To the 100th anniversary of the martyrdom of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-Novy

The letters are given in the book by A.A. Taneyeva-Vyrubova “Pages of my life”

Sedov N.Ya. mentioned: Letters of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna: No. 7. December 15, 1917; N14. 23rd January 1918

Anya Taneyeva is a personal friend of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, a special person in the life of the Royal Family, the most dear recipient in the letters of all the August Prisoners. They rejoiced about her, prayed for her, and waited for news from her. If they pinned hopes, it was only with her and her people. Oddly enough, out of all the vast humanity there was no one to hope for more. Anya tried and did everything she could with the help of her friends. Of course, correspondence with her, and organized by her, brought a lot of joy and relief to the Royal Sufferers.

A person in difficult circumstances removes everything unnecessary from himself, leaving only the most important thing in his heart. There is no time for sentimentality; if there are warm words for others, they are words of consolation, encouragement, and support. Nothing superfluous - just what sits firmly in your heart, what has become part of you, your destiny. The superficial, external, unnecessary, random things go away. The most important things remain in events, thoughts, actions, people. Over the course of his life, a person acquires connections, acquaintances, friends, likes, dislikes, attachments, ideas, misconceptions, illusions - a lot of everything. This is what the human world is made of. But at some point there comes a sharp slowdown. The locomotive of life has stopped, a person gets out of the carriage, where it was warm, cozy, or not too warm and not too cozy, good company, or not too much, still bearable, you are traveling along with everyone. You will laugh there, you will cry there, the main thing is, together with everyone else, in the world, as they say, even death is red. And suddenly, stop, exit at a cold stop, into loneliness, into emptiness. Then you think only about the good, about what warms, what can inspire hope, what can comfort, or about that and about those about whom and what your conscience tells you. Heart and conscience. The first, if you love, the second, if you suffer. It’s warm there, it hurts there. In letters to faithful, kind Anya, the Queen and Her Most August children remembered those who lived in Their hearts, whom They loved and remembered. Those whose memory could not be destroyed by inexorable fate.

The world of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers, revealed in letters to Anna Vyrubova, is dear to everyone who loves the Royal Family, for whom talking about Them is important, pleasant and joyful.

Moreover, it was possible to talk about something or someone only with Anya, because no one else understood the Empress the way dear Anya understood Her. There were secrets between them that only they both understood.

It is natural to want to know a little more about those who... and what... stands behind the names of the people mentioned by the Royal Martyrs in their letters. The Empress wanted to know what happened to so-and-so, and where this or that one was. Who are these people? How did they live, why did the Empress, or the Grand Duchesses, or Tsarevich Alexei remember them? Each person is a unique world and at the same time a mystery, fully understandable only to God. The era is woven from destinies. Through the destinies of people, let us reverently touch Their, Royal, secret.

In letters from the imprisonment of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Her Children to Anna Vyrubova, more than 150 names are mentioned. A few have been selected from the entire list for publication. These are the relatives of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-Novy: wife, children, second lieutenant Boris Solovyov (son-in-law of Grigory Efimovich), as well as Solovyov’s friend and ally, officer Nikolai Yakovlevich Sedov. One of the goals of this publication is to illuminate the faces of people close and loved by Elder Gregory, as well as to clarify the understanding of the special role of B.N. Solovyov in the attempts to liberate the Royal Family, undertaken in 1918.

Sedov Nikolai Yakovlevich, Archimandrite Seraphim (1896 - December 23, 1984, Jerusalem) - staff captain, officer of the Crimean Cavalry E.I.V. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna regiment. Graduated from the Cadet Corps, Tver Cavalry School (1914). Headquarters captain of the Crimean Cavalry Regiment of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. There is no information about its origin. Participant of the 1st World War. He was wounded in March 1916. He was treated in the Palace Infirmary No. 3 ( The infirmary was opened by the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and was maintained at Her expense and with Her care. The Tsarina, together with her eldest daughters Olga and Tatiana, were listed on the lists of medical personnel as the Supreme Romanov Sisters. Therefore, the infirmary began to be called “Her Majesty’s Own Infirmary”, although it did not officially have such a name).

The memoirs and diary entries that have reached us do not provide information regarding the nature of Sedov’s wound. Judging by the fact that on March 16, 1916 he was operated on under general anesthesia, the injury was quite serious. IN AND. Chebotareva, the elder sister of the Palace infirmary, writes in her diary: “March 16: today there is an operation in the presence of Her Majesty for Sedov, who remained under anesthesia for a long time. He held Tatyana Nikolaevna’s hand and only let go when they said that otherwise the Chief would have to go to the bandage and would get tired. The chief remained nearby, Sedov held Her hand, carefully covering her with his blanket when he felt a bout of nausea. This is a strange state, semi-conscious; answers questions as if individual centers are working, but coordination is on strike. He was crying. He tried to remove Tatyana Nikolaevna’s bracelet. They were all apparently amused by the affection, the frank tenderness when a person is incapable of dissembling...” (Chebotareva V.I. Diary. Quoted from: Chernova O. Decree. Op.).

During this period, Nikolai Sedov was in relation to the Empress like a child, gentle, affectionate, constantly in need of care and consolation, which he received in abundance both from the Empress herself and from her eldest daughters Olga and Tatyana. The Empress paid a lot of attention to him, She spent a lot of time in his room, often at his bedside, working or talking, and even taught Sedov English. In a word, the attitude towards him, as Chebotareva writes, was “amazing,” while noting Sedov’s naivety, purity and emphasized devotion. (see Chebotareva’s diary for May 1916, as well as letters from the Empress to the Sovereign for June 1916).

During the imprisonment of the Royal Family in the Alexander Palace in March 1917, Staff Captain N. Sedov had already been discharged and was supposed to be at the location of his regiment. But since Sedov maintained relations with Yu.A. von Dehn, after the removal of the Royal Family to Siberia and remained with a sick child in Petrograd, it can be assumed that Sedov, like cornet Markov, was also in Petrograd or in its environs. Sedov’s fellow soldier, cornet Sergei Markov, who also kept in touch with Yulia Alexandrovna von Dehn, risking himself, on his own initiative was able to get into the Alexander Palace and appear before the Empress at Her complete disposal. There is no information as to whether Sedov made contact with Tsarskoye Selo or tried to do so.

Meanwhile, in the fall of 1917 in Petrograd, a member of the right wing of the State Duma N.E. Markov (Markov 2nd) created a monarchical organization whose goal was to save the Royal Family. Through Yu.A. von Dehn, he asked for permission for his activities from Nicholas II. The Emperor gave a positive response by sending an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The organization decided to send a person to Tobolsk to establish contact with the Royal Family, obtain information about the situation on the spot, “and, if circumstances require it, to take Her away if anything threatens her.” (from the testimony of Markov 2nd to investigator N.A. Sokolov. Quoted from: Chernova O. Decree cit.)

Julia Alexandrovna von Dehn proposed two candidates for loyal officers known to her: Sedov and Markov, of whom the first was chosen - Nikolai Sedov, as “a man sincerely and deeply devoted to Their Majesties.” He was personally and well known to the Empress. The Emperor also knew him. In our choice, we were guided by the beginning of choosing a person who is loyal, reliable and at the same time without a big name” (characteristic of N.E. Markov). Sedov also received preference as “a more serious, thoughtful, thorough person; at the same time, he was better known to Their Majesties” (characteristic of V.I. Sokolov, assistant to N.E. Markov). In a word, Sedov made a “better impression on Markov 2nd in comparison with /cornet/ Markov” (quotes from the testimony of Markov 2nd and his assistant V.I. Sokolov to investigator N.A. Sokolov).

Staff captain Nikolai Sedov went to Siberia in September 1917. He notified N.A. about his arrival in Tyumen. Markov by letter. There was no further news from him. The organization did not know where he was or what he was doing.

There was still no news in December. Markov 2nd, who claimed that he had 150 officers waiting to be sent to Tobolsk, was very concerned about the lack of news from Tobolsk from Sedov (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

In one of the letters from the Empress from Tobolsk to Anna Taneyeva (Vyrubova) (dated December 15, 1917) there is strange information that apparently relates to the period of Sedov’s “disappearance” (October - November 1917): “...Zinochka Tolstaya with husband and children have been in Odessa for a long time - they write very often, touching people... Little Sedov (do you remember him) also suddenly found himself in Odessa, saying goodbye to the regiment...”

Perhaps the Empress had erroneous information, and perhaps this episode is the reason for Sedov’s long silence.

The Tsar and Empress were notified that Nikolai Sedov had come to visit them back in September. They were eagerly awaiting him, or at least news from him. But five months passed: September, October, November, December, January was drawing to a close, and still there was no sign of Sedov.

On January 21, 1918, the Empress wrote to M.S. from Tobolsk. Khitrovo: “I’m still waiting for N.Ya. /Sedova/ see at least from afar...”

On January 23, 1918, the Empress wrote to A.A. Taneva (Vyrubova): “I have no news from Sedov; Lily /Den/ I wrote a long time ago that he should have been not far from here.”

February passed, March came, it was already the seventh month since Sedov left Petrograd. Seven months of futile waiting.

And now, from Margarita Khitrovo, strange information again comes to the Tsarina, which she shares with her friend Lily Dehn (Y.A. von Dehn): “Rita /Khitrovo/ writes that Nikolai Yakovlevich is in Simferopol with his friend, the brother of little M. /S.V. Markova/...».

Where was Sedov all this time, in Siberia or Crimea?

It is obvious that Sedov was in Crimea. What prompted him to change his route is discussed below. And if Sedov was in the South, he could not help but link up with his regiment. Actually, this was his goal, he didn’t go there to rest. And if so, then he had to participate, one way or another, in the last battles of his regiment, and endure a lot before he went to Siberia.

The following events took place in Crimea, in which Captain Sedov could have taken part. In December 1917, the Crimean Cavalry Regiment, as Boris Nikitenko writes, “came in brilliant order to Crimea, where by that time a right-wing national government had been formed, forming anti-Bolshevik national troops.<...>These young formations soon had to face Sevastopol sailors and the working Red Guard.<...>The unequal struggle with an enemy many times greater in number ended in disaster.<...>On the night of January 1, 1918 in Simferopol, the Crimean Cavalry Regiment was completely defeated.<...>Sevastopol sailors committed a bloody massacre of officers and soldiers.” As a result, the regiment lost more than half of its strength, the remnants scattered across the mountains and fled from Crimea. Many officers died as martyrs. (Nikitenko. Op. op.).

Since Sedov’s appearance in Crimea was not discussed by him in any way, he decided to keep this fact a secret. This explains the complete lack of information about where and how Nikolai Sedov spent several months before he finally ended up in Tyumen in March 1918.

