Maurice Conradi Russian officer, killer of Soviet diplomat V. V. Vorovsky Date of Birth: 16.06.1896

Content:

1. Early Life and Military Career
2. Education and Military Service
3. Personal Loss and Revenge
4. Exile in Switzerland and Plot to Assassinate Vorovsky
5. Encounter with Arkady Polunin and the Plan
6. Assassination of Vorovsky
7. Trial and Acquittal
8. Conradi's Defense
9. International Reaction
10. Acquittal by Jury
11. Aftermath of the Trial
12. Exile and Death
13. Family

Early Life and Military Career

Birth and Family

Maurice Conradi was born on May 29, 1896, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to Swiss immigrants. His father, also Maurice Conradi, worked as a technician in his brother's confectionery factory. His uncle, Victor-Eduard Maurikijevich (Moricovich) Conradi, was a successful confectionery factory owner.

Education and Military Service

Conradi completed high school and the Pavlovsky Military School. Despite being a Swiss citizen, he received permission from Emperor Nicholas II to join the Russian army upon the outbreak of WWI in 1914. He served on the Romanian front and was wounded, earning the Order of Saint George IV degree.

Personal Loss and Revenge

During the Bolshevik Revolution, Conradi lost his father, uncle, and one of his brothers in the Red Terror. His aunt was also killed during a robbery. Seeking revenge, he joined the Drozdovsky Regiment and fought against the Bolsheviks until their evacuation from Crimea in 1920.

Exile in Switzerland and Plot to Assassinate Vorovsky

Emigration and Settlement

After the retreat from Crimea, Conradi settled in Zurich, Switzerland, with his wife, Vladislava Lvovna Conradi. He worked a modest job in the trading house "Becher Vsey."

Encounter with Arkady Polunin and the Plan

In March 1923, Conradi met his former White Army comrade, Staff Captain Arkady Pavlovich Polunin, who was working in the unrecognized Russian mission to the International Red Cross. Conradi expressed his desire to assassinate a Soviet leader in retaliation for the loss of his family. Polunin suggested targeting Foreign Minister Georgy Chicherin or Ambassador to England Leonid Krasin.

Assassination of Vorovsky

The Shooting

On May 10, 1923, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Conradi assassinated Soviet diplomat Vaclav Vorovsky at the Hotel Cecil restaurant. Two of Vorovsky's assistants were also wounded. Conradi dropped his pistol and surrendered, declaring, "I have done a good deed - the Russian Bolsheviks have ruined all of Europe... It will benefit the whole world."

Trial and Acquittal

Legal Proceedings

The trial of Conradi and Polunin commenced in Lausanne on November 5, 1923. Conradi was represented by Sydney Schoepfer, while Polunin was defended by Theodore Ober.

Conradi's Defense

Conradi argued that his actions were justified as an act of retribution against the Soviet regime for its atrocities. He denied Polunin's involvement.

International Reaction

The trial garnered widespread international attention, with the defense intending to turn it into a trial of Bolshevism. Witnesses recounted the crimes of the Bolsheviks, including the famine in the Volga region and the anti-religious campaign.

Acquittal by Jury

On November 20, 1923, Conradi was acquitted by a majority of nine to five, his actions deemed "an act of just retribution" against the Soviet regime.

Aftermath of the Trial

Swiss-Soviet Boycott

The Soviet Union retaliated by issuing a decree to boycott Switzerland, cutting off diplomatic and commercial relations. Public opinion in Switzerland condemned the Bolsheviks, and Western media highlighted their crimes. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were not restored until 1946.

Exile and Death

Following the acquittal, Arcad Polunin was expelled from Switzerland for abusing his right to asylum. Conradi faced subsequent legal trouble for threatening dancers with a pistol and for striking a commander in the French Foreign Legion. The exact circumstances of his death are uncertain, with sources claiming he died in 1931, 1944, or 1947. The most likely time and place of death is considered to be October 1946 in Switzerland.

Family

Wife:Vladislava Lvovna Conradi (né Svertsevich)
Father:Moritz (Max) Maurikijevich Conradi
Uncle:Victor Maurikijevich Conradi

Killer

Richard Trenton Chase	Luka Magnotta	Ilse Koch
Barbara Graham	Minnie (Minnie) Dean	Donald Harvey