PHOTO: Rasputin holding a framed photo of the Imperial Family. Artist unknown.

DISCLAIMER: for the record, I do not support any of the conspiracy theories related to the Imperial Family and those close to them. During the past week, the subject of this post was discussed in the Russian media, and I thought that it would be of interest to some readers. Upon reading the article, you are free to draw your own conclusions – PG

At the end of the 20th century, reports appeared in the Russian press that the will of Grigorii Rasputin, had been discovered in the archives of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB of the USSR in Moscow.

Rasputin’s alleged will contained mysterious prophecies about the future of Russia and the world. The eleven-page document was kept secret for 80 years, as were the personal documents of Russia’s last Imperial Family. Recall that it was Stalin who had these documents sealed, they were even forbidden to Soviet historians, with the exception of course, for propaganda purposes. The archives were only unsealed in the 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Grigorii Yefimovich Rasputin (1869-1916), was assassinated on 30th December [O.S. 17th] 1916, by a group of conservative nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov (1887-1967), and whose death still attracts the attention of historians.

According to the memoirs of Aron Samuilovich Simanovich[1] (1872-1944), who became the strannik’s[2] personal secretary, Rasputin predicted his own demise and the future of Russia. Simanovich claims that shortly before his death, Rasputin summoned the lawyer Aronson to draw up a will, in which he described the fate awaiting the Imperial Family. Simanovich, finding himself in emigration, in 1921 published the text of the will, which according to him, was read by Nicholas II only after the death of Rasputin.

Rasputin predicted that he would meet a violent death before January 1917 and if he was killed by the nobles, then war would break out in Russia, and the Russian nobility would suffer greatly. This warning is especially relevant, because Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich (1891-1942), a cousin of Nicholas II, participated in the conspiracy.

In the 1990s, information appeared in the Western press that an American historian David Norwalk found the full text of the will in the KGB archives in Moscow. In his will, Rasputin further predicted not only the 1917 Revolution, but also the collapse of the Soviet system. Vasily Vedeneev, author of the book «100 великих тайн России ХХ века» (100 Great Secrets of Russia of the Twentieth Century), confirmed that the document had been sealed by Soviet authorities. The will spoke of the emergence of a “new empire” – the Soviet Union and its future collapse. Rasputin also predicted the war with Germany resulting in a victory for Russia.

Many believe question the authenticity of Norwalk’s claim, and with good reason. His discovery appeared in the dubious American tabloid Weekly World News, known for renowned for its outlandish cover stories and for spreading fake news. Some sources claimed that Rasputin’s will did not exist, lost or destroyed. In his notes, Grigorii Rasputin wrote more about his role in history and the fight against secular power, than about global catastrophes.

FURTHER READING:

The prophesies of Grigory Rasputin

NOTES:

[1] In emigration, Simanovich wrote the book «Распутин и евреи. Воспоминания личного секретаря Григория Распутина» (Rasputin and the Jews. Memoirs of Grigory Rasputin’s Personal Secretary), in which he writes about his relationship with Rasputin. It was first published in 1921 in Russian. Following the 1917 Revolution, Simanovich fled the Bolsheviks, first to the United States and then France. During the German occupation of France, he was interned in a camp for stateless persons, then deported to Auschwitz, where he died on 31st July 1944.

[2] Rasputin is often described as a monk, however, this is incorrect. He was a strannik (wanderer or pilgrim), though he held no official position in the Russian Orthodox Church. 

© Paul Gilbert. 27 February 2025