Meanwhile, since there was no news from Sedov, Markov 2nd’s organization finally decided to send a second candidate, cornet Sergei Markov, to Siberia with instructions to find Sedov, “enter into relations with him and encourage him to inform us about the progress of his work.” (from Markov’s testimony to investigator N.A. Sokolov).

From the memoirs of S.V. Markov follows that the trip to Tobolsk was his own initiative. He was convinced of the necessity of this trip: “regardless of whether Markov 2nd begins to send people or not, I will at all costs make my way to Tobolsk, since I believe that my place is close to Their Majesties.<...>Markov 2nd was very sympathetic to this desire of mine, since there was still no news from Sedov, and besides him, no one had yet been sent from St. Petersburg...<...>From Markov 2nd I received instructions to find Sedov in Tobolsk and give written information upon arrival at the agreed address, and 240 rubles for the trip.” (Markov S.V. Decree. Op.).

Sergei Markov set off for Siberia from the Nikolaevsky railway station only on March 1, 1918 (according to modern times). Arriving in Tobolsk, he entered into relations with Archpriest Alexei Vasiliev. Through him and through B.N. Solovyov - son-in-law G.E. Rasputin-Novy A.A. Taneyeva (Vyrubova) was able to arrange for the transfer of necessary things, money and letters for the Royal Family.

“About Sedov from Fr. Vasiliev had no information. In his opinion, he did not come to Tobolsk, otherwise he would have known about this from Their Majesties, since he had free access to their house. Nothing was known about Markov 2nd’s organization either, and he has no connection with it.” (Markov S.V. Decree. Op.).

Thus, all this time Sedov did not appear in Tobolsk, in contact with either Fr. Alexei Vasiliev, nor with Boris Solovyov.

Having received from Fr. Alexei's blessing, along with information about the situation of the Royal Family, Sergei Vladimirovich hurried to the former house of the Tobolsk governor, and now the “house of freedom,” where he was able to see the Royal Prisoners, just as They saw him.

Through Fr. Alexei Vasiliev Sergei Markov managed to establish contact with a key figure in the chain that connected the Royal Family with their friends in the wild - with son-in-law G.E. Rasputin-New B.N. Solovyov, the husband of the eldest daughter of Grigory Efimovich Matryona. For this S.V. Markov traveled to the Rasputin-Novykh’s native village, Pokrovskoye.

For purposes of secrecy, S.V. Markov had to settle in Tyumen and join the Red Army as a cavalry instructor to form a cavalry unit. This position created the opportunity to recruit officers whose arrival was expected from St. Petersburg.

With the appearance of Sergei Markov, things moved from a dead point. But precious six months were lost.

And only in April Sedov unexpectedly appeared. Markov literally ran into him in Tyumen at a pharmacy on the main street. The sight of Sedov struck Sergei Vladimirovich:

“Instead of the well-groomed captain-captain, always immaculately shaven, with a sweet, inviting face, gray-blue eyes that are always laughing, I saw a uniform ragamuffin in a greasy quilted jacket, gray-blue patched trousers, and greased boots. A leaky cap barely covered his disheveled hair, and his mustache, which had not been cut for a long time, ended in a goatee...

I couldn’t believe my eyes, even the expression on my face changed so much. The face was pained, the light in the eyes went out. Sedov recognized me, followed me out of the pharmacy into the street, and on a side street we agreed to meet immediately at Solovyov’s.

An hour later, the three of us were sitting in the hotly heated room of the old lady, the owner of Solovyov, in front of a cozy samovar that sang its song. Solovyov was no less pleased than I was to meet Sedov. He had to suffer a lot when he arrived in Tyumen, where he was only in his third week. He came here to legalize his position as a laborer in the trade union, and as such received a position with a Tyumen landlord, where he remained to this day.

Unhappy Sedov, apparently, had to receive a huge nervous shock from the experience, his increased nervousness was felt in everything, and the fear of being identified led to the fact that he completely lost his usual manners of a socialite and turned into a real boor, with appropriate manners and even manner of speaking and express your thoughts. He lost contact with Markov 2nd, and to this day he has not been able to establish it. We informed Sedov about the situation and, together with him, discussed our plans again and came to the same conclusion that there was nothing else to do but wait for officers from the organization to arrive and, with the help of the first person to arrive, inform Markov 2nd about the situation. Sedov decided to remain in his position and not join the squadron, but he approved my acceptance of the position of commander. Remaining a laborer, Sedov had more freedom to control himself and was, moreover, brilliantly disguised, both externally and in relation to the documents that he had in perfect order. Sedov’s sincere desire was to go to Tobolsk to see Their Majesties, which he soon fulfilled.” (Markov S.V. Decree op.)

On April 4/17, 1918, Sergei Markov and Boris Solovyov were arrested and both were sent to prison. His wife Mara Grigorievna (as Sergei Markov called her) came to Solovyov in Tyumen. On April 12/25, Solovyov was summoned to a meeting with her. From Mara Grigorievna, who received information from Tobolsk, Boris Nikolaevich learned about the removal of the Royal Family and was extremely depressed by this news: “It’s all over, They are being transported!” (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

While S. Markov and B. Solovyov were in prison, “Sedov, having learned about the arrival of a new detachment in Tobolsk, decided to go there, which he did, leaving Tyumen on the 26th. On the way, in one village, approximately in the middle of the journey, he, to his horror, met with Their Majesties being transported to Tyumen. He was present at the transfer of Their Majesties’ horses and was not far from Them, so that the Empress recognized him.” (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

In the diary of the Empress dated April 14/27, 1918, there is an entry: “Wonderful weather, but the road is disgusting... In the village of Borki we drank tea with our provisions in a beautiful peasant house. Leaving the village, we suddenly accidentally met Captain N. Sedov on the street.”

Vel. Princess Maria Nikolaevna in a letter to Z.S. Tolstoy from Yekaterinburg on May 4/17, 1918: “...We left just before the holidays. This was very unexpected for us. Alexey was sick, so the sisters had to stay with him... Tell Rita /Khitrovo/ that not very long ago we saw little Sedyusha fleetingly..." .

Vel. Princess Olga, in a letter to Boris Nikolaevich Solovyov dated April 14/27, reported that Tsarevich Alexei had not yet “recovered from the bruise He received on the tenth of April.” For this reason, the Heir with Vel. remained as princesses in Tobolsk" (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

Sedov “wanted to return to Tyumen, but concern for the remaining members of the Imperial Family (he did not immediately understand the reasons for the absence of the Heir and the remaining Grand Duchesses) forced him to travel to Tobolsk, where he saw everyone except the Heir in the windows of the house.

He was afraid to get in touch with any of the retinue, since near the governor’s house, as well as near the Kornilov house, where the children of the life physician Botkin lived, he saw a large number of soldiers of both the old and the new detachment who remained in Tobolsk, so as soon as a small part of him accompanied Their Majesties.

Sedov had no choice but to go back. On the 29th he was already in Tyumen" (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

N.Ya. himself Sedov, when testifying to investigator Sergeev on November 22, 1918, reported the following details: “The train consisted of three troikas with machine guns and machine gunners, the next troika was ridden by the Sovereign with Commissar Yakovlev, followed by a troika with the Empress and V.K. Maria Nikolaevna, then a threesome with Botkin and Prince Dolgorukov; at the end of the train there were troikas with ministers and then with Red Army soldiers.

I met the train with the Emperor in the village of Dubrovno /50-60 versts from Tobolsk/.

The queen recognized me and made the sign of the cross over me!”

In Tobolsk, Sedov, on Solovyov’s instructions, met with Fr. Alexey Vasiliev. The purpose of the visit is to receive “10,000 rubles from the amount of money that Vasiliev was supposed to bring from Petrograd.” Father Alexey did not give Sedov any money, and Sedov returned to Tyumen, reporting everything to Solovyov and causing his displeasure about. Alexey. (See the protocol of interrogation of N.Ya. Sedov by Sergeev.)

As follows from the memoirs of T.E. Melnik-Botkina, Sedov in Tobolsk saw not only Fr. Alexei, but also with her, Tatyana Botkina, and with her brother Gleb, but for some reason he did not tell S. Markov about this. Why will become clear from the subsequent presentation.

So, Sedov left Tyumen on the very day when the Sovereign, Empress and Vel. Princess Maria Nikolaevna was taken by Commissar Yakovlev from Tobolsk in the direction of Tyumen. The long-awaited meeting of the Royal Family with Captain Sedov finally took place, but under what circumstances... This meeting no longer inspired hope and could not inspire or console anyone. For this meeting summed up what had been accomplished during that period of time (eight months), which was allotted by fate for the salvation of the Royal Family. The only accurate definition of the situation that arose completely unexpectedly for Sedov is the word: “late.”

S.V. Markov was released on Easter Day (April 22/May 5, 1918). Sedov came to Markov’s hotel to congratulate him on his release. From the Red Army soldier Simonenko, who replaced Markov as commander of the red squadron, they learned the details of the transport of Their Majesties to Tyumen. Simonenko with 15 red lancers escorted the Emperor and Empress to the station, meeting them 20 versts from Tyumen. Simonenko summed up his story with the following words: “... if someone wanted to take the Emperor away from us, he could do it with ease, you just had to have the courage!”

“Simonenko’s final phrase almost broke through the despair and grief that had accumulated in me, and it took me a lot of effort to restrain myself. How right Simonenko was, albeit unwittingly; but was it really easy to save them on the way?.. And in Tobolsk? What did Their Majesties think and experience during the move?” - this is how S.V. suffered. Markov, having learned the details from Simonenko (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

And there was a reason. The red squadron was formed by S.V. Markov, and if it had been staffed by officers, as Markov initially assumed, then rescue would have become a “matter of technology.” But the officers from Petrograd never arrived for a number of reasons, one of which was the disappearance and long silence of Sedov. S.V. Markov summed up the current situation as follows: “An organization that could take Their Majesties out did not exist, and it could not be formed during the week of our stay in prison.” (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

The next day, Markov, Sedov, Solovyov and Mara Grigorievna received even more difficult news. Markov writes: “I did not find the expected Easter mood among the Solovyovs, I found Boris Nikolaevich gloomy and embittered, Mara Grigorievna looked tear-stained and dejected.

