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Elena RazumihinaAn active participant in the monarchist movement in Kyiv.
Country:
 Ukraine |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Active Member of Society and the Monarchist Movement
- Founder and Leader of the Alekseevsky Branch
- Supporter of Grand Duke Alexei and Nationalist Ideals
- In Support of Dubrovin and Opposition to Ritual Murder Allegations
- Persecution and Execution
- Call to Action and the Question of Involvement
Early Life and Education
Alexandra Razumikhinawas born into a noble family in the Kherson Governorate, Ukraine. Her father was a Lieutenant General. Alexandra received her education at the Poltava Institute for Noble Maidens, where she developed a lifelong interest in agronomy and biology.
Active Member of Society and the Monarchist Movement
In Kyiv, Razumikhina became an active member of the Russian Society for the Protection of Animals. She established a beautiful garden and orchard on her estate. She pursued self-education, particularly in Russian history and literature.
In 1906, she joined the Kyiv branch of the Union of the Russian People (SRN), a monarchist organization. She actively participated in the movement and attended the 3rd Congress of SRN branches in Odessa in 1908.
Founder and Leader of the Alekseevsky Branch
In December 1907, Razumikhina co-founded an SRN branch in Predmostnaya Slobodka, Kyiv. On January 18, 1909, she established the Alekseevsky branch of the SRN on Trukhanov Island, named after Crown Prince Alexei Nikolaevich. Razumikhina became its permanent Chairperson, with P. Sidorenko and Bohoyko as her deputies.
The Alekseevsky branch became one of the most active monarchist organizations in Kyiv. Razumikhina participated in events such as a memorial service for assassinated politician A.Yushchinsky and the opening of an SRN branch in the village of Koshlany.
Supporter of Grand Duke Alexei and Nationalist Ideals
In 1911, the Alekseevsky branch sent a greeting and a traditional Ukrainian costume to Grand Duke Alexei. In response, the branch received an official portrait of the Crown Prince. On October 17, 1911, a grand meeting was held at the Commercial Club to celebrate this occasion, with speeches by prominent monarchists.
Razumikhina maintained close ties with the Patriotic Society of Youth "Double-Headed Eagle" and its activists, including V.S. Golubev and Fr. F.N. Sinkevich. She also supported other patriotic organizations and individuals such as V.E. Rozmítal'skiy and I.G. Khrapal.
In Support of Dubrovin and Opposition to Ritual Murder Allegations
During the split within the SRN, Razumikhina supported A.I. Dubrovin. However, she disagreed with the principles and methods of some of Dubrovin's associates.
Razumikhina attended the Congress of Dubrovin's supporters in Moscow in 1911, which led to the formation of the All-Russian Dubrovin Union of the Russian People (VDUSR). On December 18, 1913, the Council of the Kyiv Railroad Branch of the VDUSR honored Razumikhina with the title of Honorary Member.
Persecution and Execution
The Bolshevik Revolution brought hardships to Razumikhina, including a bout of typhus in 1918. After the Bolsheviks seized Kyiv in January 1919, she became a target for arrest due to her involvement in the monarchist movement and her connection to the Beilis case.
On April 30, 1919, Razumikhina was arrested. Her documents and photographs revealed her participation in the monarchist movement. Investigator Mankin of the Kyiv Cheka carefully examined her belongings, particularly her views on ritual murder.
Despite her claims of forgetting due to illness and her insistence that she had not been active in the movement since 1911, the Kyiv Cheka commission sentenced Razumikhina to death on May 15, 1919. Her property was confiscated, and she was executed four days later.
Call to Action and the Question of Involvement
Among Razumikhina's seized documents was a leaflet titled "Russian People," which called for resistance against the Bolsheviks and denounced Jewish exploitation. The leaflet advocated for a "combat organization" to "buy with its blood the welfare and power of Holy Russia."
It remains unclear if Razumikhina had direct involvement with this organization, but such sentiments clearly resonated with her beliefs.
