Pyotr Nikolayevich Shabelsky-Bork (, 5 May 1893 – 18 August 1952) was a

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 ...

officer and writer, active in

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

and

anti-Semitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

politics in early 20th-century Europe, best known for the attempted assassination of

Pavel Milyukov Pavel Nikolayevich Milyukov ( rus, Па́вел Никола́евич Милюко́в, p=mʲɪlʲʊˈkof; 31 March 1943) was a Russian historian and liberal politician. Milyukov was the founder, leader, and the most prominent member of the C ...

and resulted killing of

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov ( ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian and American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born in Imperial Russia in 1899, Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Rus ...

, father of the novelist of the same name, in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

on 28 March 1922.Laqueur, Walter. ''Russia and Germany''. 1990, p. 122 Shabelsky-Bork collaborated with the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

until the end of

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 ...

, working thereafter on

monarchist Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. C ...

and Orthodox Christian publications in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

until his death in 1952.

Biography

Pyotr Nikolaevich Popov was born on 5 May 1893, in

Kislovodsk Kislovodsk (; ; ) is a spa city in Stavropol Krai, in the North Caucasus region of Russia which is located between the Black and Caspian Seas. It is part of the Caucasian Mineral Waters region. Demographics Population: Etymology The Rus ...

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 ...

, to a family of wealthy landowners. Popov's mother was a leading member of the

Union of the Russian People The Union of the Russian People (URP) (; СРН/SRN) was a royalist, loyalist Far-right politics, far-right Nationalism, nationalist political party, the most important among Black Hundreds, Black-Hundredist Monarchism, monarchist political organ ...

, and was an editor of a

Black Hundreds The Black Hundreds were reactionary, monarchist, and ultra-nationalist groups in Russia in the early 20th century. They were staunch supporters of the House of Romanov, and opposed any retreat from the autocracy of the reigning monarch. Their na ...

periodical published in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. Popov studied at the

University of Kharkiv The V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (), also known as Kharkiv National University or Karazin University, is a public university in Kharkiv, Ukraine. It was founded in 1804 through the efforts of Vasily Karazin, becoming the second old ...

before joining 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 ...

during the outbreak of

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 ...

in 1914, serving at the rank of second lieutenant in the Ingush Cavalry Regiment of the Caucasian Native Cavalry Division. 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 ...

Popov retired from the military, but after the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

in 1917 he was imprisoned by the

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, ...

for being the member of a

organization, and on 3 January 1918 the Petrograd Revolutionary Tribunal sentenced him to imprisonment and forced community service for a period of nine months. While in prison Popov met with far-right writer Fyodor Viktorovich Vinberg, which subsequently contributed to the emigration. On 1 May 1918, Popov and Vinberg were amnestied on the occasion of "international proletarian solidarity", and shortly after their release travelled to

Kiev 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, ...

where they emigrated to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

with German soldiers retreating from the city after it was captured by

Ukrainian nationalist Ukrainian nationalism (, ) is the promotion of the unity of Ukrainians as a people and the promotion of the identity of Ukraine as a nation state. The origins of modern Ukrainian nationalism emerge during the Cossack uprising against the Poli ...

troops belonging to

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 ...

Germany

Popov adopted the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Pyotr Nikolayevich Shabelsky-Bork, originally for his literary works, which was derived from his godmother Elisaveta Aleksandrovna Shabelskaya-Bork. Soon after his arrival in

, Shabelsky-Bork became closely associated with General

Vasily Biskupsky Vasily Viktorovich Biskupsky (; ; 27 June 1878 – 17 June 1945) was a general in the Russian and Ukrainian armies who, while in exile in Germany, helped finance Adolf Hitler's rise to power. Biskupsky's father was the vice-governor of Tomsk ...

and

Sergey Taboritsky Sergey Vladimirovich Taboritsky (; 12 August 1897 – 16 October 1980) was a Russian journalist, renowned for his nationalist, monarchist, and antisemitic positions. From 1936 to 1945, he was the deputy of the Bureau for the Russian Refugees in ...

, who had also fled from Russia to Germany in the aftermath of World War I. Biskupsky was a leading member of the part of the White Russian émigré community involved in German

politics, which Shabelsky-Bork eventually joined and became an important promoter of the notorious ''

Protocols of Zion ''The Protocols of the Elders of Zion'' is a fabricated text purporting to detail a Jewish plot for global domination. Largely plagiarized from several earlier sources, it was first published in Imperial Russia in 1903, translated into multipl ...

''. Shabelsky-Bork also began working with Fyodor Viktorovich Vinberg, and the two collaborated in the production of a yearbook, ''Luch Sveta'' ("A Ray of Light"). In the third issue of this periodical (May 1920) the complete text of the 1911 edition of

Sergei Nilus Sergei Aleksandrovich Nilus (also ''Sergius'', and variants; ; – 14 January 1929) was a Russian religious writer, self-described mystic, and prolific antisemite. His book ''Velikoe v malom i antikhrist, kak blizkaja politicheskaja vozmozh ...

's book was published.