The news Boris Nikolayevich told me struck me like thunder. Their Majesties were detained in Yekaterinburg. The reasons were unknown; this detention did not bode well.<...>All appeals and appeals of the Yekaterinburg Regional Council of Deputies, transmitted to us, were of an extreme and irreconcilable direction. Red Yekaterinburg and Red Ural declared themselves “the citadel of the revolution” (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

According to information received by Solovyov from Tobolsk, the removal of Their Majesties by Commissar Yakovlev was preceded by complete confusion. Between various detachments, representing all kinds of revolutionary groups, not always subordinate to the Bolshevik center, a struggle took place, the meaning of which was to establish control over Their Majesties. These detachments acted separately and were at enmity with each other. One of the contenders for power was Zaslavsky, who “took the most irreconcilable position towards the Imperial Family. He was Jewish by nationality.<...>Zaslavsky sought to seize power over Their Majesties." (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

There was a detachment from Omsk, led by Commissar Dutsman. An armed clash occurred between the two detachments. Arriving in Tobolsk, Dutsman declared himself head of the Imperial Family's guards and commissar of the city, but soon returned to Omsk. A certain Degtyarev remained in charge in Tobolsk. The person who was not subordinate to the Council of Deputies and pursued an independent line was Commissar Zapkus. After the removal of the Tsar and Queen, Commissar Rodionov became the chairman of the detachment committee of the old guard, who arrived in Tobolsk with a detachment of Latvians from Yekaterinburg. Thus, “Kobylinsky finally lost his already illusory power over his subordinates” (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

Against the backdrop of complete confusion, it was not possible to create any kind of capable officer organization that could intervene and change the balance of power. S.V. Markov writes: “No one came from St. Petersburg during our arrest, and Sedov had no answer to his letters.<...>The stubborn silence of St. Petersburg, completely incomprehensible to us, plunged us into dull despondency. Two months have already passed since my departure, and not to mention the large number of officers promised to me by Markov 2nd, even Andreevsky and Greenwald, for whom A. Vyrubova got the money that was supposed to come after me, have not arrived.” (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

Markov, Solovyov and Sedov make the following decision: Markov, as intended, enlists in the Red Squadron. This was necessary in case officers did arrive from Petrograd: “the initial legalization of officers upon their arrival by joining the squadron will give us the opportunity to obtain documents with which they will be able to concentrate in the Yekaterinburg region and in the city itself.” (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

Regarding Sedov: “If by the end of Fomina’s week no one arrives from St. Petersburg and we do not receive any news from there, then Sedov will personally go there and inform Markov 2nd and A. Vyrubova in every detail about the unbearably difficult situation that has arisen.” (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

On May 12, news was received through Boris Nikolaevich Solovyov that Tsarevich Alexei was recovering, Kobylinsky was “finally circumcised in his rights,” and his replacement should be expected, that Their Majesties were still in Yekaterinburg, in the Ipatiev house, “which is surrounded by double wooden fence above the windows,” as well as the fact that they are in the power of Commissioner Goloshchekin. Solovyov failed to establish contact with the Tsar and Tsarina.

In view of the current circumstances, it was decided to immediately leave Sedov for St. Petersburg in order to inform the head of the organization, Markov II, on the spot about the difficult situation created, and to convince him of the need to involve the German government to save the Royal Family, as the last and only means, since the possibility of saving the Royal Family from Yekaterinburg on their own, as S.V. writes. Markov, was “insignificant”.

“Boris Nikolaevich asked Sedov to inform A. Vyrubova about everything.<...>On the 14th, Sedov left Tyumen for Yekaterinburg in order to understand on the spot the situation in which Their Majesties were, and from there to St. Petersburg.” (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

On May 19, Solovyov received news that the old guards in Tobolsk had been replaced by a detachment of Commissar Rodionov.

On May 20, Tsarevich Alexei with the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia and the remaining retinue left by ship for Tyumen, and from there by train to Yekaterinburg. They were accompanied by Commissar Rodionov.

On May 23, early in the morning, Their Highnesses arrived in Yekaterinburg and were transported to Their Majesties in the Ipatiev house.

Meanwhile, having arrived in Petrograd, Sedov met with Markov 2nd.

Markov N.E.: “N arrived later /N.Ya. Sedov/. From his report I saw that he did absolutely nothing to establish contact with the royal family; that he never visited Tobolsk when the Emperor was there, and went there only when Their Majesties and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna were traveling from Tobolsk.” (From the testimony of N.E. Markov given in Reichenhall on June 2, 1921 to investigator N.A. Sokolov. Quoted from: N.A. Sokolov, Decree cit.).

Sokolov V.I. - assistant to Markov 2nd: “Approximately at the end of April N arrived /N.Ya. Sedov/. From his report it became clear that he fulfilled absolutely nothing of the orders that were entrusted to him in relation to the royal family...<...>N was pointed out by us that he had not done what he was asked to do and he felt embarrassed.” (From the testimony of V.I. Sokolov, given in Reichenhall on June 3, 1921 to investigator N.A. Sokolov. Quoted from: N.A. Sokolov, Decree cit.).

It looks like N.Ya. Sedov remained true to himself and was in no hurry to send information to Siberia, at least that he had safely reached Petrograd. Perhaps he did not have time to do this, because during a second visit to Markov 2nd he was arrested and sent to Kresta prison, from where he managed to leave only a month later.

B.N. also continued to remain under investigation. Solovyov, although he was released from prison on bail of 500 rubles, which was paid by Mara Grigorievna. Without waiting for the case to be heard in the tribunal, which was scheduled for early June, on the advice of Sergei Markov, Boris Nikolaevich and his wife hid in Pokrovsky.

S.V. Markov began to prepare the ground for leaving service, “the continuation of which he considered clearly pointless,” while believing that “the only possible salvation for the Imperial Family is the decisive intervention of the German government in Their fate.” (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

Two weeks have passed since Sedov left. No information was ever received from him. Markov and Solovyov were completely unaware of the position of the Markov organization and the measures taken by it during S.V.’s Siberian business trip. Markov steps. Therefore, Sergei Vladimirovich, who by that time had already parted with the red squadron, decided to go to Petrograd himself to meet with Markov 2nd, present all his observations and bleak conclusions on the spot and try to convince Markov 2nd to turn to the Germans for help, as the only possible and last chance to save the Royal Family.

On July 1, 1918, he arrived in Yekaterinburg. From his inspection of the Ipatiev House, he made the following impressions: “Three times I approached it from all sides and became convinced that there was no point in saving Their Majesties by armed means from this building!

Such an attempt will inevitably end in Their death. The Ipatiev House was a trap, from which there was no way out, and the attempt could have a chance of success only if the guard consisted of half of its own people, and even then this attempt would have been subject to incredible risk, since the position of the house was in the center of the city made it very difficult to remove them" (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

In three for S.V. Markov left Yekaterinburg by train for Petrograd.

On July 7, he arrived in Petrograd, where Sergei Vladimirovich had to learn about the defeat of Markov’s organization on the 2nd and about the arrest of Sedov (this happened around June 7). Sedov was released from Kresty prison a month later. Sergei Markov writes: “I immediately went to a familiar apartment on Vasilyevsky Island. When I rang the bell and the door was opened, an old woman, the owner of the apartment, ran out to me in the hall, who, seeing me, waved her hands in horror and, worried, said that I should leave as soon as possible, since the house was under surveillance and that it was searched several times. Markov 2nd and Viktor Pavlovich barely managed to escape, and during one of the searches they arrested Sedov, who happened to be with them on business, but after holding him in Kresty for about a month, he was fortunately released.<...>

The next morning I had Sedov, who learned about my arrival, and who told me that a week after his arrival from Tyumen, he was arrested during a search in the house where we were meeting. Markov 2nd and Sokolov / assistant to Markov 2nd/ happened to be absent at that time. They were promptly warned about what had happened and managed to hide in the vicinity of St. Petersburg. He believed that Markov 2nd must have been in Finland, since, despite his best wishes, he had been unable to meet him for about two weeks.

Even before his arrest, Sedov managed to inform Markov 2nd about the situation that had arisen in connection with the transfer of the Imperial Family to Yekaterinburg, but did not see any positive results from his conversation. Everything was going as before... Markov 2 told him that until now he had no funds to send people, that when he got it, everything would go according to plan... Sedov also said that Markov 2 he took decisive steps in the summer to save Their Majesties by water, but the transportation of Their Majesties radically destroyed all his calculations.

Sedov was saved from certain death during arrest by his Tyumen documents. He managed to prove to his comrades that he came to the house where he was arrested to hire out to the landlady for menial work, and they released him from Kresty ten days before my arrival.

His only desire is now to return to Yekaterinburg in order to be close to Their Majesties.

I told Sedov about everything that happened in Tyumen after his departure, about my impressions in Yekaterinburg and told him my opinion that only Germany at the moment is able to intervene in the fate of the Imperial Family. If I fail to establish contacts with Markov 2nd and get him to take decisive steps in favor of Their Majesties from the Germans, with whom he probably has connections, then I myself, at my own risk, will turn to the Empress’s Brother, Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse, with a request for immediate help, outlining frankly everything I saw during my stay in Siberia. To my question whether Sedov knew that, perhaps, Markov 2nd had nevertheless entered into contact with the Germans on this matter, he answered me in the negative, since he had not heard anything like that from Markov 2nd heard.

His desire was to contact the advanced detachments of the Cossack units advancing on Yekaterinburg as soon as possible, find like-minded people among them and, with their help, snatch the Royal Family from the hands of the Bolsheviks. He completely agreed with me that a raid on the Ipatiev House was impossible, that if Yekaterinburg was in danger, the Bolsheviks would first of all take Their Majesties out of it, and then, during the transfer, perhaps it would be possible to try to save Them.

I had little faith in the possibility of carrying out such a plan. The Bolsheviks would have carried out the removal of Their Majesties by rail, and for this it was necessary to make a lightning-fast deep breakthrough to the rear of Yekaterinburg, in order to prevent the Imperial Family from being transported far away. All this is very difficult, but, as a last resort, it was possible to decide on this. I personally saw the main danger in the fact that to this day Their Majesties were not taken out of Yekaterinburg, and They continued to be in the hands of Siberian convicts.

I did not dissuade Sedov and wished him a happy journey and complete success.

Ten years have passed since the last time I saw my fellow soldier and friend. How often do I remember this knight without fear or reproach, sincerely and selflessly devoted to Their Majesties!” (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

At the end of September 1917, Sedov reappeared in Tobolsk and, as follows from his testimony to investigator Sergeev, stayed in the apartment of Professor Botkin’s children.

On November 22, 1917, in Yekaterinburg, Nikolai Yakovlevich, of his own free will, according to investigator Sokolov, appeared before court member I.A. Sergeev, who conducted an investigation into the circumstances of the disappearance of the Royal Family, and gave him testimony .

