Vladimir Ivanovich Lebedev - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 Vladimir Ivanovich Lebedev (pseudonym Aleksandrov [1] ; January 13, 1885 , Rostov-on-Don - March 30, 1956 , New York ) - Socialist-Revolutionary , lieutenant of the French army , assistant A.F. Kerensky , manager of the Ministry of the Sea (1917) , member of the KOMUCH Military Staff , political emigrant, writer, editor.

Biography
Early years. 1905. Emigration. 1914
Versions of Vladimir Lebedev’s early biography vary: according to some sources, he was born in Georgian Akhaltsikhe in 1884 [2] , according to others - in 1883 (or 1885) in Rostov-on-Don [3] . Vladimir graduated from the Tiflis Infantry School , became a member of the Party of Socialists-Revolutionaries (PSR): during the Revolution of 1905, he joined the Party’s Military Organization [3] , participated in the Socialist Revolutionary activity in Sevastopol [2] . He was a member of the Russo-Japanese War [2] .

After 1908, Lebedev was outside the Russian Empire : he was in exile in France . He was one of the editors of the Social Revolutionary magazine "For the People" [3] .

After the outbreak of World War I, Lebedev volunteered for the French army ( Foreign Legion ) - for military distinctions, he became a lieutenant in the French army [4] and fought on the Thessaloniki front as part of the Entente expeditionary forces in Greece [3] . He was a war correspondent for a number of French and Russian newspapers [5] .

1917. Assistant Kerensky. KOMUCH
After the February Revolution, Vladimir Lebedev returned to Russia and entered the civil service: from May 1917 he was an assistant to the Minister of War and Naval Affairs A.F. Kerensky , and in July - August of the same year - the managing director of the Russian Ministry of the Sea [3] .

After the October Revolution and the dispersal of the All-Russian Constituent Assembly (1918), Lebedev became one of the organizers of the People’s Army in Samara. On June 19, 1918 he was appointed a member of the KOMUCH Military Headquarters [3] . He participated in battles against the Red Army , in particular, participated in the capture of Kazan , from where he captured and removed the gold reserve of the State Bank [5] .

Lebedev participated in the State Conference in Ufa , but already in 1919 he emigrated again (according to another version - he was seconded to Vladivostok and the USA [2] ) and moved to Paris , where he became co-editor of Pour le Russie magazine. From 1921 he lived in Prague , where he was a member of the editorial board of the magazine " Will of Russia " (1921-1932) [3] . He spent a long time in Bulgaria and Yugoslavia [5] .

Belgrade. Geneva. Paris. USA
Then Lebedev lived in Belgrade , where he became the organizer and director of the Serbo-Croatian journal Ruski Archive (1928-1939), as well as one of the leaders of the Belgrade Association of Zemstvo and Urban Figures Abroad (Russian Zemstvo-City Committee, Zemgor) [3] . In 1929, Lebedev made an illegal trip to the USSR [6] .

Lebedev participated in the work of the Nansen Refugee Assistance Office in Geneva . In Paris, he founded Societe Nouvelle d'Editions Franco-Slaves [5] .

In the early 1930s, Lebedev again lived in Paris , where he participated in the meetings of “Nomads” and “Days”. In 1931 he received French citizenship [7] . In 1933, he participated in the opening of the Trud Cultural and Educational Club in Paris, made presentations at his meetings, and entered the board of the Defensive Movement in Paris. Published in newspapers and magazines: Paris soir, Le Peuple juif, Excelsior, La Vie socialiste, Vu et lu, Journal des Nations (organ of the League of Nations ), Politics and Ruski archive ”(Belgrade). He was one of the editors of the Paris collection "Problems" (1934-1936) [5] .

In 1933, Vladimir Lebedev was a member of the Paris Masonic lodge "Cosmos" No. 288 as part of the Grand Lodge of France [8] . In 1936, he joined the group " Will of Russia " and then moved to the United States , where he edited the newspaper "Dawn" ( Chicago ), and was also an employee of the newspaper " New Russian Word " (since 1938). Accepted American citizenship [6] . In 1942 he became the founder and permanent chairman of the Society of Newcomers from Europe [5] .

Vladimir Ivanovich Lebedev died on March 30, 1956 in New York and was buried in St. Vladimir’s Cemetery in Caesville ( New Jersey ) [6] .