Yashka Koshelkov vs Lenin: How the leader of the proletariat nearly lost his life at the hands of a criminal

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Several attempts were made on the leader of the world proletariat. Among their organizers were the émigré Prince Dmitry Shakhovskoy, the Petrograd Union of the Cavaliers of St. George, and radical Social Revolutionaries. But, paradoxically, the greatest chances to change the course of history were given to an ordinary criminal: in January 1919, Lenin almost fell victim to Yakov Koshelkov's gang. Vladimir Ilyich miraculously managed to stay alive and get off with a robbery.

Rampant crime at the dawn of the formation of the Soviet state, or what the "victims of tsarism" were doing

The February Revolution brought tangible social changes to Russia. Together with political prisoners, a huge number of criminals were released from prisons, who were classified as "victims of tsarism." The crooks and robbers, contrary to the authorities' hopes for an "internal rebirth", did not intend to live honestly and returned to their usual environment, exacerbating the criminal situation in the country.

The First World War also had a profound impact. The protracted hostilities at the front, accompanied by devastation and famine, demanded paramount attention. There was simply not enough time and energy to eliminate the criminal elements. In addition, the imperial police apparatus was abolished, and the people's revolutionary militia was created instead of the gendarme corps and the police department. The people recruited into it had absolutely no experience in the fight against crime. As a result, despite the existence of official power, criminal groups became the real masters of the cities. One of the most famous among them was the gang led by Yakov Koshelkov.

A professional thief, or how Yashka Koshelkov earned prestige among the bandits

Choosing his path in life, Yanka Kuznetsov had a serious example before his eyes - his father. His parent was engaged in robbery and robbery on such a scale, for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment and exiled to Siberia. Jacob began his criminal activity with burglaries and by the age of 23 he had perfected his professional skills so much that he ended up in the police file as a daring recidivist burglar.

In 1916, a 26-year-old boy named Yashka Koshelkov was detained and, like his father, was sent to Siberia. The young man did not stay up for a long time in hard labor. Soon after the February Revolution, he fled and, deciding to do something more serious than burglary, headed to Moscow. There he quickly found his bearings, established relations with crime bosses from Khitrovka and put together his own gang.

At first, the raiders operated in Sokolniki, but gradually their influence spread to other areas of the city. Over time, Yakov managed to subdue the bandit groups of almost all of Moscow. Impudence and luck brought him fame in the criminal world and a new nickname - Yashka Korol.

Crime of the century, or how Yashka Koshelkov managed to rob Lenin himself

Despite his luck, Jacob was unable to avoid arrest. In Vyazma, he was identified by Cheka officers, detained and sent under escort to Moscow.

The bandits managed to repulse their leader, who at the same time shot and killed two accompanying persons. Koshelkov realized that the murder of the Chekists would not be forgiven and he had nothing to lose. Therefore, in order to achieve his goal, he began to use weapons without the slightest hesitation.

In January 1919, Yanka and his accomplices needed a car to carry out the planned robbery. Ironically, Vladimir and Maria Ulyanov were in the first car they came across. Taking the armed men for the Red Army patrol, Lenin instructed the driver to stop. When they dragged him out of the car by force, Vladimir Ilyich protested, introduced himself and even presented his documents. Fortunately, due to the noise of the engine, Koshelkov did not hear the name, so he limited himself to taking Lenin's license and weapons, and then dropped everyone off and drove off in a "requisitioned" car.

Only at a considerable distance from the scene did Yakov pay attention to the seized documents and realized who was in his hands. He immediately ordered to return to take the leader of the revolution hostage, hoping to receive a huge ransom and achieve the release of all prisoners from Butyrka. But by this time Lenin with his sister, driver and guard had managed to raise the alarm, and the Chekists and Red Army men came to their aid.

How the hunt for Yashka ended, and how the impudent criminal paid for his act

Criminal investigation officers and security officers took the raid on Lenin as a slap in the face. Deputy Chairman of the Cheka Yakov Peters called for all efforts to be thrown into the capture of unbelievable bandits.

Purses and his accomplices became enemies of the state, and a real hunt began on them. In February, several people from the criminal group were liquidated. However, in response to this, Jacob staged a real terror. Having learned the address of one of the Cheka officers involved in his search, he and his accomplices broke into his apartment and staged a judicial farce, after which he personally shot the Chekist in front of his relatives. And then he killed two more people who were tracking the bandit "raspberry".

On May 1, the attackers managed to intimidate Muscovites, committing the bloodiest robbery of the early twentieth century. In the evening, on the street, the "koshelkovtsy", threatening with pistols, demanded money and valuables from passers-by, and then opened fire on the law enforcement officers who arrived in time. Three policemen were killed and dozens of passers-by were injured.

Hope to find Koshelkov appeared when his girlfriend was among several people arrested on suspicion of falsifying documents and trafficking in cocaine. The woman agreed to assist in the capture of Yashka, and soon the ring around his gang began to shrink.

The end of the atrocities of the criminals came in July 1919. The Murovtsy laid siege to the house on Bozhedomka, but the bandits hiding there refused to surrender. In the shootout, several of Koshelkov's accomplices were killed, and he himself was mortally wounded. With him, they found Lenin's Browning, and in the apartment - a diary, in which Yashka regretted that at one time he had not dealt with the leader of the revolution.

There are also rare photographs from the time of the October coup, in which the leader of the world proletariat is captured.