In this testimony, Nikolai Yakovlevich, without noting in any way the activities of cornet Markov, focused all his attention on B.N. Solovyov and Fr. Alexey Vasiliev. It was said that Solovyov “stands at the head of an organization that has set as its goal the protection of the interests of the Royal Family by monitoring the living conditions of the Sovereign, supplying them with various products and things, and, finally, taking measures to eliminate people harmful to the Royal Family.” And then Sedov provided rather ambiguous information, which, if desired, could be interpreted in any way: “According to Solovyov, everyone who sympathized with the tasks and goals of this organization had to come to him before starting to provide assistance to the Royal Family; otherwise, Soloviev said, I impose a “veto.” Solovyov’s position was absolutely fair, understandable, absolutely correct and justified in those circumstances. It could not be otherwise if the task was to maintain secrecy, not to mess things up and to give the efforts a truly organized, purposeful character, as opposed to chaotic, blind actions, which create the ground for any provocations and reduce all efforts to nothing.

Nothing reprehensible was said in relation to Solovyov, only the very fact of focusing attention only on his activities is strange.

About Fr. A lot was also said to Alexey Vasiliev. There were no direct accusations, but the general flavor of the presentation suggests that Fr. Alexey Vasiliev is a personality type close to a fraudster. Firstly, he boasted that he kept many things that belonged to members of the Royal Family: the act of abdication of the Tsar, His letters, documents and a rifle, three Brownings, one of them with the royal monogram, the Tsarevich’s broadsword, and, allegedly, about . Alexey was going to use all these relics for personal purposes. According to Sedov, Fr. Alexei managed the money that was transferred to him for the Royal Family, but did not give Sedov the amount intended for Solovyov, and in this regard, Solovyov “is bad to speak of as Fr. Alexei and his sons, calling them “speculators” and claiming that he has evidence of their bad deeds.”

In a word, typical slander, but no direct accusation.

In the same vein, but with a greater accusatory emphasis, the activities of Solovyov and Fr. Vasiliev in the testimony of Markov 2nd and his assistant Sokolov, given to investigator N.A. Sokolov. Although the interrogations were carried out in 1921, the basis of this testimony was the story of Sedov during his visit to Petrograd in June 1918.

NOT. Markov: “From him /Sedova/ words, it was absolutely clear that somehow Solovyov had completely subjugated him in Tyumen, preventing him from going to Tobolsk /?!/ and releasing /?!/ him only when the Emperor was already leaving Tobolsk. The very fact of subordination of N’s will to Solovyov’s will was obvious: it was proven by N’s behavior; besides, he spoke about it himself. I don’t know how Soloviev achieved this.”

Markov 2nd is echoed by his assistant Sokolov: “... having arrived in Tyumen, he /Sedov/ somehow got along with Solovyov and was completely guided by his instructions, and Solovyov dissuaded him from going to Tobolsk and generally undertaking anything, assuring him that everything had been arranged by him, that he was in relations with the royal family, that staying in Tobolsk N could only harm business. I don’t remember whether N spoke about Solovyov’s threats to him if he did not submit to his demands, but it turned out that N was listening not to us, but to Solovyov.”

The accusatory motive is obvious. Moreover, the testimony practically coincides, it is clear that they were discussed in advance by N.E. Markov. and V.I. Sokolov, who agreed on what topics and in what vein to give in their testimony.

For some time Sedov served in Omsk, then, according to second lieutenant K.S. Melnik, staff captain Sedov went to the Volunteer Army of General Denikin" (Protocol of Melnik’s interrogation.).

Court member Sergeev was replaced by investigator N.A. Sokolov. Apparently, Sokolov did not conduct repeated interrogations of Sedov: no such protocols are known. In his book, Sokolov also cites only those testimonies of Sedov that were given to Sergeev.

It is possible that Sokolov was unable to interrogate Sedov directly due to his absence, but he interrogated people who knew him. And the first of them was second lieutenant Konstantin Semenovich Melnik, married to the daughter of life physician E.S. Botkin. As already noted, Sedov stayed at the Botkins’ apartment in September 1918. The interrogation was carried out by Lieutenant Poplavsky on behalf of investigator Sokolov on November 2, 1919. Lieutenant K.S. Melnik testified that he saw Lieutenant Solovyov once on the street in Tobolsk (that is, he practically did not know him), but was aware of his activities from the words of the headquarters captain of the Crimean Cavalry Regiment Nikolai Yakovlevich Sedov, second lieutenant Arkady Alekseevich Markovsky. Further, the same theme of appropriation by Solovyov and Vasilyev of money transferred by various persons for the Royal Family is developed, that no organization to save the Royal Family declared by Solovyov existed (he did not set such a task, this task was solved by Markov 2nd with the help of Markov’s cornet and Lieutenant Sedov, but not Solovyov) that priest Vasiliev, getting drunk, tells everyone everything and gives rise to rumors in the city, which provoked the removal of the Royal Family from Tobolsk and the tightening of their regime. It is very important that Melnik attributes the information about the existence of 300 trained officers not to Solovyov, but to ordinary rumors that no one knows who spread in the city. That is, there were no statements from Solovyov that Solovyov collected 300 people, these are rumors.

But the accusatory motive in Melnik’s testimony is even more intensified, acquiring completely incredible details, which are again attributed to Sedov: “When I asked why Sedov listened to Solovyov so much, Sedov told me that Solovyov told him about how he betrayed two officers to the Tyumen “Soviet Department.” “because these officers went to Tobolsk without Solovyov’s permission. These officers were sent by one of the organizations in Tobolsk, which Solovyov could not have been unaware of. Solovyov told Sedov that he would hand over all officers going to Tobolsk to the “Soviet Deputies” without his permission.

Why should Solovyov tell a military officer that he is handing over his fellow officers to the Soviet of Deputies, thereby making a confession that he, Solovyov, is a traitor and provocateur? Complete nonsense. Why didn’t Sedov tell about this either to his friend cornet Markov, or to his boss Markov 2nd? Complete nonsense. And since this is nonsense, and its appearance must somehow be explained, a motive appears to subjugate Sedov’s will, either through hypnosis or some other mysterious way.

On behalf of the head of the Primorsky Regional Department of State Security of the city of Vladivostok, Lieutenant E.K. Loginov (an officer for assignments under the governor of the Primorsky Region), on August 28, 1919, a “Report on the adjutant of the Primorsky Special Purpose Detachment, Second Lieutenant Solovyov” was prepared. In this report, staff captain N.Ya. Sedov is mentioned as a witness that B.N. Solovyov lied to the Tsar and Tsarina.

In his book “The Murder of the Royal Family” N.A. Sokolov based on the testimony of Melnik, Markov N.E. Sokolova and others, with reference to the evidence of N.Ya. Sedov, although received through third parties, characterizes Lieutenant B.N. Solovyov, as a provocateur, an unscrupulous deceiver and swindler who embezzled large sums of money intended for the Royal Family and handed over officers to the Soviet.

The trend is clear - the primary information received from Sedov and taken as a basis turned into acts of accusation against the “provocateur” Boris Solovyov and his “accomplice” priest Alexei Vasiliev, who were blamed for the failure to create an officer organization and the failure of all efforts to save the Tsarskaya Families. The primary source of all these accusations was the captain-captain of Her Majesty’s Crimean Regiment Nikolai Yakovlevich Sedov.

The turn in Sedov’s biography is, to put it mildly, quite unexpected. A detailed acquaintance with the circumstances of the activities of Nikolai Sedov, Boris Solovyov, and Sergei Markov, which are beautifully presented in the book of the cornet S.V. Markov’s “The Abandoned Royal Family” do not provide any grounds or even hints for such thoughts in relation to Solovyov, as well as in relation to Sedov.

There are, however, two oddities in investigator Sokolova’s book “The Murder of the Royal Family”. Firstly, the name of Staff Captain Sedov is not mentioned even once in the book. Instead, there is a mysterious letter N, although it is easy for a person familiar with the material to guess that we are talking about Sedov. Secondly, all the information that comes from Sedov is given from the words of third parties. There is no testimony of his own, other than that given to investigator Sergeev.

But in those early testimonies it is difficult to find anything that could be presented to Solovyov as undeniable guilt, and the information itself is very scarce. But, as already mentioned, Sedov’s brief primary testimony was cleverly turned into indisputable evidence of the guilt of Solovyov (mainly) and Vasiliev.

Why and who needed this? In short: it was necessary to somehow justify the failure of all the combined efforts to save the Royal Family.

General Dieterichs: “In the matter of organizing the rescue of the former Tsar and the Royal Family... few people approached the resolution of the issue only from a philanthropic point of view. Almost everyone who thought about saving or kidnapping the Royal Family carried within himself his own... political principles, which were the basis for the goal of salvation and further development of the state building of a future, liberated Russia... And they were for him dominant over all other circumstances and considerations...no matter how sad and terrible..."" (Quoted from: Chernova O. Decree. Op.)

But what are these “dominant principles”? Briefly: on Boris Solovyov, the son-in-law of the hated Rasputin, anger was taken out, which in fact served as both the pretext and the reason for committing an atrocity against Tsar Nicholas II and His Family long before the intervention of the Bolsheviks. Even without a thorough investigation, it becomes clear why the Royal Family was not saved. Both the coordinators and many of those involved on the ground simply did not have enough motivation. It was necessary to do something, to risk oneself, to approach the matter creatively and energetically, but everything was done too sluggishly. The passive mood was determined by a simple thought: actually, who should we save? The German queen, through whom the gray-legged man Rasputin led her weak-willed husband. Many were ready to save and saved their own convictions, but not real people invested by God with Royal power, and whom they hated, some hidden, some openly.

Solovyov found himself in the role of a “scapegoat” or “whipping boy”, on whom the accumulated negative emotions were vilely vented. Sedov, wittingly or unwittingly, assisted in this performance.

Sedov gave a reason to use it. This reason was not solid, rather superficial, its evidence far-fetched. Therefore, Sokolov did not dare to openly indicate Sedov’s name in his book as a witness, and therefore listed him under the letter “N”.

But there was still some reason. Nikolai Sedov allowed for ambiguity in the interpretation of his testimony and evidence, and, apparently, he did it intentionally. Why did this happen?

If he gave reason to use his name for unworthy purposes of discrediting an innocent person, then the reasons for what happened were precisely this - instability of character, weakness of the nervous system, impulsiveness of the psyche, subject to external influences.

Perhaps this explains his disappearance and long silence in the fall of 1917, when everyone was eagerly awaiting news from him. It turns out that Sedov, having received the task, decided to change his route and stop in Odessa to “say goodbye to the regiment.” Whether he himself decided to do this is unlikely. Rather, his action is the result of a meeting with one of his colleagues who persuaded Sedov to go south.

He should not have done this, because he took on an obligation, because a lot depended on him and people were waiting for the results of his trip to Tobolsk, and because the purpose of Sedov’s assignment was neither more nor less - the salvation of the Royal Family.

