Nykyfor Oleksandrovych Hryhoriv (or Grigoryev, real surname Servetnyk; – 27 July 1919) was a Ukrainian military leader noted for repeatedly switching sides during the

Ukrainian War of Independence The Ukrainian War of Independence, also referred to as the Ukrainian–Soviet War in Ukraine, lasted from March 1917 to November 1921 and was part of the wider Russian Civil War. It saw the establishment and development of an independent Ukr ...

and Soviet-Ukrainian war. He is today considered one of the most influential rebel leaders of the

Otamanshchyna Atamanshchina (), otamanshchyna (), or atamanism is a political situation during the Russian Civil War in Ukraine and in some parts of Russia with absent or weak central power, some areas were ruled by warlords, typically Cossack atamans. In Ukrain ...

phenomenon.

Biography

Nykyfor Oleksandrovych Servetnyk was born in 1884 in the small village of , in the

Podolia Governorate Podolia Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Southwestern Krai of the Russian Empire. It bordered Volhynian Governorate to the north, Kiev Governorate to the east, Kherson Governorate to the southeast, Bessar ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. He studied at a feldsher school, but interrupted his studies to volunteer for the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

and fight in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

. After demobilization, he worked in

Oleksandriia Oleksandriia (, ) is a city in Kirovohrad Oblast, central Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Oleksandriia Raion and . Oleksandriia is located within the Kryvyi Rih metropolitan area. In 2001, it had a population of 93,357, a ...

as an excise officer. During

World War I 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 ...

, he was initially a

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 ...

in the 56th Zhytomyr Infantry Regiment, eventually rising to the rank of

staff captain Staff captain is the English translation of a number of military ranks: Historical use of the rank Czechoslovakia In the Czechoslovak Army, until 1953, staff captain (, ) was a senior captain rank, ranking between captain and major. Estonia T ...

and awarded 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 ...

. During this time, he changed his surname to the ''

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

'' Hryhoriv.

Revolution

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 ...

and the overthrow of the tsar, Hryhoriv was active in the military committees. He then deserted from the army and returned to Oleksandriia. At the end of 1917, he created a volunteer regiment of the

Ukrainian People's Army The Ukrainian People's Army (), also known as the Ukrainian National Army (UNA) or by the derogatory term Petliurivtsi (, ), was the army of the Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–1921). They were often quickly reorganized units of the former I ...

, for which he received the rank of lieutenant colonel from

Symon Petliura Symon Vasyliovych Petliura (; – 25 May 1926) was a Ukrainian politician and journalist. He was the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian People's Army (UNA) and led the Ukrainian People's Republic during the Ukrainian War of Independence, a pa ...

. Petliura also instructed him to create more units in

Yelysavethrad Kropyvnytskyi (, ) is a city in central Ukraine, situated on the Inhul, Inhul River. It serves as the administrative center of Kirovohrad Oblast. Population: Over its history, Kropyvnytskyi has changed its name several times. The settlement ...

. Hryhoriv initially supported the seizure of power by

Pavlo Skoropadskyi Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi (; – 26 April 1945) was a Ukrainian aristocrat, military and state leader, who served as the Hetman of all Ukraine, hetman of the Ukrainian State throughout 1918 following a 1918 Ukrainian coup d'état, coup d'éta ...

and the establishment of the

Ukrainian State The Ukrainian State (), sometimes also called the Second Cossack Hetmanate, Hetmanate (), was an Anti-communism, anti-Bolshevik government that existed on most of the modern territory of Ukraine (except for Western Ukraine) from 29 April to 14 ...

, under the protection of the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

. But he later founded a peasant detachment to fight against the new regime and re-established contact with Petliura. In November 1918, as the

Imperial German (, literally translated ) is an archaic term for those ethnic Germans who resided within the German state that was founded in 1871. In contemporary usage, it referred to German citizens, the word signifying people from the German ', i.e., Imp ...

and Austrian armies were withdrawing from Ukraine, an anti-Skoropadskyi uprising broke out in the

Dnieper basin The Dnieper Basin is the drainage basin of the Dnieper River, covering an area of . Its water resources compose around 80% of the total for all Ukraine. Geography The Dnieper Basin lies within Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. It borders on the Vol ...

