The Truth Behind Rasputin’s Brutal Assassination

Grigori Rasputin’s remarkable rise from Siberian peasant to trusted counselor of the last Emperor of Russia is one of the most fascinating stories in political history. Equally compelling is the legend of his death—an event as mythologized as the life that preceded it.

“It’s like the Kennedy assassination on steroids,” declares Douglas Smith, author of Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs.

Many theories surround Rasputin’s final hours. Russian aristocrat Felix Yusupov famously claimed that Rasputin survived cyanide-laced cakes and wine, endured a gunshot to the chest and refused to die until his attackers threw him into the freezing Neva River. According to Smith, other rumors placed Rasputin at a “gay sex orgy” the night of his death and alleged that British agents orchestrated his murder to prevent Russia from signing a World War I peace deal with Germany.

So what actually happened the night of Rasputin’s brutal assassination?

Rasputin was born in the Siberian village of Pokrovskoye, likely on January 21, 1869, but little is known about his childhood and early adulthood. He allegedly became interested in religion around 1892, when he traveled to a monastery, where he spent several months immersed in spiritual life. Over the next few years, Rasputin embarked on pilgrimages around Russia, building a reputation among the Russian Orthodox clergy and parishioners. 

“He was someone who clearly had unique abilities that made him stand out from the crowd,” says Leonid Trofimov, a senior lecturer of history at Bentley University.

Encouraged by his following, Rasputin traveled to St. Petersburg, the capital of the Romanov dynasty. By 1906, his reputation attracted the attention of Czar Nicholas II and his wife Czarina Alexandra. “The imperial family was always on the lookout for people with special access to God,” says Trofimov. “They were interested in the supernatural and prophecies.” Rasputin secured a place in their inner circle by presenting himself as a holy man and healer capable of treating their son Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia. 

After Rasputin allegedly relieved the child’s illness, Nicholas—and especially Alexandra—became convinced Rasputin was a direct messenger from God, says Trofimov. “He offered them a sense of reassurance and comfort. He’d tell them that everything is in God's hands. Gradually, his influence begins to grow.”

Some Russians grew alarmed by Rasputin’s influence over the imperial family. He became known as the "mad monk," due to his unique appearance, delivery and his appetite for drinking, partying and pursuing women, says Trofimov.

At the same time, the imperial family remained deeply disconnected from the Russian public. “They believed that they represented the spirit and traditions of the Russian people but over 90 percent of the country were peasants,” says Trofimov. “Educated classes were also becoming more in tune to Western and European ideas. They wanted self-government and more autonomy, and were resentful of the direction Russia’s rulers were taking the country.” 

Nicholas, who was 26 when he ascended to the throne, earned a reputation among many Russians as stubborn, weak and ineffective, explains Trofimov. Between 1905 and 1916, rumors spread across the country that dark forces were controlling and shaping the monarchy, says Smith: “There’s a belief among some, including Yusupov, that Alexandra and Rasputin had complete control over the Czar, who did whatever they told him.”

Stories of Rasputin spread, especially the most outlandish tales. As Russia struggled during World War I, a group of aristocrats decided to kill Rasputin so that Nicholas could regain control of the country.

Alongside Yusupov, Russian nobles Dmitri Pavlovich and Vladimir Purishkevich invited Rasputin to Yusupov Palace on December 30, 1916, under the pretense of meeting Yusupov’s wife, says Smith. The conspirators may have planned to poison him with cyanide but Smith notes “the man who was going to supply them with it later wrote he had a 'come to Jesus' moment, changed his mind and gave them crushed aspirin instead. It’s likely that any white powdery stuff sprinkled on the cakes or in the wine was only aspirin.”

According to Smith, the conspirators likely lured Rasputin to the basement, sat him down, maybe had a little chat and shot him in the midsection, leaving him for dead. “Rasputin was then clearly taken up the stairs and through the courtyard, where a pistol was put to his head and they fired what they call a control shot directly into his forehead."

Accounts based on forensic evidence and contemporaneous reports indicate that Rasputin was shot at close range. The autopsy report states that Rasputin sustained three gunshot wounds, including a fatal shot to the forehead. The most compelling physical evidence is a postmortem photograph showing a contact gunshot wound to the mid-forehead.

“They then wrapped the body, put it in a car, drove to a smaller branch of the Neva River and dumped it in the ice,” says Smith. According to the autopsy, no water appeared in Rasputin’s lungs, disproving claims that he was still alive when he entered the river.

The exaggerated nature of Rasputin’s death and the speculation that it took numerous attempts to finally kill him are “principally based on Yusupov’s two memoirs,” which he wrote while in exile in France, says Smith. Yusopov’s first memoir Rasputin: His Malignant Influence and his Assassination was released in 1927, followed by Lost Splendour in 1952, which is even more hyperbolic than his original account.

Not only is there little evidence to back up Yusupov’s claims, but he wrote the books after losing his extreme wealth in the Russian Revolution, adds Smith. “He needed money. He needed to sell the book. He wanted to make it hot and sexy. It’s utterly bizarre that for the past century that people have taken the words of a cold-blooded killer who organized the premeditated killing of Rasputin and wrote about it later as the truth.”

Russian aristocrats and many citizens rejoiced at the news of Rasputin’s murder. They hoped it would strengthen the monarchy and improve conditions in the country.  

But when none of the assassins were punished, the killing of Nicholas and Alexandra’s closest confidant only further exposed the monarchy’s weakness. Smith argues the bullet that killed Rasputin effectively signaled the beginning of the end for the imperial family.

Just a few months later, on March 2, 1917, Nicholas II abdicated the Russian throne, following the February Revolution demonstrations and clashes in St. Petersburg. Worsening conditions in World War I accelerated the collapse, says Trofimov.

In early November, 1917, the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power in Russia. On the night of July 16, 1918, Nicholas, Alexandra and their children were shot and killed, bringing a definitive and violent end to centuries of imperial rule in Russia.