And Sedov pushed all this into the background for the sake of a trip to his regiment.

Perhaps he was obliged to do this, that is, to officially ask for time off so as not to become a deserter, because he is an officer - a man of duty. But time, lost time! Something had to be sacrificed, but Sedov did not sacrifice his reputation and lost several precious months, leading people by the nose for so much time, simply letting them down for the sake of complying with the form. What could be greater than the duty of saving God's Anointed One and His Family? But the will of Staff Captain Sedov was enslaved by a falsely understood sense of military-corporate duty.

Nikolai Sedov's friendship with cornet Sergei Markov and lieutenant Boris Solovyov was subjected to a severe test, which Sedov, apparently, could not bear.

In the spring of 1918, during his second visit to Tobolsk, Sedov met with the children of physician E.S. Botkin, Tatyana and Gleb, who lived in Kornilov’s house (opposite the Governor’s House). The hatred of Rasputin in the Botkin family was too pronounced, which was reflected in the memoirs of Tatyana Melnik-Botkina. This hatred unexpectedly fell on the head of poor Sedov. Gleb Botkin, recognizing Nikolai Sedov in a dirty, ragged man, had a heart-to-heart talk with him as follows: “Your Soloviev is a swindler! - Glebushka shouted at the officer, who was confused by such pressure. - How could you trust Rasputin’s son-in-law!<...>This priest /O. Alexey Vasiliev/ works for the reds. He lied to you.<...>... /Sedov/ without saying a word, he rushed down the stairs and disappeared.” (Melnik-Botkina T.E. Decree. Op.).

Despite the fact that Sedov knew both Sergei Markov and Nikolai Solovyov very well, having worked with them in the same team, the meeting with Gleb Botkin made a fatal impression on him. It was with the influence of the son of the life physician E.S. Botkin Gleb Botkin is connected by the historian S.V. Fomina a turn in Sedov's soul (Fomin S.V. Decree. Op.).

Sedov’s will turned out to be relaxed when in June 1918, having arrived in Petrograd to see Markov 2nd and having heard from Markov 2nd an accusation of inactivity, Captain Sedov, in order to somehow justify himself, covered himself with Solovyov and tried to blame him guilt. Sedov put the idea of “Solovyov’s provocation” into the hands of Markov 2nd. This idea was effectively used by Markov II, in order to cover up Solovyov’s own mediocre activities (or rather, inactivity).

Subsequently, S.V. Markov exposed the crafty position of Markov 2nd: “It is also unclear that, having learned in the spring of 1918 from N.Ya. Sedov about the allegedly “provocative” activities of B.N. Solovyov, Markov 2nd y, knowing my Tyumen address, did not warn me at the same time so that I would be more careful in relations with him. He did not say this even when I arrived in St. Petersburg in July 1918. At this time, he chose to hide from me, “fearing me as an active collaborator of the provocateur Solovyov.” (Markov S.V. Decree op.).

Sedov’s information about Solovyov, the uncertainty and ambiguity contained in it, gave investigator Sokolov the basis for completely discrediting Solovyov and assigning him the name of “provocateur” in history.

But did Sedov really not know that this was not so? From among the rescue officers, two figures can be distinguished, like many other officers, who loved the Royal Family so much that they were ready to sacrifice themselves for them, but at the same time treated with respect and attention the beliefs of the Empress and Sovereign, and the people they loved , and in this their love is more perfect. This is cornet Sergei Markov and lieutenant Boris Solovyov.

Soloviev did not at all pretend to be a coordinator or chief commander. He acted in proportion to the situation, as a person who knew this situation better than anyone and tried to prevent fatal mistakes from being made. Rather, Solovyov performed purely practical tasks: transferring correspondence and money, as well as a very important role - collecting information regarding the situation of the Royal Family and local events directly related to them. From the story of S.V. Markov, it is obvious that it was on this information received either by Solovyov or his wife Mara Grigorievna that all the activities of Markov and Sedov were built.

Sedov could not have known this. But why didn’t he throughout his life refute the false accusations, why didn’t he stand up for the honor of his friend, who helped him himself to add his name to the list of those who served their Crown Bearers to the end?

Nikolai Sedov, having given evidence to investigator Sergeev on November 22, 1918, served in Omsk, then with Denikin. Emigrated through Constantinople to France (1921). Then “among 40 thousand Russian emigrants, he ended up in Czechoslovakia.”

Nikolai Yakovlevich Sedov became the cell attendant of Archbishop Sergius of Prague (Korolev), who was entrusted with the spiritual care of Orthodox parishes. According to the memoirs of Metropolitan Evlogy, His Grace Sergius was “modest, simple, humble,<...>possessed the rare gift of uniting people of the most opposite types around him: noble and ignorant, learned and unlearned, rich and poor, right and left - everyone united around him into a friendly family.”

In 1929 N.Ya. Sedov was tonsured a monk and became a hierodeacon.

From the memoirs of Igor Nikishin: “Vladyka Sergius (Archbishop Sergius (Korolev) of Prague) loved the solemnity, order, and “glory” of the divine service. The accuracy of the clergy’s movements was impeccable, the combination of colors of vestments, surplices, lecterns and chandeliers was considered very important, and the service was “synchronized” down to the smallest details. The servants were "trained" in the kitchen of Vladyka Her Imperial Highness Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of the Crimean Cavalry Regiment by staff captain Nikolai Yakovlevich Sedov, later Archimandrite Seraphim, then cell attendant of Vladyka Sergius. Together [they] - Vladyka with his love for church "glory" and Nikolai Yakovlevich, with his military drill, created divine services in Prague, which few could compare in beauty abroad. “You can be baptized, Igor, only when indicated,” this is Nikolai Yakovlevich for a six-year-old plowman. “You start shifting from foot to foot, crossing yourself.” , bowing when you stand in front of the iconostasis will distract the attention of those praying. They will notice you, not the beauty of the service. And turns so that they are over the inside shoulder when in a pair, and over the left shoulder when alone, and so that the bow to the ground is one movement - down and back, and do not swing when you walk, with your full foot, with a small step... and so that the movements are clear, then you will not disturb those praying" (Quoted from: Chernova O. Decree op.).

From the memoirs of Tamara Pavlovna Milyutina, who visited Prague in 1929: “Vladyka Sergius’s conversation with my mother was long. First, at the tea table - this is how Vladyka usually received everyone, being the host himself, pouring tea and treating them to jam. Then I was sent to the kitchen, snow-white and clean, where Father Seraphim, the Vladyka’s cell attendant, was cooking apricot jam in a large copper basin.

Father Seraphim was a former white officer. He and several young officers hoped to free the Royal Family, but it was too late. He came to the Lord in extreme despair, on the verge of suicide. The Lord saved him" (Quoted from: Chernova O. Decree op.).

“Although becoming the Vladyka’s cell attendant did not yet mean becoming a monk. A student at the University of Tartu, Dmitry Zhelnin, before taking monastic vows, was also a cell attendant for Archbishop Sergius. He had been in correspondence with Vladyka for a long time, but only in Prague did he realize that he was unable to bear the strict demands that his spiritual father placed on himself and his novices. The Bishop sent Dmitry home with love and blessing. But Nikolai Yakovlevich remained and, in the words of the Bishop, “through daily victories he achieved joy and a state that brings light to everyone and to him...” (Chernova O. Decree op.).

Father Seraphim “joined the brethren of the monastery of St. Job in Ladomirovo (Transcarpathian Rus'). Member of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, ordained to the priesthood at the Holy Sepulcher, hieromonk (until 1939), sacristan of the Trinity Cathedral of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem (until 1948).” Archimandrite. Returned to Western Europe. In 1949-1951, assistant rector of the monastery courtyard, Rev. Job in Pau (department of the Atlantic Pyrenees) (1949-1951), rector of the Russian church in Tehran (1951-1961), member of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem (1961). From 1961 to 1984 priest of the Gethsemane St. Mary Magdalene Convent in Jerusalem.” (Marina Tsvetaeva Foundation).

Archimandrite Seraphim “was the confessor of the Bethany children and lived for many years in Bethany, and on Sundays he served in Gethsemane” (Chernova O. Decree op.).

Jerusalem. At the gates of the Alexander Metochion (Threshold of the Gates of Judgment).
First row: General Khripunov, Fr. archim. Seraphim (Sedov), general's wife Nina Georgievna.
Second row: Olga Amphovna Uakhbe, Prince Vladimir Galitsyn from Paris, Timofey Stepanovich Denke (died in a plane crash while flying to the Synod), Fr. Gerasim
Photo: www.st-nikolas.orthodoxy.ru

Sources:

1. Melnik-Botkina T.E. Memories of the Royal Family and its life before and after the revolution. Belgrade. All-Slavic bookstore M.I. Stefanovich and Co., 1921

2. Markov S.V. Abandoned Royal Family.

3. Nikitenko Boris. Life Guards Cavalry Regiment of His Imperial Majesty... Russian Globe. International Internet Journal, February 2009, N2.

4. Sokolov N.A. Murder of the Royal Family.

5. Fomin S.V. "Little Crimean". Article dated 01/08/2013. Russian Bulletin.

6. Chebotareva V.I. At the Palace Infirmary in Tsarskoe Selo. Diary: July 14, 1915 - January 5, 1918. New journal. Book 181, 182. New York, 1990.

7. Chernova O. Faithful. About those who did not betray the Royal Martyrs. M: Russian Chronograph, 2010.

8. Chernova Olga. Warrior of Christ. Website: (Orthodox News Agency).

9. Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II. Letters from Members of the Sovereign's Family. Website: St. Petersburg Public Foundation of Zealots of the Memory of the Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II. Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Stavropegic Monastery (letter from Empress Alexandra Feodorovna M.S. Khitrovo dated January 21, 1918 Tobolsk).

10. Genealogical forum of the All-Russian Family Tree (VGD). Web site.

11. House-Museum of Marina Tsvetaeva. State budgetary cultural institution of the city of Moscow. Cultural Center. Web site.

12. Medical institutions of Tsarskoe Selo at the beginning of the twentieth century. Infirmaries of the First World War. Finkelstein website.

13. Protocol No. 2 of the interrogation of Lieutenant K.S. Melnik, November 2, 1919] // N. A. Sokolov. Preliminary investigation 1919-1922: [Sb. materials] / Comp. L. A. Lykova. - M.: Studio TRITE; Ross. Archive, 1998. - pp. 172-173. - (Russian Archive: History of the Fatherland in evidence and documents of the 18th-20th centuries; [T.] VIII).

