Viktor Leonidovich Pokrovsky () (14 September 1889 – 9 November 1922) was a Russian lieutenant general and one of the leaders of anti-communist counterrevolutionary White Army during the Russian Civil War.
Biography
Viktor Pokrovsky graduated from Pavlovsk army cadet and
Sevastopol aviation military schools. He served in the Russian army during First World War as a pilot and was awarded Order of St. George for bravery.
Russian Civil War
In December 1917, after the October Revolution,
Kuban Ataman Filimonov supported the formation of a volunteer unit under the command of Pokrovsky. On 4 and 6 February, his men won two victories over the Bolsheviks at Enem and Georgie-Afipskaia, killing the Bolshevik leaders Iakovlev and Seradze.
Kuban Rada promoted him to the rank of
colonel after a hero's welcome in
Ekaterinodar. On 27 February, he was made Commander-in-Chief of the Kuban army. However, on 13 March, the army of 3000 soldiers, accompanied by 2000 civilians, was forced to abandon Ekaterinodar. By the end of March, Pokrovsky combined his forces with the
Volunteer Army during the
Ice March.
Pokrovsky's men played a key role in the capture of Tsaritsyn and Kamyshin from the Bolshevik forces in the summer of 1919. Many in the White movement, including military officers, complained about Pokrovsky's penchant to hang prisoners. In September 1918, he had ordered the massacre of 2,500 people near Maykop, including many Red Army prisoners.
Exile
In April 1920, he emigrated from
Crimea because general Wrangel did not appoint him to any key positions at his headquarters. In emigration, he settled in
Bulgaria and continued anti-Soviet activities. On 9 November 1922 he was killed by the Bulgarian police while resisting arrest in a murder investigation.
[Svindine, Nicholas & Leonard Mayhew (Trans.) (1973). The Treasure of the White Army. Paris: Éditions Robert Laffont, S.A.]
See also
