Aleksandr Grekov Russian and Ukrainian military leader, general. Date of Birth: 21.11.1875 Country: Ukraine

1. Alexander Grekov: Russian and Ukrainian Military Leader
2. Early Life and Background
3. Education and Military Career
4. Participation in World War I
5. Involvement in the Ukrainian National Republic
6. Supporter of the Directorate
7. Later Life and Legacy

Alexander Grekov: Russian and Ukrainian Military Leader

Alexander Grekov was a Russian and Ukrainian military leader and general. He was one of the first generals to support Simon Petlyura and his Directory. In November 1918, he was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the field armies by the Directory. In December 1918 and January 1919, he led negotiations with the French command in Odessa and held the position of the Commander of the Directorate's forces in the Kherson, Ekaterinoslav, and Taurida governorates.

Early Life and Background

Alexander Grekov came from a noble family with Greek origins. According to family tradition, his ancestor, a Greek named Logofetos, arrived in Russia in the entourage of Sophia Palaiologina in 1472. Logofetos, who remained in Russia, was nicknamed Grek (which means "Greek" in Russian), and his descendants became known as Grekov. Alexander's father, Petr Gavrilovich Grekov, was a landowner in the Chernigov province, and his mother was Maria Grigorievna.

Education and Military Career

Alexander Grekov graduated from the Law Faculty of Moscow University in 1897 at the request of his father. He then attended the Moscow Military School in 1899, where his name was inscribed on the school's marble plaque. In 1905, he enrolled in the Nikolaev Military Academy, studying alongside his future comrade Vladimir Sinclair. Grekov began his military career in 1900, serving in the Leib-Guard Yeger Regiment. After completing the military academy, he commanded a company in the same regiment. In 1907, he was transferred to the General Staff and became the senior aide-de-camp of the 3rd Grenadier Division in Moscow. In 1908, he became the senior aide-de-camp of the 1st Guard Division in St. Petersburg, and in 1910, he became the assistant to the senior aide-de-camp of the troops of the Guard and the St. Petersburg Military District, where he dealt with military intelligence issues. At the same time, starting from 1908, he lectured on political and military history and tactics at Petersburg military schools. In 1912, he became an extraordinary professor at the Nikolaev Military Academy's Department of Military History.

Participation in World War I

Alexander Grekov participated in World War I as well. In 1914, he became the Chief of Staff of the 74th Infantry Division of the Northwestern Front. In 1915, he became the Chief of Staff of the 1st Guard Infantry Division. From April 1917, he commanded the Leib-Guard Yeger Regiment and distinguished himself in battles near Ternopil in the summer of 1917.

Involvement in the Ukrainian National Republic

In August 1917, Grekov became the Chief of Staff of the 6th Army Corps, one of the divisions of which was "Ukrainized." In September 1917, he was promoted to Major General. In October 1917, he was appointed as the Quartermaster General of the 1st Army Staff but did not have a chance to take up the position. In December 1917, he joined the Ukrainian service and commanded the Serdyuk Division for 12 days before taking up the position of Chief of Staff of the Kyiv Military District. From March 1918, he served as the Assistant Minister of War of Ukraine and was in charge of all technical work at the ministry, while Minister Alexander Zhukovsky mainly dealt with political matters. After the rise of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky to power, Grekov was removed from his position. As an opponent of Skoropadsky, he became the head of the military society "Batkovshchyna" ("Homeland"). In late October 1918, he accepted the position of Chief of Staff in Skoropadsky's army but held it for only five days.

Supporter of the Directorate

Alexander Grekov was one of the first generals to support Simon Petlyura and his Directorate. In November 1918, he became the Commander-in-Chief of the field armies, appointed to this position by the Directorate. In December 1918 and January 1919, he led negotiations with the French command in Odessa and held the position of the Commander of the Directorate's forces in the Kherson, Ekaterinoslav, and Taurida governorates.

Later Life and Legacy

In January and February 1919, Grekov served as the Minister of War of the Ukrainian People's Republic (UNR) and then as the punitive hetman (commander) of the UNR army in February and March. He led the fortification of Zhytomyr and Berdychiv, where the main forces of the army were stationed. After a conflict with Simon Petlyura and left-leaning Ukrainian politicians, he resigned and went to Galicia, where the Western Ukrainian National Republic (ZUNR) existed.

In May 1919, Grekov took command of the Ukrainian Galician Army (UGA), which was retreating under pressure from Polish forces. He quickly gained authority among his subordinates, planned the UGA's offensive on Lviv, and personally led it. By June 8, Ukrainian troops defeated the Poles in the Battle of Chortkiv and captured the city. Several other towns were also captured, and UGA units approached the outskirts of Lviv. Due to a lack of ammunition, the offensive stalled, and on June 28, Polish forces launched a counteroffensive. Because of the conflict with the authorities of ZUNR, Grekov resigned on July 5, 1919, and left for Romania with his family. He later settled in Vienna and worked as a farmer and gardener.

In 1930, he returned to Vienna, where he was unemployed. From 1933, he served as the head of the book warehouse of the Society for the Distribution of Political and Economic Knowledge. In 1934, he collaborated with the Russian emigrant organization "Union of Little Russians" and published articles in its newspapers. He ended his relationship with the organization in 1938 and reconnected with Ukrainian political emigrants, becoming a member of the Vienna branch of the Ukrainian Community. In 1939, he unsuccessfully attempted to establish the organization "Ukrainian Cossacks." He obtained a degree in accounting and worked in Vienna in that field, eventually working at the "De France" hotel from 1945. In 1946, he acquired Austrian citizenship.

In the fall of 1948, Grekov was arrested by SMERSH operatives and deported to the Soviet Union. He was imprisoned in Lukyanivska Prison in Kyiv and sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment on July 6, 1949. He was then sent to the Ozyorny labor camp in Siberia. He was released in 1956 and returned to Vienna. Until the end of his life, he maintained an excellent memory and interest in life. A street in Lviv was named after him.