Pyotr Nikolayevich Shabelsky-Bork (russian: Пётр Николаевич Шабельский-Борк, 5 May 1893 – 18 August 1952) was a

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

officer and writer, active in far-right and anti-Semitic politics in early 20th-century Europe, best known for the assassination of

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: link=no, Владимир Владимирович Набоков ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Bor ...

, father of the novelist of the same name, in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

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 (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

until the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, 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. ...

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 relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

until his death in 1952.

Biography

Pyotr Nikolaevich Popov was born on 5 May 1893, in

Kislovodsk Kislovodsk (russian: Кислово́дск, lit. ''sour waters''; ; krc, Ачысуу) is a spa city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, in the North Caucasus region of Russia which is located between the Black and Caspian Seas. Population: History ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, 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) (russian: Союз русского народа, translit=Soyuz russkogo naroda; СРН/SRN) is a loyalist far-right nationalist political party, the most important among Black-Hundredist monarchist politic ...

, and was an editor of a Black Hundreds periodical published in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. Popov studied at the

University of Kharkiv The Kharkiv University or Karazin University ( uk, Каразінський університет), or officially V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University ( uk, Харківський національний університет імені ...

before joining the Imperial Russian Army during the outbreak of

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1914, serving at the rank of second lieutenant in the Ingush Cavalry Regiment of the

Caucasian Native Cavalry Division The Caucasian Native Cavalry Division (russian: Кавказская туземная конная дивизия), or "Savage Division" (russian: Дикая дивизия) was a cavalry division of the Imperial Russian Army. Formed on 23 August ...

. After the February Revolution Popov retired from the military, but after the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

in 1917 he was imprisoned by the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

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 Fyodor Viktorovich Vinberg (russian: Фёдор Викторович Винберг; – 14 February 1927) was a right-wing Russian military officer, publisher and journalist. Early life Born in Kiev in the family of a general with German ba ...

, 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 where they emigrated to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

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

Ukrainian nationalist Ukrainian nationalism refers to the promotion of the unity of Ukrainians as a people and it also refers to the promotion of the identity of Ukraine as a nation state. The nation building that arose as nationalism grew following the French Revol ...

troops belonging to

Symon Petliura Symon Vasylyovych Petliura ( uk, Си́мон Васи́льович Петлю́ра; – May 25, 1926) was a Ukrainian politician and journalist. He became the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Army and the President of the Ukrainian Peop ...

Germany

Popov adopted the

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

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

Protocols of Zion ''The Protocols of the Elders of Zion'' () or ''The Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion'' is a fabricated antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for global domination. The hoax was plagiarized from several ...

''. 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; russian: Серге́й Алекса́ндрович Ни́лус; – 14 January 1929) was a Russian religious writer and self-described mystic. His book ''Velikoe v malom i antik ...

's book was published.

Assassination of Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov

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

Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov (russian: Влади́мир Дми́триевич Набо́ков; 21 July Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._8_July.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>O.S._8_July">Old_Style_an ...

during a failed assassination. The intended target, Pavel Milyukov, was a leading member of the

Constitutional Democratic Party The Constitutional Democratic Party (russian: Конституцио́нно-демократи́ческая па́ртия, translit=Konstitutsionno-demokraticheskaya partiya, K-D), also called Constitutional Democrats and formally the Party of P ...

(commonly known as the Kadets), a Russian

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to Left-w ...

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, e.g. Jewish quotas, to which European Jews were then subject, and the recognition of Jews as entitled to equality and citizenship rights. It in ...

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

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

, and was holding a political conference ''

in absentia is Latin for absence. , a legal term, is Latin for "in the absence" or "while absent". may also refer to: * Award in absentia * Declared death in absentia, or simply, death in absentia, legally declared death without a body * Election in ab ...

'' in Berlin. Nabokov attempted to stop the assassination, but was shot twice by Taboritsky and died instantly. For the crime, Shabelsky-Bork and Taboritsky received a sentence of 14 years imprisonment by German authorities, but were released shortly after commencing their sentence due to an amnesty.

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 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and the

National Socialist German Workers Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

(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 ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, and was involved in the production of

and Orthodox Christian publications across

until his death from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

on 18 August 1952.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shabelsky-Bork, Pyotr 1893 births 1952 deaths People from Kislovodsk People from Kuban Oblast Russian military personnel of World War I National University of Kharkiv alumni Russian anti-communists Russian people convicted of murder White Russian emigrants to Germany Prisoners and detainees of Germany White Russian emigrants to Argentina German monarchists 20th-century Russian criminals 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis 20th-century Russian journalists Tuberculosis deaths in Argentina Russian fascists German fascists