Viktor Pokrovsky graduated from
Pavlovsk Army Cadet School and the
Sevastopol Aviation Military School. He served in the Russian army during the
First World War as a pilot and was awarded the
Order of St. George for bravery.
Russian Civil War In December 1917, after the
October Revolution, the
Kuban Ataman Filimonov supported the formation of a volunteer unit under the command of Pokrovsky. On 4 and 6 February, his men won two victories over the Bolsheviks at Enem and Georgie-Afipskaia, killing the Bolshevik leaders Iakovlev and Seradze. The
Kuban Rada promoted him to the rank of
colonel after a hero's welcome in
Ekaterinodar. On 27 February, he was made Commander-in-Chief of the Kuban Army. However, on 13 March, the army of 3,000 soldiers, accompanied by 2,000 civilians, was forced to abandon Ekaterinodar. By the end of March, Pokrovsky combined his forces with the
Volunteer Army during the
Ice March. Pokrovsky's men played a key role in the capture of
Tsaritsyn and
Kamyshin from the Bolshevik forces in the summer of 1919. Many in the White movement, including military officers, complained about Pokrovsky's penchant to hang prisoners. In September 1918, he had ordered the massacre of 2,500 people near
Mayakop, including many Red Army prisoners.
Exile In April 1920, he emigrated from
Crimea because
General Wrangel did not appoint him to any key positions at his headquarters. In emigration, he settled in
Bulgaria and continued anti-Soviet activities. On 9 November 1922, he was killed by the Bulgarian police while resisting arrest in a murder investigation. ==See also==