5 October 1933) was a commander of the Russian Imperial Army during World War I. He was a leader of the anti-communist White movement in northweste ...
. The attackers succeeded in capturing the Kuivaisi position, Lempaala, and Miikkulainen on the shores of Lake Ladoga. However, a counterattack by the Soviet Russians forced them to retreat, and the North Ingrian Regiment withdrew back to
Kirjasalo
Kirjasalo () is an abandoned village in Vsevolozhsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It was located between the Volchya River and the on the Karelian Isthmus. Its population was largely composed of Lutheran Ingrian Finns, and the region bel ...
. The regiment also retained control of the Raasuli position. After this, Elfvengren was elected chairman of the interim committee of North Ingria.
Upon Elfvengren's assumption of leadership, the relations between the interim committee of North Ingria and the
Northwestern Army were strengthened. A military hospital and a newspaper named
Kirjasalo Sanomat were established.
Opponent of the Russian Soviet Government, 1920–1923
In February 1920, under pressure from Finland, Elfvengren resigned from the chairmanship of the interim committee of North Ingria, after which he collaborated with the Commander-in-Chief of the
White Army of South Russia,
Pyotr Wrangel
Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel (, ; ; 25 April 1928), also known by his nickname the Black Baron, was a Russian military officer of Baltic German origin in the Imperial Russian Army. During the final phase of the Russian Civil War, he was c ...
, and the
Socialist Revolutionary
Revolutionary socialism is a political philosophy, doctrine, and tradition within socialism that stresses the idea that a social revolution is necessary to bring about structural changes in society. More specifically, it is the view that revolut ...
Boris Savinkov
Boris Viktorovich Savinkov (; 31 January 1879 – 7 May 1925) was a Russian revolutionary, writer, and politician. As a leading figure in the Socialist Revolutionary Party's (SR) Combat Organization in the early 20th century, he was a key organ ...
. He was in contact with the rebels of the
Kronstadt rebellion
The Kronstadt rebellion () was a 1921 insurrection of Soviet sailors, Marines, naval infantry, and civilians against the Bolsheviks, Bolshevik government in the Russian port city of Kronstadt. Located on Kotlin Island in the Gulf of Finland, ...
and the counter-revolutionary group led by Tagantsev. In 1921, Wrangel promoted Elfvengren to the rank of major general in the White Army. In June 1921, together with Boris Savinkov, he established the ''
Citizens' Union for the Protection of Fatherland and Freedom'' in
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 ...
, aimed at overthrowing the Soviet government.
Elfvengren was responsible for clandestine activities in Northwestern Russia, Finland, and the
Baltics
The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...
. In 1922, the organization attempted to assassinate the Soviet Foreign Minister
Georgy Chicherin
Georgy Vasilyevich Chicherin (or Tchitcherin; ; 24 November 1872 – 7 July 1936) was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and a Soviet politician who served as the first People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs in the Soviet government from March 1918 ...
in
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, but the plot failed. Elfvengren has been alleged to have been involved in the assassination of Soviet diplomat
in 1923 in
Lausanne
Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
. Elfvengren resigned from the union in 1923, and the following year, Boris Savinkov was arrested in Moscow, where he had secretly arrived.
Elfvengren subsequently worked as a businessman in Helsinki, but there is little information about his activities in his final years. In 1925, Elfvengren secretly traveled to Russia but was discovered and arrested by the
OGPU
The Joint State Political Directorate ( rus, Объединённое государственное политическое управление, p=ɐbjɪdʲɪˈnʲɵn(ː)əjə ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əjə pəlʲɪˈtʲitɕɪskəjə ʊprɐˈv ...
. He was executed by firing squad in June 1927 in Moscow. At the same time, 19 other individuals accused of counter-revolutionary activities were also executed in response to the assassination of Soviet diplomat
Pyotr Voykov
Pyotr Lazarevich Voykov (; ; party aliases: Пётрусь and Интеллигент, or ''Piotrus'' and '' Intelligent'') ( – June 7, 1927) was a Ukrainian Bolshevik revolutionary and Soviet diplomat known as one of the participants in ...
, including several members of Russian noble families.
Voikovin murha saa kaameita jälkiseurauksia
Helsingin Sanomat, 11.06.1927, nro 155, s. 5, Kansalliskirjaston digitaaliset aineistot
References
Yrjö Elfvengren, the soldier of Russia and Finland
Russian
Finnish
1889 births
1927 deaths
People from Sortavala
Military personnel from Viipuri Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)
Military personnel of the Russian Empire
Russian military personnel of World War I
People of the Finnish Civil War (White side)
Belarusian diplomats
Finnish military officers
Executed Finnish people
History of the Karelian Isthmus
Ingria
Finnish people executed by the Soviet Union
Russian people of Finnish descent
Russian people of Belarusian descent
Finnish people of Belarusian descent
Executed Russian people
Graduates of the Nicholas Cavalry College
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