. The Directory headed by Volodymyr Vynnychenko and Semen Petlura came to power. The troops under the command of Hryhoriv captured and

, after which he declared himself the

otaman Ataman (variants: ''otaman'', ''wataman'', ''vataman''; ; ) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. In the Russian Empire, the term was the official title of the supreme military commanders of the Cossack armies. The Ukrai ...

of the insurgent forces of "the land of

Kherson Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...

Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia, formerly known as Aleksandrovsk or Oleksandrivsk until 1921, is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia ...

and

Taurida The recorded history of the Crimean Peninsula, historically known as ''Tauris'', ''Taurica'' (), and the ''Tauric Chersonese'' (, "Tauric Peninsula"), begins around the 5th century BCE when several Greek colonies were established along its coast ...

", although he actually controlled only Kherson. Hryhoriv's 6,000-strong force rejoined the Ukrainian People's Army as a separate division under the command of otaman Oleksandr Hrekov, but his command over these units was limited.

In the ranks of the Red Army

Following the

1919 Soviet invasion of Ukraine The Soviet invasion of Ukraine was a major offensive by the Ukrainian Front of the Red Army against the Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) during the Soviet–Ukrainian War. The invasion was first planned in November 1918, after the Council of ...

, the

Directorate Directorate may refer to: Contemporary *Directorates of the Scottish Government * Directorate-General, a type of specialised administrative body in the European Union * Directorate-General for External Security, the French external intelligence ag ...

lost control over much of Ukraine and Hryhoriv decided to join the side of the victorious

Bolsheviks 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, ...

, as Petliura had not allowed him to attack the Allied intervention forces landing in

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

. On 2 February 1919, more than a month after the proclamation of the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

and three days before the capture of

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

by 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 ...

, Hryhoriv agreed to recognize the suzerainty of the government of the Ukrainian SSR and the command of the Red Army in Ukraine. He also agreed to transform his troops into regular units. The units commanded by him took the name of the 1st Trans-Dnieper Brigade and in a short time forced the forces loyal to the Directorate to withdraw from

Kryvyi Rih Kryvyi Rih ( ; , ), also known as Krivoy Rog ( ), is a city in central Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Kryvyi Rih Raion and its subordinate Kryvyi Rih urban hromada in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The city is part of the Kryvyi Rih Metropo ...

Znamianka Znamianka (, ) is a city in central Ukraine, Kropyvnytskyi Raion, Kirovohrad Oblast. It hosts the administration of Znamianka urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: It is located about halfway between the regional center Kr ...

and Yelizavethrad. Hryhoriv's move to the side of the Red Army forced the Ukrainian People's Army to withdraw to

Podolia Podolia or Podillia is a historic region in Eastern Europe located in the west-central and southwestern parts of Ukraine and northeastern Moldova (i.e. northern Transnistria). Podolia is bordered by the Dniester River and Boh River. It features ...

and

Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...

. On 2–10 March 1919, Hryhoriv fought a fierce, ultimately victorious battle for Kherson against the Allied interventionists. Then, on 15 March, acting against the orders of the Ukrainian Front's commander

Vladimir Antonov-Ovseyenko Vladimir Alexandrovich Antonov-Ovseenko (; ; 9 March 1883 – 10 February 1938), real surname Ovseenko, party aliases 'Bayonet' () and 'Nikita' (), literary pseudonym A. Galsky (), was a prominent Bolshevik leader, Soviet statesman, mili ...

, he captured

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( ), also known as Nikolaev ( ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and a hromada (municipality) in southern Ukraine. Mykolaiv is the Administrative centre, administrative center of Mykolaiv Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) and Myk ...