14. Lieutenant Loginov E. K. [Report on the adjutant of the Primorsky Special Purpose Detachment, Second Lieutenant Solovyov] // N. A. Sokolov. Preliminary investigation 1919-1922: [Sb. materials] / Comp. L. A. Lykova. - M.: Studio TRITE; Ross. Archive, 1998. - pp. 165-170. - (Russian Archive: History of the Fatherland in evidence and documents of the 18th-20th centuries; [T.] VIII).

Russian youth cross-country skiing team, Honored Coach of Russia. Father and coach of the five-time champion and multiple medalist of three junior world championships in cross-country skiing Pyotr Sedov, coach of the bronze medalist of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver Irina Khazova.


personal information
Floor	male
Citizenship
Date of Birth	XX century
Place of Birth	Sasovsky district, Ryazan Oblast, Russia or Ryazan Oblast, Russia
Career

Biography

In the experimental group under the leadership of Sedov during this period they trained:

Pyotr Sedov is the son of Nikolai Evgenievich, five-time world junior champion, now a member of the Russian national team;
Raul Shakirzyanov - winner of gold in the relay and silver in the duathlon at the Junior World Championships, now a member of the Russian national team;
Andrey Kalsin - winner of gold in the relay race and silver in the freestyle race;
Pavel Vikulin - winner of gold in the relay race and bronze in the freestyle race;
Artyom Maltsev - skier born in 1993, is in the top fifteen in juniors and won the Russian Championship among middle-aged youth;
Evgenia Tikhova is a skier born in 1990, showing high results;
Alevtina Tanygina is a skier born in 1989, a skier from Moscow.
Anastasia Sedova is the daughter of Nikolai Evgenievich, a skier born in 1995, who won four races at the Russian Championship for middle-aged girls in Syktyvkar.

In addition to the students from his group, Sedov trained multiple world champion among juniors and youth, winner and prize-winner of the World Cup stages, Irina Khazova (nee Artyomova), later a bronze medalist at the Olympic Games in Vancouver 2010.

Work as a senior coach of the Russian women's national team

In the 2010-2011 season, Nikolai Sedov led the Russian women's cross-country skiing team. However, this season his players did not achieve serious success, and in the spring of 2011 Nikolai Sedov submitted a letter of resignation, which was granted. At the same time, his son, multiple world junior champion Pyotr Sedov, who until this year had always trained with his father, began training with the country’s men’s team under the leadership of Oleg Perevozchikov in the spring of 2011.

Father and coach of the five-time champion and multiple medalist of three junior world championships in cross-country skiing Pyotr Sedov, coach of the bronze medalist of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver Irina Khazova.

Biography

In the experimental group under the leadership of Sedov during this period they trained:

Pyotr Sedov is the son of Nikolai Evgenievich, five-time world junior champion, now a member of the Russian national team;
Raul Shakirzyanov - winner of gold in the relay and silver in the duathlon at the Junior World Championships, now a member of the Russian national team;
Andrey Kalsin - winner of gold in the relay race and silver in the freestyle race;
Pavel Vikulin - winner of gold in the relay race and bronze in the freestyle race;
Artyom Maltsev - skier born in 1993, is in the top fifteen in juniors and won the Russian Championship among middle-aged youth;
Evgenia Tikhova is a skier born in 1990, showing high results;
Alevtina Tanygina is a skier born in 1989, a skier from Moscow.
Nastya Sedova is the daughter of Nikolai Evgenievich, a skier born in 1995, who won four races at the Russian Championship for middle-aged girls in Syktyvkar.

Work as a senior coach of the Russian women's national team

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Excerpt characterizing Sedov, Nikolai Evgenievich

More than anyone else at this first time, Prince Vasily took possession of both Pierre’s affairs and himself. Since the death of Count Bezukhy, he has not let Pierre out of his hands. Prince Vasily had the appearance of a man weighed down by affairs, tired, exhausted, but out of compassion, unable to finally abandon this helpless young man, the son of his friend, to the mercy of fate and the swindlers, apres tout, [in the end,] and with such a huge fortune. In those few days that he stayed in Moscow after the death of Count Bezukhy, he called Pierre to himself or came to him himself and prescribed to him what needed to be done, in such a tone of fatigue and confidence, as if he was saying every time:
“Vous savez, que je suis accable d"affaires et que ce n"est que par pure charite, que je m"occupe de vous, et puis vous savez bien, que ce que je vous propose est la seule chose faisable." [ You know, I am swamped with business; but it would be merciless to leave you like this; of course, what I am telling you is the only possible one.]
“Well, my friend, tomorrow we’re going, finally,” he told him one day, closing his eyes, moving his fingers on his elbow and in such a tone, as if what he was saying had been decided a long time ago between them and could not be decided otherwise.
“We’re going tomorrow, I’ll give you a place in my stroller.” I am very happy. Everything important is over here. I should have needed it a long time ago. This is what I received from the chancellor. I asked him about you, and you were enlisted in the diplomatic corps and made a chamber cadet. Now the diplomatic path is open to you.
Despite the strength of the tone of fatigue and the confidence with which these words were spoken, Pierre, who had been thinking about his career for so long, wanted to object. But Prince Vasily interrupted him in that cooing, bassy tone that excluded the possibility of interrupting his speech and which he used when extreme persuasion was necessary.
- Mais, mon cher, [But, my dear,] I did it for myself, for my conscience, and there is nothing to thank me for. No one ever complained that he was too loved; and then, you are free, even if you quit tomorrow. You will see everything for yourself in St. Petersburg. And it’s high time for you to move away from these terrible memories. – Prince Vasily sighed. - Yes, yes, my soul. And let my valet ride in your carriage. Oh yes, I forgot,” Prince Vasily added, “you know, mon cher, that we had scores to settle with the deceased, so I received it from Ryazan and will leave it: you don’t need it.” We will settle with you.
What Prince Vasily called from “Ryazan” were several thousand quitrents, which Prince Vasily kept for himself.
In St. Petersburg, as in Moscow, an atmosphere of gentle, loving people surrounded Pierre. He could not refuse the place or, rather, the title (because he did nothing) that Prince Vasily brought him, and there were so many acquaintances, calls and social activities that Pierre, even more than in Moscow, experienced a feeling of fog and haste and everything that is coming, but some good is not happening.
Many of his former bachelor society were not in St. Petersburg. The guard went on a campaign. Dolokhov was demoted, Anatole was in the army, in the provinces, Prince Andrei was abroad, and therefore Pierre was not able to spend his nights as he had previously liked to spend them, or to occasionally unwind in a friendly conversation with an older, respected friend. All his time was spent at dinners, balls and mainly with Prince Vasily - in the company of the fat princess, his wife, and the beautiful Helen.
Anna Pavlovna Scherer, like others, showed Pierre the change that had occurred in the public view of him.
Previously, Pierre, in the presence of Anna Pavlovna, constantly felt that what he was saying was indecent, tactless, and not what was needed; that his speeches, which seem smart to him while he prepares them in his imagination, become stupid as soon as he speaks loudly, and that, on the contrary, the stupidest speeches of Hippolytus come out smart and sweet. Now everything he said came out charmant. If even Anna Pavlovna did not say this, then he saw that she wanted to say it, and she only, in respect of his modesty, refrained from doing so.

Job title: Honored Coach of Russia, coach of the Russian youth cross-country team

Nikolai Evgenievich Sedov - master of sports in cross-country skiing, coach of the Russian youth cross-country team, honored coach of Russia. Father and coach of five-time champion and multiple medalist of three junior world cross-country championships Pyotr Sedov, bronze medalist of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver Irina Khazova.

Biography

A native of the Sasovsky district of the Ryazan region. In his hometown, he began skiing in the sports section of his high school. He took part in many district and regional school competitions. According to Sedov, ski racing has accompanied him throughout his life. After serving in the army, Sedov entered the Smolensk State Institute of Physical Culture. He specialized in the department of skiing, where he became interested in coaching. After graduating from the institute, in 1989, together with his wife, master of sports in cross-country skiing Elena Sergeevna Sedova, he was assigned to work at a children's and youth sports school in the city of Sarov. Now in Sarov there is one of the strongest ski schools in the country, which was created by Sedov together with his wife.

Currently working

Currently he heads the experimental group “Vancouver 2010 - Sochi 2014”, which is part of the Russian national team and was created on the initiative of Yuri Viktorovich Borodavko with the aim of preparing a group of young athletes for the 2014 Olympics.

In the experimental group under the leadership of Sedov they train:

* Pyotr Sedov is the son of Nikolai Evgenievich, five-time world junior champion, now a member of the Russian national team;
* Raul Shakirzyanov - winner of gold in the relay and silver in the duathlon at the Junior World Championships, now a member of the Russian national team;
* Andrey Kalsin - winner of gold in the relay race and silver in the freestyle race;
* Pavel Vikulin - winner of gold in the relay race and bronze in the freestyle race;
* Artyom Maltsev - skier born in 1993, is in the top fifteen in juniors and won the Russian Championship among middle-aged youth;
* Evgenia Tikhova - skier born in 1990, showing high results;
* Alevtina Tanygina - skier born in 1989, skier from Moscow.
* Nastya Sedova is the daughter of Nikolai Evgenievich, a skier born in 1995, who won four races at the Russian Championship for middle-aged girls in Syktyvkar.

In addition to the students from his group, Sedov trained multiple world champion among juniors and youth, winner and prize-winner of the World Cup stages, Irina Khazova (nee Artyomova).

Skiing magazine: Nikolai SEDOV: I received complete freedom of action from the management

News on the site in which Sedov N.E. is mentioned.

March 22, 2008 - comments: 0

Last winter season, another star appeared on the horizon of Russian cross-country skiing - Pyotr Sedov, who won all distance disciplines at the Junior World Championships. Over two years of competing at junior championships, Peter collected an impressive collection - four gold and one silver medals. The history of Soviet and Russian skiing knows only a few such examples: six-time world champions among juniors were Gennady Lazutin and Yulia Chepalova, four-time champions - Ruth Rehemaa, Alexander Chaiko and German Karachevsky, three-time champions - Olga Danilova, Tatyana Bondareva (Kirillova), Irina Luzina (Skladneva ), Natalya Masalkina (Baranova), Yuri Skobov, Evgeniy Dementyev. Some of them, such as Chepalova, Dementyev, Danilova, Skobov, Baranova, managed to prove themselves at the adult level, becoming an Olympic champion or world champion. Someone like Lazutin, Karachevsky, Chaiko and Rehemaa got lost and could not fully reveal their talent.

"L.S." decided to meet and talk with Peter Sedov’s father and coach Nikolai, who since this year has been heading the experimental group “Vancouver 2010 - Sochi 2014” within the Russian national team, to try to understand what future awaits his son, as well as other promising racers training under his leadership.

LET'S GET TO KNOW

Nikolai Evgenievich, please tell us about the group you lead. It is called "Vancouver 2010 - Sochi 2014". What is the meaning of this name, what is the composition of the group, its goals?

