Pyotr Krasnov Facts for Kids

In this article, the patronymic is Nikolayevich and the family name is Krasnov.

Quick facts for kids Pyotr Krasnov
Lieutenant-general Pyotr Krasnov, before 1919
Born	(1869-09-22)22 September 1869 Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Died	16 January 1947(1947-01-16) (aged 77) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Cause of death	Execution by hanging

Allegiance	Russian Empire (1888–1917) Don Republic (White Movement) (1918–1920) Nazi Germany (1933–1944) Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (1944–1945)
Service/branch	Imperial Russian Army Don Army (White Movement) German Army Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia
Years of service	1888–1945
Rank	Generalleutnant
Battles/wars	Russo-Japanese War World War I Russian Civil War World War II
Awards	see awards
Signature

Pyotr Nikolayevich Krasnov (Russian: Пётр Николаевич Краснов; 22 September 1869 – 17 January 1947) was a Don Cossack officer and historian. He became a Lieutenant General in the Imperial Russian Army during the Russian Revolution of 1917. After the revolution, he was a leader of the White movement, which fought against the Bolsheviks. Later, during World War II, he worked with Nazi Germany and helped organize Cossack forces to fight against the Soviet Union. He was motivated by the harsh treatment of Cossacks by the Soviet government, including forced changes to their culture and land.

Early Military Career
Russian Civil War
Life in Exile
World War II and Collaboration
Repatriation and Execution
Legacy and Debate
Honours and Awards
See also

Early Military Career

Pyotr Krasnov was born in Saint Petersburg on September 22, 1869. His father and grandfather were also generals. In 1888, Krasnov finished military school and joined the Imperial Russian Army. He served in the special Life Guards regiment of the Ataman Cossacks.

Krasnov in 1896

Krasnov also worked as a correspondent for the Imperial Russian Army's newspaper, Russkii Invalid. In 1902, he wrote articles about his travels in Mongolia, China, and Japan. He shared his thoughts on the Japanese army, though some officers felt his views were too quick and not fully accurate.

During World War I, Krasnov led a Cossack brigade and later a cavalry corps. In October 1917, after the October Revolution, he was appointed commander of Cossack troops by Alexander Kerensky, the head of the Russian Provisional Government. Krasnov marched on Petrograd to try and stop the Bolshevik uprising. However, his forces were surrounded, and he was captured, though he was soon released. After this, he went to the Don River region.

Russian Civil War

After being released, Krasnov went to the Don region. In May 1918, he was elected as the Ataman (leader) of the Don Cossack Host. He wanted to use the Russian Civil War to help the Cossacks gain more independence.

Krasnov received support from Germany, which helped him equip his army. By mid-1918, his Don Army had about 40,000 soldiers. They successfully removed the Soviets from the Don region. Krasnov even wrote to German Emperor Wilhelm II, saying the Cossacks had always been friends with Germany.

Krasnov's relationship with the main White movement forces, led by General Anton Denikin, was difficult. Krasnov wanted to be the supreme commander of all White forces, but Denikin refused. Krasnov also wanted Denikin to attack the city of Tsaritsyn (now Volgograd) to protect the Don region from the Soviet Red Army. Denikin, however, had other plans and moved his army south.

In late 1918, Krasnov tried to capture Tsaritsyn on his own but was defeated. After this loss, he returned to the Don region and still refused to fully cooperate with Denikin unless he was made the supreme commander. After Germany lost World War I in November 1918, Krasnov sought help from the Allied powers. However, the Allies only sent weapons to Denikin's Volunteer Army, which then decided if the Don Cossacks would receive any. In January 1919, Krasnov had to accept Denikin's authority over the White movement because of this lack of direct Allied support.

Life in Exile

On February 19, 1919, Krasnov left Russia and went to Western Europe. He first lived in Germany and then moved to France in 1923. There, he continued his activities against the Soviet government. He also helped start an anti-communist group called the Brotherhood of Russian Truth.

While in exile, Krasnov wrote many books, including his famous trilogy From Double Eagle To the Red Flag. This series tells the story of the Russian Revolution and Civil War through the eyes of many different characters. He also wrote historical novels about Cossacks, like their resistance to the French invasion of Russia in 1812 and the conqueror of Siberia, Yermak Timofeyevich. His books were translated into many languages, making him a popular writer.

World War II and Collaboration

During World War II, Krasnov continued to seek an alliance with Germany, this time with Nazi Germany. He was very happy when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, believing it would free Russia from Soviet rule. He began giving pro-Nazi speeches on Radio Berlin, calling the Soviet government "Judeo-Bolsheviks" and portraying German forces as liberators.

In 1943, a German official named Alfred Rosenberg appointed Krasnov to lead the Cossack Central Office. Krasnov was tasked with organizing Cossack units made up of Russian exiles and Soviet prisoners of war to fight for the Nazis. He was respected among many Cossacks because he had been a former ataman of the large Don Cossack Host.

In September 1943, Krasnov spoke to the newly formed 1st Cossack Cavalry Division. The soldiers were upset because they were being sent to fight communist groups in the Balkans instead of on the Eastern Front against the Soviets. Krasnov tried to reassure them, saying that fighting these groups was part of the same struggle against communism.

In March 1944, Rosenberg created a "government-in-exile" for a proposed Nazi puppet state called "Cossackia" in Berlin, with Krasnov as its head. However, Krasnov himself did not fully agree with the idea of a separate Cossack state, as he saw himself as Russian first. Near the end of the war, Krasnov and his men surrendered to British forces in Austria. They were promised they would not be sent back to the Soviets.

Repatriation and Execution

Krasnov in court during his trial

Despite the promise, on May 28, 1945, Pyotr Krasnov was handed over to the Soviets by the British authorities. This event was part of a larger operation called Operation Keelhaul, where many anti-Soviet Russians were sent back to the Soviet Union. Krasnov was taken to Lubyanka prison in Moscow.

He was charged with treason for working with Nazi Germany during World War II and for his role in the Russian Civil War. He was sentenced to death by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union. On January 17, 1947, Pyotr Krasnov was executed. The Soviet newspaper Pravda reported that he admitted to all charges, but this claim cannot be confirmed because his trial was not open to the public.

Legacy and Debate

Pyotr Krasnov remains a controversial figure in Russia. In 2006, a memorial complex was opened in the Rostov region dedicated to Don Cossacks who fought against Soviet power, including those who fought with Hitler. A large bronze statue of Pyotr Krasnov is at the center of this memorial.

However, this monument has caused debate. In 2008, local prosecutors began investigating the monument, stating it might be illegal and promotes fascism. In 2017, activists asked for the monument to Krasnov to be taken down, calling him an accomplice of the Third Reich.

There have been attempts by some nationalist and monarchist groups to have Krasnov officially "rehabilitated" (cleared of charges) in modern Russia. However, the Main Military Prosecutor's Office of Russia has stated that Krasnov and others convicted with him were rightly found guilty and cannot be rehabilitated. In 2008, the leader of the Don Cossacks, Viktor Vodolatsky, also stated that Krasnov's cooperation with Hitler made the idea of his rehabilitation "completely unacceptable."