, which was actually controlled by the local Bolsheviks. On 6 April 1919, Hryhoriv's brigade captured Odesa, which had been abandoned the day before by French intervention troops. On the spot, Hryhoriv allowed his troops to commit

looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

and transport the stolen goods to their place of origin.

Anti-Bolshevik Uprising

The successes achieved by Hryhoriv meant that, after the capture of Odesa, he was appointed commander of the newly established , and he was proposed to be 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 ...

. At the same time, his attitude and the conduct of his troops aroused increasing criticism among local Bolshevik commanders, especially when Hryhoriv unexpectedly did not support 's troops on their march towards

Tiraspol Tiraspol (, ; also /; , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Transnistria, a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the third-largest city. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River. Tiraspol is a regional hub of cul ...

Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko Vladimir Alexandrovich Antonov-Ovseenko (; ; 9 March 1883 – 10 February 1938), real surname Ovseenko, party aliases 'Bayonet' () and 'Nikita' (), literary pseudonym A. Galsky (), was a prominent Bolshevik leader, Soviet statesman, mili ...

, fearing for both Hryhoriv's loyalty and that of

Nestor Makhno Nestor Ivanovych Makhno (, ; 7 November 1888 – 25 July 1934), also known as Bat'ko Makhno ( , ), was a Ukrainians, Ukrainian anarchist revolutionary and the commander of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine during the Ukrainian War o ...

anarchists Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or hierarchy, primarily targeting the state and capitalism. Anarchism advocates for the replacement of the state w ...

, decided to entrust him with the prestigious task of marching against Romanian forces in

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

. During a meeting with Antonov-Ovseenko, Hryhoriv attacked the policy of the Bolshevik authorities in Ukraine, particularly food requisitions, but ultimately committed to leading his troops in towards Bessarabia. However, Hryhoriv actually sent his troops for a three-week "

rest REST (Representational State Transfer) is a software architectural style that was created to describe the design and guide the development of the architecture for the World Wide Web. REST defines a set of constraints for how the architecture of ...

", allowing the soldiers to return to their places of origin. His brigade scattered throughout Kherson, taking weapons, equipment and supplies, and for the next three weeks his soldiers engaged in looting. They also committed antisemitic pogroms and murdered activists of local party committees. Hryhoriv's troops then stopped recognizing the Bolshevik command. They began to distribute leaflets, which called on peasants to fight against the Bolsheviks in the ranks of "otaman Hryhoriv's partisans". In Yelizavethrad, Hryhoriv's troops destroyed the party headquarters and disarmed a Red battalion. On 8 May 1919, Hryhoriv issued the

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company that is a subsidiary of Comcast ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of N ...

, in which he called for "the Ukrainian people to take power into their own hands" and proclaimed "the dictatorship of the working people, the power of the people's councils of Ukraine." He called for the organization of village, district and governorate councils, with 80% of seats reserved for

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

, 5% for

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and 15% for other ethnic minorities in each, admitting representatives of all parties and non-party people that supported the concept of council power. He gained some support from the peasants, who turned against the Bolsheviks, refusing to accept forced food requisitions and repressions by the

Cheka The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission ( rus, Всероссийская чрезвычайная комиссия, r=Vserossiyskaya chrezvychaynaya komissiya, p=fsʲɪrɐˈsʲijskəjə tɕrʲɪzvɨˈtɕæjnəjə kɐˈmʲisʲɪjə, links=yes), ...

. At the beginning of May, Hryhoriv's armed forces seized the area between

Katerynoslav Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

Kremenchuk Kremenchuk (; , , also spelt Kremenchug, ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The city serves as the administrative center of Kremenchuk Raion and Kremenchuk urban hromada within ...

and

Cherkasy Cherkasy (, ) is a city in central Ukraine. Cherkasy serves as the administrative centre of Cherkasy Oblast as well as Cherkasy Raion within the oblast. The city has a population of Cherkasy is the cultural, educational and industrial centre ...