This is an experimental group created on the initiative of Yuri Viktorovich Borodavko. It was his idea to create such a group within the national team, consisting of young promising athletes who are too early to join the main team and who are not yet ready to carry out the workload typical of the men's and women's main teams.

It must be said that in Soviet times there was always such a team: it was the country’s youth team, the Druzhba team. Our team is just like those teams. Starting this year, they decided to revive it; the go-ahead was received from the president of the federation, Vladimir Alekseevich Loginov, who also did a lot to open the group. After all, it’s one thing to simply “open” a team, and quite another to make it work effectively. The opening of our group entailed large financial investments: the organization of training camps, inventory and equipment, and medical support for athletes. However, thanks to the leadership of the federation and Yuri Borodavko, this group was created and, starting in August, is fully funded by the Ministry of Sports.

- Who financed your group until this time?

There were problems before this. We held the first training camp in Sarov entirely at the expense of the federation, the following training camps in Otepää and Ostrov were financed thanks to Loginov’s personal contacts with the heads of regional sports committees. But, despite the difficulties, everything is still going according to plan. The Department of Sports Development of the Nizhny Novgorod Region in the person of Viktor Vladimirovich Kharitonov and Alina Gennadievna Gorshunova provided us with great help. Without any questions, they provided funding to send Sedov and Khazova to Otepää and Ostrov.

- So, after all, why does your group have such a name?

The group is named so because its main promising task is preparation for the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014, since the main backbone of the group consists of young and promising guys and girls. But from this composition, according to our management’s estimates, one or two people can get to the Olympics in Vancouver. Hence the name, which symbolizes the transition from Vancouver 2010 to Sochi 2014.

Different athletes are given different tasks, but we are not given strict conditions to get to the Olympic Games in Vancouver. The management looks at things realistically: we need to successfully perform at the World Championships among juniors and youth under 23, which will be held this year in Germany, and we also have two participants with the prospect of performing at the European Winter Youth Festival next year and in the first Children's Olympic Games in 2012.

- Your appointment was probably not a surprise to you. Tell us how you were invited to the national team?

To be honest, this is not the first time I have been called as a coach for the national team. This invitation was the fourth or fifth, and they usually came from the head coach of the national team, Yuri Viktorovich Borodavko, and from the senior reserve coach, Vladimir Danilovich Timofeev. I was offered to lead the youth team, juniors or juniors. This time too, we were talking about juniors at first, but in the end we settled on just this version of the experimental team. And this option, of course, suits me most, because the main backbone of the group consists of athletes from the Nizhny Novgorod region: Irina Khazova (formerly Artyomova), multiple world champion among juniors and youth, who ended her two-year disqualification this year, junior Evgenia Tikhova, talented skier born in 1990, showing very decent results. Then my son Pyotr Sedov, four-time world junior champion; Artyom Maltsev, born in 1993, who is already in the “tag” of the best juniors and won the Russian championship in middle age; and my daughter Nastya Sedova, born in 1995. This year she won four races at all-Russian competitions, that is, at the Russian Championship for average girls, in Syktyvkar.

As for the rest, there is generally a stellar line-up - the winners of this year's World Junior Championships in the relay. In addition to Petit, these are Raul Shakirzyanov (“gold” in the relay and “silver” in the duathlon at the Junior World Championships), Andrey Kalsin (“gold” in the relay and “silver” in the freestyle race) and Pavel Vikulin (“gold” in the relay and “bronze” in the freestyle race). Also training with me is Alevtina Tanygina, born in 1989, a skier from Moscow, whom I have known for a very long time, since she is originally from the Volga Federal District. She also went to the youth festival in Jaca, Spain, when Peter competed for the first time, and won one individual race there. Moreover, she fought there against such strong rivals as, for example, Marte Kristoffersen, who is already playing for the main Norwegian team. After that, she got into the junior team, didn’t show anything for two years, but I think the girl is very talented and capable of showing high results. So far there are no questions at all regarding preparation for it. Thus, our main team is 7 people, and two, Sedova and Maltsev, travel with us at the expense of the regions.

- Do you have assistants: a second trainer, a massage therapist, a serviceman?..

Thanks again to the leadership of the federation, from the very first training camp in Sarov, we had our own physician, who has been traveling with us for the third training camp - Vladimir Ilyich Sorbitov. From this training camp we will have our own lubricant engineer, Dmitry Pirogov, and from September he will be replaced by my student Pavel Troshkin.

THE BEGINNING OF THE WAY

- Tell us about yourself, how did you get into skiing?

I have been skiing for a long time; I started running while still in school, and after the army I entered the Smolensk State Institute of Physical Culture, where I studied at the skiing department. There I began to show my first qualities as a coach. We had a very competent teacher, Lyubov Fedorovna Kobzeva - it was she who instilled in me a love for coaching. This is where it all started.

- Where were you born, how did you grow up?

I was born in the Sasovo district of the Ryazan region, where I started skiing in the school section under the guidance of a physical education teacher somewhere in the fifth grade. Then came the competitions: championship of schools in the district, region, and so on. Since then, ski racing has accompanied me throughout my life, and when it was time to go to college, I had no doubt that I would go to physical education. Then the coaching work, which is still going on.

- Didn’t you want to run longer on your own?

I graduated from the institute in 1989 at the height of perestroika, and, frankly speaking, there was no time for that anymore.

- Did you start working as a coach immediately after graduating from university?

In those days, assignments still existed, and I, together with my wife Elena Sergeevna Sedova, who, like me, was a master of sports in cross-country skiing, were sent to the closed city of Sarov. We specifically chose a place where two young specialists were needed. Although there were offers to stay in the Smolensk region and run. But we still decided to go and work at the Sarov children’s and youth sports school, and we found a pretty good job there.

How did you manage to resolve the housing issue?

We were immediately given a room in a hostel, and then it went: “small family”, a three-room service apartment, and at the moment we already have our own apartment.

SAROV AND ITS STARS

- Since we are talking about Sarov, please tell us what are the conditions for cross-country skiing in the city?

Conditions for skiing in Sarov are ideal. The result in skiing consists of three components: the first is the presence of talented athletes, the second is the presence of good coaches, the third is the presence of a competent person in the city administration who understands the needs of athletes and coaches. If at least one of these components is missing, then a normal result cannot be achieved. But in Sarov at the moment all three components of success are present.

Our town is small, only 120 thousand inhabitants, you can walk from end to end in 30 minutes, and it is located on the territory of the Mordovian Nature Reserve. The ski resort is not located on the outskirts, but practically in the city itself. The attention to ski racing from the administration of the city of Sarov, represented by the head Valery Dmitrievich Dimitrov, is very high. He took upon himself the responsibility for the construction of a roller ski track at our ski base, the only one in the region, and is actively developing sports in the city. “Ski Track of Russia” was held in Sarov, this year thanks to him the city is going to purchase a retractor, and this will be a completely different level of preparation of ski slopes. The city hosts a huge number of competitions, from the Internal Troops Championship to the final of the Russian Roller Ski Cup. As you understand, it would have been impossible to do this without the help of the administration. He also actively helps the children's and youth sports school.

Our school is small, there are only four coaches, but from year to year we consistently supply our students to the national team. Over the past seven or eight years, every year there have been one or two athletes from Sarov in the junior team. First Troshkin, then Artyomova, Khlopotina, Sedov, Tikhova... That is, a lot of people for our small town.

- After you left the national team, was there anyone left to replace you?

There is probably no one to replace me yet. Now only my wife works there, with whom we usually work together, in tandem. She works in initial training groups, brings athletes to a certain level, and then passes them on to me. And this team method of work will never become obsolete. For the development of cross-country skiing, this is one of the best ways, because one person cannot grasp the immensity and must work only with a certain contingent of students who are at a certain level of training.

- When did you achieve your first successes in the coaching field?

As I already said, my wife and I came to the sports school in 1989. Although there were six coaches there at that time, there were no graduates from this school. The children finished their studies until the eighth or ninth grade and left. The first successes came to us literally two years later. In those days, they still held competitions for prizes from the newspaper “Pionerskaya Pravda,” and our children, after studying for two years, had already won the regional competitions of this newspaper. After three or four years, our guys began to win the region, and before that, in cross-country skiing, Sarov played the most distant roles in the region. Now we are the undisputed leaders in the field, but we moved towards this gradually, rising from step to step.

Our first masters of sports were Anatoly Rodionov, born in 1978. and Valery Sukhov born in 1977 Valery later became one of the leading skiers in the Smolensk region, as he studied at the Smolensk Infizult.

The next step up for us was Pavel Troshkin. He took second place at the Russian Senior Youth Championship and joined the junior team of Yuri Viktorovich Borodavko. By the way, that’s when Borodavko and I met. And Pavel became the world champion among juniors in the relay race, the silver medalist of the championship. From then on it went on and on.

Ira Artyomova came after Pasha, who, without preparing for the national team, was selected for the team at the Junior World Championships, where she took first place in the relay and third in the individual race. The next year she already won three distances at the World Championships.

Then there was Olga Khlopotina, master of sports, she won the Russian championship for two years, but until now, I think, she has not fully revealed herself. Then my son Pyotr Sedov went upstairs. Also without preparing for the national team, Peter brought a full set of medals from the youth Winter Festival in Jaca: he was third in the classic race, second in the speed skating race and won gold as part of the mixed relay team. The next year we went to Italy, where he, while still a senior youth, took second place in the individual race and first as a member of the relay team. This year Peter won two individual races and a relay. Also this year, Evgenia Tikhova joined the team together with Peter. This is a racer from Nizhny Novgorod, but she has been training with me for five years now. She is a very talented and promising girl, but she did not manage to prove herself “in the world” - she became ill. Her best place was tenth in the sprint, but next year, I hope, everything will be better.

Their replacements are also growing: these are exactly the young guys I bring with me at the expense of the region - Artyom Maltsev and Anastasia Sedova. So we are working slowly.

SYSTEM

- How did you start working as a coach of the experimental group of the national team?

I started working by talking to my guys’ personal trainers. Coaching work in the national team has its own specifics. Here they give you a ready-made athlete, who is already something of himself, who has his own coach with his own training methods. Usually these are completely different methods, completely different approaches to the training process. Here you can’t put everyone under the same brush, because a certain training system is suitable for some, but not for others. So, before planning anything, it was necessary to listen to personal trainers, make sure that the athletes can do this or that work, whether they have the desire to do it. After all, it often happens that an athlete has no desire to do this or that work, to carry out this or that load.

