Lavr Kornilov

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Lavr Kornilov in 1917

Lavr Georgiyevich Kornilov (Russian: Лавр Георгиевич Корнилов) (August 18, 1870–April 13, 1918) was a senior Russian army general during World War I and the ensuing Russian Civil War. He is today best remembered for the Kornilov Affair, an unsuccessful attempt in August/September 1917 to "save" Alexander Kerensky's Provisional Government from what he thought was a Bolshevik coup.

A Cossack born in Kazakhstan (then Russian Turkestan), Kornilov was a career officer in the Imperial Russian army. Between 1890 and 1904 he led several exploration missions in Eastern Turkestan, Afghanistan and Persia and learned several Central Asian languages. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 he was awarded Cross of St. George for bravery and promoted to the rank of colonel.

He served as military attache in China from 1907-11 and with a rank of major general commanded an infantry division at the start of World War I, but was captured by the Austrians in April 1915. Escaping in July 1916, he was given command of the Petrograd Military District in March 1917 after the overthrow of Czar Nicholas II and appointed Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Provisional Government's armed forces in July of that year.

General Kornilov shared the widespread belief of many Russians that the country was descending into anarchy after the February Revolution and that military defeat would be disastrous for Russian pride and honour. Lenin and his 'German spies', he announced, should be hanged, the Soviets stamped out, military discipline restored and the provisional government 'restructured'. He thought, thanks to unclear and perhaps deliberately distorted communications from Petrograd, that Kerensky had authorized him to impose order in the capital and restructure the government, and ordered the Third Corps to Petrograd to place it under martial law. Kerensky dismissed his commander-in-chief from his post on September 9, claiming Kornilov intended to set up a military dictatorship. Kornilov, convinced Kerensky had been taken prisoner by the Bolsheviks and was acting under duress, replied by issuing a call to all Russians to "save their dying land."

After the alleged coup failed, Kornilov was placed under house arrest. The Bolsheviks seized power shortly thereafter. Again escaping from his imprisonment, Kornilov made his way to the Don region, where he helped in the formation of the anti-Bolshevik Volunteer Army at Novocherkassk with General Mikhail Alekseev. Kornilov was killed during fighting against Red forces at the Kuban capital Ekaterinodar in April 1918 when a shell landed on his headquarters. He was buried in Ekaterinodar. After the Bolsheviks took over the city, they unearthed Kornilov's coffin and made a public mockery of his remains.