. At the same time, Katerynoslav was handed over to the otaman by the Black Sea Regiment of sailor Orlov, until then fighting on the side of the Reds. Hryhoriv was also joined by sailors in Mykolaiv and

Ochakiv Ochakiv (, ), also known as Ochakov (; ; or, archaically, ) and Alektor (), is a small city in Mykolaiv Raion, Mykolaiv Oblast (region) of southern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Ochakiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. ...

, and even found some support in

. At its peak, he commanded 15–23,000 people. On 10 May, the defense council of the Ukrainian SSR declared Hryhoriv to be an

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

. On 15 May 1919, Red troops under the command of Oleksandr Parkhomenko recaptured Katerynoslav, but then they were quickly driven out of it again. Nevertheless, after the first clashes with the Red Army, Hryhoriv's troops began to surrender or return to the Reds' command. The main grouping of Hryhoriv's forces was defeated in battle at Kamianka. By the end of May 1919, Hryhoriv's rebellion was suppressed by the Red Army, the area he occupied was again under the control of the Bolsheviks, and the forces led by him shrunk to 3,000. However, his uprising had led to the collapse of the Ukrainian Front of the Red Army, contributed to the defeat of the Reds by the

Armed Forces of South Russia The Armed Forces of South Russia (AFSR or SRAF) () were the unified military forces of the White movement in southern Russia between 1919 and 1920. On 8 January 1919, the Armed Forces of South Russia were formed, incorporating the Volunteer Ar ...

in the Battle for the Donbas, and prevented the Red Army from marching further towards Bessarabia in support of the

Hungarian Soviet Republic The Hungarian Soviet Republic, also known as the Socialist Federative Soviet Republic of Hungary was a short-lived communist state that existed from 21 March 1919 to 1 August 1919 (133 days), succeeding the First Hungarian Republic. The Hungari ...

. Hryhoriv's supporters managed to hold on to

Beryslav Beryslav (, ) is a city in Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Beryslav Raion, housing the district's local administration buildings. Beryslav hosts the administration of Beryslav urban hromada, one of ...

Kakhovka Kakhovka (, ) is a port city on the Dnieper River in Kakhovka Raion, Kherson Oblast, of southern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of the Kakhovka urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. It had a population of Kakhovka has been under ...

and Nikopol for some time, attacking military transports going to

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

and raiding towards Oleksandriia. In June 1919,

met with Hryhoriv, proposing a joint fight against both the Red and White armies. Both commanders decided to join forces, but their agreement quickly collapsed. Hryhoriv considered going over to the side of the Whites and subordinating himself to

Anton Denikin Anton Ivanovich Denikin (, ; – 7 August 1947) was a Russian military leader who served as the Supreme Ruler of Russia, acting supreme ruler of the Russian State and the commander-in-chief of the White movement–aligned armed forces of Sout ...

, which the Makhnovists considered a betrayal. Hryhoriv was shot and his troops joined Makhno's forces.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

Encyclopedia of Ukraine article

Bio in Russian

Universal of Hryhoriv
* Timkov, O.
Otaman Grigoryev: Truth and Myth
'. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hryhoriv, Nykyfor 1884 births 1919 deaths 20th-century executions Executed military leaders Executed mass murderers Executed Ukrainian people People from Khmelnytskyi Oblast People from Letichevsky Uyezd People of the Russian Revolution People of the Russian Civil War Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class Recipients of the Cross of St. George Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Russian military personnel of World War I Ukrainian guerrillas Ukrainian military leaders Ukrainian mass murderers Ukrainian people of World War I Ukrainian People's Army officers Ukrainian revolutionaries Ukrainian war criminals People murdered in Ukraine 20th-century Ukrainian people Perpetrators of pogroms in the Russian Civil War