The demise of Grigori Rasputin, the controversial Siberian mystic intertwined with Russia’s Romanov rulers, is steeped in mystery and contradictory accounts. While a modern autopsy points to a fatal gunshot to the head, the narratives of those involved in his assassination paint a picture of an almost supernatural resilience before his final moments in the icy Neva River.
The accepted sequence of events places Rasputin at the Moika Palace on December 29, 1916, lured there by a conspiracy of nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov. The plot aimed to end his powerful influence over Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra.
According to the conspirators’ dramatic version, initial attempts to poison Rasputin proved ineffective. He consumed copious amounts of cyanide in both food and wine without any apparent ill effects, a fact that reportedly stunned his would-be killers. The assassination then moved to a violent phase, with Yusupov shooting Rasputin in the chest. Believing him dead, the assassins departed, only for Yusupov to discover Rasputin inexplicably alive and well upon his return. Rasputin then reportedly attacked Yusupov with ferocity before escaping into the grounds, where further shots were fired by Vladimir Purishkevich, including a fatal one to the head. His body was then disposed of in the Neva River, with the official cause of death attributed to hypothermia.
Rasputin’s ascent began with his connection to Tsarina Alexandra, who sought his aid for her son Alexei’s severe hemophilia. His ability to soothe the Tsarevich’s pain made him invaluable, yet his subsequent political interventions proved detrimental to the Romanov regime.
Paradoxically, the assassination meant to fortify the monarchy ultimately contributed to its collapse. Rasputin’s foretold doom for his enemies seemed to materialize. With the scapegoat gone, public anger was channeled directly towards Tsar Nicholas II, intensifying the unrest that culminated in the 1917 Russian Revolution and the end of centuries of Romanov rule.