Attempted assassination of Pavel Milyukov

On 28 March 1922, Shabelsky-Bork and Taboritsky were the two assassins responsible for the death of

Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov (; – 28 March 1922) was a Russian criminologist, journalist, and progressive statesman during the last years of the Russian Empire. He was the father of Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov. Early life ...

during a failed assassination. The intended target,

, was a leading member of the

Constitutional Democratic Party The Constitutional Democratic Party (, K-D), also called Constitutional Democrats and formally the Party of People's Freedom (), was a political party in the Russian Empire that promoted Western constitutional monarchy—among other policies� ...

(commonly known as the Kadets), a Russian

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

centrist Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. It is associated with moderate politics, including people who strongly support moderate policie ...

political party known for their strong support for full citizenship for all of Russia's minorities and

Jewish emancipation Jewish emancipation was the process in various nations in Europe of eliminating Jewish disabilities, to which European Jews were then subject, and the recognition of Jews as entitled to equality and citizenship rights. It included efforts withi ...

. The party had been forced to leave the country after Bolshevik victory in 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 ...

, and was holding a political conference ''in absentia'' in Berlin. Nabokov attempted to stop the assassination, but was shot once by Taboritsky and died instantly. Shabelsky-Bork and Taboritsky were Russian monarchists, and intended to kill Milyukov to "avenge Russian monarchy" according to their own confession during criminal investigation. It's also worthy of note that they both were supporters of the

and were against Milyukov's liberal beliefs generally. Shabelsky-Bork had 2

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

s, likely from his service in

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 ...

and Taboritsky had purchased a revolver at an unknown date. They both had taken a large dose of an unknown

psychoactive drug A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, mind-altering drug, consciousness-altering drug, psychoactive substance, or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that alters psychological functioning by modulating central nervous system acti ...

on the day of the shooting. Shabelsky-Bork and Taboritsky arrived at one of Milyukov's lectures at the stadium after driving from

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

to Berlin. They entered and sat in the third row, eventually Shabelsky-Bork stood up and opened fire at Milyukov. Dr. Asnes, who was next to Milyukov, threw him to the ground in an effort to save him from the bullets. Shabelsky-Bork and Taboritsky then proceeded to jump onto the stage, continuing to fire at Milyukov. Russian criminologist, journalist and progressive statesman,

who was at the scene attacked Shabelsky-Bork, hitting him in the hand in an attempt to disarm him. Taboritsky then fired 3 rounds at

point-blank range Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm or gun can hit a target without the need to elevate the barrel to compensate for bullet drop, i.e. the gun can be pointed horizontally at the target. For targets beyond-blank range ...

toward Nabokov with only 1 round hitting. The bullet pierced Nabokov's chest hitting him in the

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

, killing him instantly. They then began indiscriminately firing into the crowd injuring 9 people. Taboritsky then calmly walked off, changed his outfit to disguise himself and tried to leave but he was seen by a woman who yelled "Here's the killer!" The crowd outnumbered them and they were detained under

citizen's arrest A citizen's arrest is an arrest made by a private citizen – a person who is not acting as a sworn Police officer, law-enforcement official. In common law jurisdictions, the practice dates back to medieval England and the English common law, in wh ...

. The police then arrived arresting them both. The trial took place on July 3–7, 1922 in Berlin Criminal Court in

Moabit Moabit () is an inner city locality in the boroughs of Berlin, borough of Mitte, Berlin, Germany. As of 2022, about 84,000 people lived in Moabit. First inhabited in 1685 and incorporated into Berlin in 1861, the former industrial sector, industr ...

. Taboritsky claimed that he did not shoot and said that Shabelsky-Bork had killed Nabokov although it was determined by witnesses that Taboritsky had shot Nabokov. Taboritsky was sentenced to 14 years of hard labor for "intentionally causing Nabokov serious injuries that caused his death" and Shabelsky-Bork was sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for attempted murder. However, both men only served five years, being released in the spring of 1927.

Collaboration with the Nazis

After his release, Shabelsky-Bork continued his work with far-right political movements in Germany, eventually becoming involved with

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

and the

National Socialist German Workers Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Worker ...

(NSDAP), whom he hoped would restore the monarchy in Germany. When the NSDAP came to power in 1933, Shabelsky-Bork was involved in organizing pro-Nazi groups among the Russian population in Germany such as the ROND (Russian Popular Liberation Movement). At the same time, Shabelsky was living a very meager existence: Biskupsky made various attempts to secure a job for "the most minimal salary" for his protege, however these efforts were fruitless.

Death

In the spring of 1945, in the closing days of

, Shabelsky-Bork fled from Germany after his Berlin home was destroyed during an air raid. Shabelsky-Bork moved to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, and was involved in the production of

and Orthodox Christian publications across

until his death from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

on 18 August 1952. After his death Sergey Taboritsky would write an obituary for him in the Brazilian monarchist newspaper the ''Vladimirsky Vestnik.''

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shabelsky-Bork, Pyotr 1893 births 1952 deaths People from Kislovodsk People from Kuban oblast Assassins from the Russian Empire Russian military personnel of World War I National University of Kharkiv alumni Russian counter-revolutionaries Russian fascists Failed assassins Russian nationalist assassins 20th-century Russian criminals 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis 20th-century Russian journalists Tuberculosis deaths in Argentina Nazis who fled to Argentina People convicted of assault People convicted of attempted murder Russian people imprisoned in Germany Prisoners and detainees of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic White Russian collaborators with Nazi Germany White Russian emigrants to Argentina White Russian emigrants to Germany