22 June 1917. The New York Times

The New York Times

Petrograd. Girls shave heads and train hard to fight. The “Command of Death’, which is the official title of the women’s regiment raised by the twice wounded girl officer Vera Buitchkareff, will leave in a fortnight for the front, probably for the Minsk sector.

The Associated Press correspondent who visited the barracks in Torgovaya Street found posted at the gate a little blue-eyed sentry in a soldier's khaki blouse, short breeches, green forage cap, and ordinary women’s black stockings. The sentry was Maria Skrydloff, former commander of the Baltic Fleet and Minister of Marine.

Inside there were four large dormitories, the beds without bedding and strewn with soldiers’ heavy overcoats. In the courtyard 300 girls were at drill, mostly between 18 and 25 years old,of good physique, and many of them pretty. They wore their hair short or had their heads entirely shaved. They were drilling under the instruction of a male Sergeant of the Volynsky regiment and marched to an exaggerated goosestep.

Commander Lieut. Buitchkareff explained that most of the recruits were from the higher educational academies or secondary schools, with a few peasants, factory girls, and servants. Some married women were accepted but non who had children.

The gild commander said: “The ordinary soldier’s food is furnished by the guards equipage corps. We rise at 4 and drill daily from 7 to 11 and again from 1 to 6. The girls carry the cavalry carbine, which is five pounds lighter than the regular army rifle. On our first parade I requested any girl whose motives were frivolous to step out. Only one did so, but later many who were unable to stand the privations left us.”

Asked as to the attitude of the male army, Commander Buitchkareff said that only Volynsky regiment, which let the Petrograd revolution, was really favorable.

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Nicholas II

Petrograd, Russian Empire

It has been exactly three months since I came from Moghilev and we have been prisoners. It is difficult to be without news from dear Mama, but as to the others I am indifferent. Today the day was still hotter than hot — 25 degrees in the shade and in the sun 36 degrees. Again there was a strong smell of burning. See more

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Marina Tsvetaeva

Borisoglebsky lane, 6, Moscow, Russian Empire

Two sources of heroism: "There is nothing to lose!" (Worker), "There is nothing to gain!" (Aristocrat).

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Alexandre Benois

Petrograd, Russian Empire

There is no sugar at all. Beet fields were left unplanted. This scares me more than anything, for I can not live without sweetness.

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Pierre Gilliard

Alexander Palace, Tsarskoye Selo, Russian Empire

After the disease Grand Duchesses shaved their heads because their hair fell out heavily; When they went out into the garden, they put on hats made to hide the lack of hair. At the moment when I was going to take pictures of them, they quickly took off their hats on the sign of Olga Nikolaevna. See more

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Elizaveta Naryshkina

Tsarskoye Selo, Russian Empire

It turns out that France has insisted on the abdication of the King of Greece. His second-born son, Alexander, has been declared king. The abdication didn’t happen without a struggle, but it was dignified as well. They departed in an English corvette and are now in Sweden, safe and sound. See more

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Romain Rolland

Grand Hotel Chateau Bellevue, Sierre, Switzerland

Recently, the deposed king of Greece, George, was roughed up in Lugano.

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Igor Stravinsky Leon Bakst

Diableler, Switzerland

If you want me to write music for Shakespeare, it is absolutely necessary that you come here. Strongly refuse to discuss anything in writing. I'm waiting for you.

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Nikolay Sukhanov

Petrograd, Russian Empire

The corridors of the Tauride Palace and the Cadet Corps resounded with rumours to the effect that certain military units, newly arrived from the front, were ready to place the city under martial law on the orders of the authorities, and to turn their weapons against the workers. See more

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Alexander Kerensky

There’s no substance whatsoever to the rumours of front-line troops being summoned to Petersburg to fight the workers. There isn’t a single soldier in Saint Petersburg who isn’t a member of the metropolitan garrison. Generally speaking, troops under my orders have been moving and will continue to move from the rear to the front in order to fight the external enemies of the revolution. But they shall never move from the front to the rear to wage battle against the workers.

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Maxim Gorky

editorial office of the newspaper "New Life", Nevsky lane, 64, Petrograd, Russian Empire

The task of culture is to develop and strengthen in the human being a social conscience, social morals, to work through and organize all the abilities, all the talents of the individual. Is this task achievable in times of widespread brutality? The Russian person, upon seeing his old way of life shaken by war and revolution to its very foundations, bellows with all his might for cultural aid. See more

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Anatoliy Lunacharskiy

apt.17, 25/20, Lakhtinskaya, Petrograd, Russian Empire

I saw the most charming A. Mikh. Kollontai. She looked some ten years younger and had become very unassuming and sweet while retaining traces of her former elegance. Held in high affection in Bolshevik circles, she’s ubiquitously renowned as a first-class orator. She addressed me with great cordiality and asked me to send you a warm hello and to tell you that she’d like to see you here soonest. See more

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Amedeo Modigliani

paints "Woman With a Necklace".

Emil Gudo's square, 13, Paris, France

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Pavel Dybenko

Mathilde Kschessinskaya's mansion, Petrograd, Russian Empire

As I was passing through Petrograd, I casually stopped at the palace of Kshesinskaya. It was interesting, after all, to visit the apartments of the Tsar’s former mistress, which are now occupied by the Bolsheviks, who send panic throughout all of Petrograd. And frankly, I wanted to meet Lenin himself. See more

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21 June

Gumilyov meets Yeats and Chesterton

Kolchak resigned following a scandal

"Divisions are refusing to engage. It is shameful before our allies"