Who Killed Grigori Rasputin?

Historians it seems are forever debating the question ; Who killed Gregori Rasputin and why ? I'd be interested to hear peoples responses because I did research on this for my Final Exams in secondry school and it would be interesting to see if my conclusions are shared by other members

So to begin with heres the accepted version of events as told in the memoirs of Felix Yusupov and Vladimir Purishkevic 2 of the conspirators involved.:

On the night of December 30th 1916 Yusupov invited Rasputin to his home, the Yusupov Palace, for tea. When Rasputin arrived Yusupov lead him to the dining room where on the table were laid Wine and Teackes laced with Cyanide by fellow conspirator Dr.Lazovert. He and the other conspirators were waiiting upstairs in what is now called the Conspirators room.

Yusupov had Rasputin sit down and offered him the teacakes and poured him some wine. As the Monk began to eat Yusupov watched hopefully " expecting every moment to be his last" . But the pioson didn't seem to be working. Frightened by Rasputins apparently otherworldy powers the Prince ran upstairs to his fellow conspirators to inform them of the problem whereupon he was handed or took a gun. He returned to the dining room and shot Rasputin in the stomach. He then reported to his fellows that the job was done. However when questioned by Purishkevic as to whether the Monk was actually dead,he was"seized by a sudden feeling of alarm" and immeadiatly went to check. As he was leaning over to checked Rasputin suddendly awakened and attempted to strangle the Prince. Yusupov called on Purishkevich for help.

The accounts both claim here that Rasputin made a run for it out the door and accross the yard and was shot in the back from a distance by Purishkevic. Some accounts ( though not those mentioned above) would also suggest he was betean at this piont. Then his body was dumped in the River Nevka where eventually died of drowning.

That is the version we have accepted as fact. And I don't deny that some parts of it are totally accurate. However my research has lead me to believe that we are not being told the whole correct story.

Here are my arguments :

1.) The shot to Rasputins back: Purishkevic claims to have shot the Monk from a distance accross the yard. However autopsy photos show burning and scorching around the would that could only have happened if the gun was close to his skin. So Pruishkevic would have had to have been standing right behind the Monk, possibly as he was throttling Yusupov, when he fired.

2.) The escape accross the yard: If events happened as above then Raspuitn would have been too badly hurt to make a dash accross the yard. And in those same autopsy pictures there is , clearly visbale, a long straight line of blood accross the yard. A person running would have left blood everywhere. So I believe that the Monk was in fact carried.

3.) The third bullet wound: So if events were altered in the Conspirators memoirs I asked myself what they were trying to hide. A clue is yet again in those pictures. Right in the middle of Rasputin's forhead is a THIRD bullet hole. Measurements showed it was a differnt size and calibre to the other two.So the only explanation is that there was a THIRD gunman involved. Yet neither Yusupov nor Purishkevic mention anything of the sort in their memoirs. So who were they trying to protect? Who else could have been involved ? And why ?

I discovered that after the murder it was rumoured that the British Secret Service who had a base in St.Petersburg were involved. There is a mention in Yusupovs memoirs of his English friend Oswald Raynor who worked for the. Coincidence ? No. When Raynor died it was stated in his Obituary that he was in the Yusupov Palace on the night of the murder. Furthermore according to his nephew Gregory he burned all his papers from his time in St.Petersburg. Why ? What was he hiding?

Then I found out that a Telegram had recently come to light from a Secret Service Agent to his superoir officer John Scale in which he mentions Raynor in connection with " The demise of dark forces" the Secret Service's code for the Murder of Rasputin. My final confirmation came when I saw a documentry on this in which Scale's daughter states categorically that her father was " with ones who planned the murder"

So my theory is this:

Everything happened as stated up until the shooting by Purishkevic. I believe that he in fact shot the Monk at close range probably in the Dining Room. The Conspirators then began carrying the body accross the yard to a waiting car. Howver at some piont he must have moved or made a sound and they realised he was still alive. Then I believe Oswald Raynor, working for the Secret Service, took out his gun and fired the final fatal shot to Rasputin's head. Then they drove to a bridge over the Nevka and dumped the body.

But of course that begs the question; Why would the British want Rasptuin dead ? What would they have to gain?

The answer I believe lies with the influence Rasptuin had over the Royal Family. He had been openly pushing for the Russian Army to pull out of WW1 to prevent " The terrible slaughter of innocent lives". The Tsar, the British knew, was likely ot take the Monk's advice since he trusted him above all others and had done so in the past.This would spell disaster for the British who would be losing their greatest ally. It would mean that the German Forces who where currently fighting on two fronts would be able to concentrate all their might on the Western Front and the War would be lost for sure. So the only way they could see of preventing this was to get rid of Rasputin.


Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onasis