We held the first gathering in Sarov, because statistical data had been accumulated there for twenty years. This data helped me understand whether my training is suitable for the guys, whether they can train according to my system, because it is radically different from the one they used to prepare for. To be honest, at the first training sessions people were simply in shock. They could not even imagine that it was possible to train like this. Especially Alevtina Tanygina, her hair simply stood on end. But, in the end, everyone got involved, and closer to the end of the training camp, I realized that the guys and girls can do this kind of work, and the transition to such a training system will be painless for them.

- You really intrigued me! What kind of system is this that makes athletes’ hair stand on end?

In principle, nothing new has been invented for skiers: this is running, roller skating and cross-country with imitation. Plus you can add cycling and rowing to this. However, these training means can be combined in completely different ways: in different volumes, different intensities. One exercise, for example, 20 squats, can be done for one minute, or it can be stretched over ten minutes. So my system is to quickly complete all training tasks and processes. But there is one “but”: working at a fairly high intensity, in the third or fourth zone, requires a much more sensitive and attentive attitude towards the athlete on the part of the coach. Having gone too far with the load, an athlete can fall into a “hole”, so our work can be called “walking on the edge of a knife”: on the one hand you undertrained, on the other hand you overtrained, and it is very difficult to find a middle ground. True, recently it is not so difficult to control: heart rate monitors have appeared, into which you can enter individual intensity zones for each athlete. Therefore, training has become much easier. Thanks to these devices, as well as twenty years of experience working with children, it is almost impossible to miss overtraining. You just feel the athlete, you see his mood when going to training, his work during training, his well-being. Much attention is paid to self-monitoring diaries, which are checked constantly.

Our training sessions are very short in duration. Compared to other collections, our group trains almost half as much. However, our intensity is a little higher; we do a lot of work at the ANSP level. The longest training session in our group for masters of sports and international masters of sports is 2 hours 20 minutes. Almost all of our first training sessions are developmental, while the second ones are restorative. In the second training sessions, we train only in the first and second zones, that is, we simply recover, and all the work takes place in the first training sessions. Naturally, there are differences in the construction of the weekly microcycle. If the adult team uses a seven-day microcycle with six training days, one day of rest and a deload in the middle, then our group trains for three days, then there is a day of rest, then we train for two more and another day of rest. Moreover, we have a full day of rest.

- Do you have a favorite workout?

No, I don't have a favorite workout. I view the training process as a whole. My annual plan is drawn in the form of a graph, which shows all the peaks and valleys of loads. There is also this peculiarity: we do not do a jumping simulation. All my athletes, if desired, and using a step simulation, can accelerate their heart rate to maximum values, which, by the way, is not the case with other coaches. Their athletes are not used to doing this work at such intensity.

- Is this some kind of coaching trick?

No, there is no trick, just a common habit. This year Kalsin, Shakirzyanov and Vikulin came to me, and at first they didn’t do very well, but then they got involved, got used to it, and now they do this work the way I demand of them. They also always asked me at first why we train so little. But at the last training camp in Ostrov, everyone improved their results from last year. Andrey Kalsin improved his result by three whole minutes! I was even scared, because such a sharp increase should not happen. Tanygina and Shakirzyanov also improved greatly. Raul, on a six-kilometer circuit, and the circuit there is very difficult, won a minute and 50 seconds against himself from last year. It’s the same in roller skating: compared to last year, the guys are improving a lot, but it’s still summer, we’ll see what happens next.

- What are your future fundraising plans?

Now we are flying to Austria, in the middle mountains. Although I think that middle mountains are not really necessary for young guys. Middle mountains are needed for guys like Legkov, Dementiev, Pankratov, Vylegzhanin - that is, for men who are already at a certain high level and who need mountains and a lack of oxygen to take the next step. And juniors, young men, young people can do without mountains for now. But since they offer it, it means you can go, but you still won’t be able to do much work in the mountains. After all, the guys’ bodies have not yet matured, and in the mountains you can “eat up” so much that you will “stand” for the whole season. All work there must be done very carefully, and this especially applies to those athletes who have been training with me for many years, for example, Ira Khazova. This is where you hold her back in training because she does the work at too high an intensity. It’s the same with Petya Sedov and Zhenya Tikhova, since they have been working according to this system for ten years. It will be a bit difficult with them in the mountains; they must always be kept on a leash, otherwise there will be no result in winter. And with the rest, I think everything will be fine.

THE GUIDE IS HELPING

The women's team and Anatoly Chepalov's group will not go to the mountains, they will hold a training camp in Demino. Did you have the opportunity to give up the mountains?

Yes, of course, there was an opportunity to refuse. No one from the management dictates to me how to train, what to do, where to go to the training camp. This is my personal vision, and neither Borodavko, nor Charkovsky, nor even more so Loginov interferes in this matter. I have complete freedom of action, and I train as I see fit.

- What is the relationship between the national team coaches?

I don’t know how it was before, but now the relationship between the national team’s coaches is friendly. I communicate well with Smirnov, and with Borodavko, and with Kaminsky, and with Devyatyarov. And I didn’t notice any quarrels between them. Anatoly Chepalov stands a little apart here, but he’s just a unique coach. But he also communicates normally with both Smirnov and Charkovsky.

- Do you report to the head coach in any way?

Necessarily. We write reports to the head coach every month, and I think this is correct. He collects these reports and sees how our group is preparing, how Smirnov’s group is preparing, how Borodavko’s group is preparing. That's his job, that's the way it should be. Yuriy Anatolyevich also helps solve pressing preparation issues. For example, on the first snow I had to detach from Borodavko’s group and join Smirnov. This is due to Irina Khazova’s entry into the first stages of the World Cup. The fact is that Yuri Viktorovich is going to Norway for the first snow, and the recruitment of the women's team will take place in the Finnish Muonio. To do this, it was necessary to order cottages in Muonio, return tickets to Ramsau, and so on. I simply approached Charkovsky, explained the situation, and the situation was resolved. He understands everything perfectly, and whatever we ask, everything is done without any problems.

They say about Peter SEDOV:

>
Gennady LAZUTIN,
six-time world junior cross-country champion:
WITHOUT VOLUME ANYWHERE

- Is there anything in your sports biography that you regret did not come true?
- No, I don’t regret anything. I am pleased with the way my sporting destiny has turned out. I achieved a lot as a junior, but then injuries began to plague me. A lot of effort and time went into restoring my knee, which was cleaned and washed. And yet, having recovered, I performed successfully. I was forced to look for sponsors myself, prepare at my own expense and, nevertheless, made it into the main team of the national team for the Olympic Games in Lillehammer, where I took fifth place in the relay and 15th in the individual race. After finishing my sports career, I became the manager of my wife, five-time Olympic champion Larisa Lazutina.
- What would you wish to Peter Sedov from the heights of today?
- Of course, I would like to wish Peter good luck, and also that he is not afraid of training work. Nowadays young people are very afraid of volumes, but believe me, there is nowhere without it, and the example of that golden galaxy of our skiers proves this.

Interviewed by Andrey KRASNOV

>
German KARACHEVSKY,
four-time world junior cross-country champion:
SEDOV SHOULD BE EXEMPTED FROM SELECTIONS FOR THE OLYMPICS

- How do you evaluate your own sports biography, how do you think it turned out - happy or not so happy?
- I am pleased with my junior achievements. As for adult sports... Our generation joined the main national team when there were such aces as Smirnov, Prosecutors, Devyatyarov. Apparently, in the first year we did not cope with the workload offered by the national team; in a certain sense, we did not live up to the coaches’ expectations. And then some very difficult years began: you didn’t understand what country you were running for - at the Olympics you ran under the Olympic flag, when you climbed to the podium, the Olympic anthem sounded. Plus, some problems began with financing, because we were preparing either with the national team or with N. Lopukhov’s “transition”. Then this “transition” suddenly disappeared. And there is, of course, dissatisfaction because I didn’t show what I wanted in sports. Maybe by that time he was already emasculated by junior competitions, I don’t know...
But then I was lucky: I worked a little with one of the best coaches in Russia - Valentin Vladimirovich Samokhin, who really approached the training process individually. Because it was like that in the national team in those days - eight people came out en masse for training and drove off... And it was interesting to work with Samokhin, he approached everyone individually. Sasha Golubev and I got to the Olympics no longer as members of the national team; we trained that year with Lopukhov. Gena Lazutin was also with us, but for some reason the team was reduced from eight people to six, and so Gena was artificially “unhooked” from the Olympics.
- You were one of the most promising, brightest racers in your junior years?
- You know, I won’t say that I was the brightest in this team, it just turned out that I won key competitions. We had a very good team - Maxim Kozlov, Andrey Varvarin, Alexander Karchevsky, me - all born in 1968. We were different from the others, and we all prepared with Samokhin. He didn’t want to immediately transfer us to the main team, he wanted to keep us for another year, give us the opportunity to adapt among the men, let us get stronger. But it didn't work out...
- Do you blame anyone for this situation?
- Who is to blame now and why? It just happened that way - we found ourselves in a period of generational change. Then, after all, the Olympic Games in Calgary were approaching, it was necessary to attract young people to the national team - here, perhaps, the team leaders were a little hasty. Although, in principle, the senior coach of the junior team, Yuri Anatolyevich Charkovsky, later supervised us in the adult team: when any problems arose, we approached him, and he always met halfway. I believe that Charkovsky is one of the brightest coaches; under his leadership we had many world junior champions. It’s a good situation that he has now become the head coach of the national team, because he has come a long way from juniors to men, he knows that this is the most difficult period in the life of an athlete - the transition from juniors to men.
- What would you wish for Pyotr Sedov now? The guy will be 19 years old this winter, he is already a four-time world champion. Should he now chase new junior victories, or does he need the Olympics in Vancouver? There is a lot of discussion now and very actively about the possibility of Peter’s participation in these Games, they even say that he could be useful to the Russian team in the relay. How should both Pyotr Sedov and his father, Nikolai, behave in this situation? How not to overdo it with loads, not to burn out, not to break down?
- What can I wish for Peter? So that the feeling of satiety does not come, so that he always retains the excitement, the mood for training, for the race.
As for whether it will be useful or not useful at the Olympics... In principle, you can put it there for one or two races. He may burn out not at the Olympics, but in the “millstone” of the selections - it will be very difficult to resist there and not burn out.
I think that he should go to the World Junior Championships, fulfill his task there, and after that go to the Olympics without qualifying. That is, this should be a strong-willed decision of the coaching council and the leaders of the federation. I know that he has now performed quite well at the summer competitions, I am following his performances, he is in good shape. I would like to wish him health and a cool head and, what is very important, a good coach. With the latter, as I understand it, he has no problems - his father leads him, leads him carefully, competently, so, the main thing is a cool head and health.

Interviewed by Ivan ISAEV,
September 2009