Grigory Nikitich Vakulenchuk (, , romanized: ''Hryhorii Mykytovych Vakulenchuk'', 1877– 14/27 June 1905) was a Ukrainian sailor in the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...

. He was born in Velyki Korovyntsi (now in

Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast (), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna (), is an Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in northwestern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Zhytomyr. Its population is approximately H ...

). He served on the Russian battleship ''Potemkin''. He was one of nine children. He and his family worked in a sugar factory until the navy conscripted him. He learned to read in radical study circles. He became a member of a sailor patrol in

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

so he could monitor radical meetings while pretending to bring them to light. Once he actually turned away two officers after saying he'd arrested a meeting of radicals the two men had found. On 10/23 June 1905, he had attended a meeting of Tsentralka (the revolutionary sailors' organisation) and had argued in favour of an uprising: "To delay means to fail the revolution. At this moment, everywhere, workers and peasants are striking out. We must join the common fight." His powerful voice and long black moustache added to the effect of his words. On 11/24 June he convinced the Tsentralka leaders to let the ''Potemkin'' lead the Black Sea uprising. After the crew discovered their meat was maggot-ridden, Vakulenchuk called for a boycott rather than a full uprising. Chief Officer Giliarovsky was using marines to threaten the sailors into eating the meat. Vakulenchuk retreated behind a gun turret then handed out guns from the armoury when he saw 30 sailors were going to be executed. He aimed at Giliarovsky, but hit Lieutenant Neupokoyev instead. Giliarovsky shot him in the chest. He managed to disarm Giliarovsky when a petty officer shot him from behind. After the fight, he tried to stand but fell into the sea after which he was rescued and sent to the infirmary. His friend

Afanasi Matushenko Afanasy Nikolayevich Matushenko (; ; 2 May 1879 – ) was a Russian sailor. He was a non-commissioned officer in the Black Sea Fleet, revolutionary socialist, and ringleader of the mutiny on the Russian battleship Potemkin, Russian battleship ''P ...

then led the mutiny. The red flag the sailors hoisted had been hidden on board by Vakulenchuk. Vakulenchuk had thought the mutiny premature because he wanted to wait until they were with the fleet. His funeral in

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

two days later turned into a political demonstration. On his deathbed he asked for his savings (80 roubles) to be split between the sailors and his father. His last words were: "Don't throw it away, Afanasi."Neal Bascomb, Red Mutiny, p. 104. His death and funeral are important incidents in

Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein; (11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, film editor and film theorist. Considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, he was a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. He is no ...

's film ''

Battleship Potemkin '' Battleship Potemkin'' (, ), sometimes rendered as ''Battleship Potyomkin'', is a 1925 Soviet silent epic film produced by Mosfilm. Directed and co-written by Sergei Eisenstein, it presents a dramatization of the mutiny that occurred in 1905 ...

'', where he was played by Aleksandr Antonov.

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*
The revolt on the armoured cruiser "Potemkin"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vakulenchuk, Grigory Potemkin mutiny 1877 births 1905 deaths People from Zhytomyr Oblast Ukrainian sailors People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Russia Ukrainian rebels Imperial Russian Navy personnel Ukrainian revolutionaries