The last seconds of Tsarist Russia. - Historynut

A fictionalized retelling of the execution of the Russian Imperial Family in Ipatiev House, Yekaterinburg, on the 17th of July 1918.

The White Army draws near.

The Czechoslovak Legion, in it's rebellion against the Red Army, controls a large part of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

If they reach Yekaterinburg, they could free the Romanovs, and the White Army, alongside the Entente, could use them as a symbol in the fight against Bolshevism.

The Soviet leaders cannot allow this to happen.

Ipatiev House, Yekaterinburg, Russian Empire, 17th of July 1918, two minutes before Midnight

Comrade Commandant Yakov Mikhailovich Yurovsky, a Jewish watchmaker by trade, sits at his desk.

He had replaced Comrade Alexander Avdeyev just a few days before.

Avdeyev was too soft. The Communist leadership didn't want the despised Imperial Family to live in luxury. They deserved to live like their citizens.

On his desk is a letter handwritten by Comrade Lenin ordering him that, if he was to see a red flare rise to the sky at Midnight, he is to kill the Russian Imperial Family.

After he finishes it, he crumples it up and puts his cigarette on it, letting the fire consume the paper.

Making sure the letter is completely ruined, the Commander stands up.

He takes a few slow steps towards the nearest window, dodging a Red Guard running through the room.

Yurovsky looks out. Nothing.

He inspects his watch, one that he had crafted himself. 

Just a few seconds until midnight.

And...

Yes, a red flare shines in the sky.

The Russian Imperial Family is not long for this world.

Comrade Yurovsky has to gather a team to eliminate them.

He will take his adjutant, Comrade Grigory Petrovich Nikulin, the Cheka agent, Pyotr Ermakov, Mikhail Medvedev-Kudrin, the head of the external guard, Pavel Medvedev, Stepan Vaganov, Alexei Kabanov, Valentin Nikolaevich Netrebin and a Latvian, Valdis Miervaldis Tselms.

Once they are all gathered, Yurovsky gives them the order that Lenin had given him. 

But they cannot kill the Romanovs in their beds. One could run away, especially since half of the guards are killing the others.

They will be taken into the basement of Ipatiev House and shot there, then buried someplace in the woods.

Comrade Yurovsky gives the execution party one hour to ready themselves.

Meanwhile, Nikolai II is wide awake. 

He can hear the Red Guards speak. Ipatiev's house's walls are too wide to hear well, but he knows something is coming.

He awakes his valet, Trupp.

They together work to awake the rest of the family and the dogs.

They have to escape.

But what is there to do?

The guard that oversees the Romanovs' quarters is not part of the execution party, and remains at his post.

The guard keeps his eyes on the only door out of the quarters. He cannot be surprised.

It seems that the fate of the Romanovs is sealed.

A terribly anxious hour passes. The Romanov children return to bed, but the adults and their retainers remain awake.

Comrade Yurovsky, escorted by the rest of his party, barges inside of the quarters, temporarily dismissing the sentry.

He is met by the Tsar. They are at the same height, 5'7. 

Nikolai II is exhausted. His beard is unkempt, and his hair has grown untidy. The only thing of his face to keep any royal charm is his mustache, kept in good condition thanks to a razor blade that one of Avdeyev's troops gave him before they were removed.

"Comrade Citizen Nikolai." Yurovsky says. "We will take a picture of you and your family. Ready your people and go in the basement as soon as you can."

"Ah?" Nikolai mutters, shocked. "Of course, just allow us to dress ourselves and we will come down promptly."

Commandant Yurovsky nods. "Do not take too long comrade."

Yurovsky turns around, flanked by the execution team. The sentry returns to protecting the door.

The Tsar and his valet go to re-awake his children, and he tells his other retainers and wife to dress.

Tsarevich Alexei is unwell. The oldest Romanov daughter, Olga, helps her little brother to dress before donning her own dress.

Soon, every captive is in their Sunday dress, but Nikolai doesn't go to the sentry to tell him they are ready.

Rather, he prays.

Joined by Trupp, his wife Alexandra and the Court Cook, Kharitonov, they silently worship the Lord and beg Him for salvation.

Meanwhile, the Tsarina's lady-in-waiting, "Nyuta" Demidova is keeping the young girls calm, and the Court Physician, Doctor Botkin tends to Alexei.

The Romanovs' quarters are calm for thirty minutes. The silence is interrupted briefly by the sentry's coughing on a few occasions.

Soon, the sentry is relieved once more as Yurovsky returns with his team.

Alexandra requests that she may sit in the picture. Trupp takes one of the chairs in the Romanovs' quarters for his Empress.

The Commandant prepares to take the Royals to their deaths, but Doctor Botkin stops him. Alexei, haemophiliac, is unable to walk. 

The Tsar takes his youngest child and heir to the Throne in his arms and gently lifts him up, he will carry him.

With everyone ready, the group marches.

They cross a small courtyard and walk down into Ipatiev House's basement.

Nikolai and Yurovsky come down standing one against the other. The Tsar notices immediately the lack of a camera.

The Commandant points him towards a wall. The Romanovs, the retainers and their dogs will stand against it for the picture.

The Tsar nods and goes to gently put down his son against the wall, before going to fetch a little wooden chair for him to sit.

The others come down swiftly. The Russian Imperial Family attempts to look the most regal and worthy of the Throne, but so long in captivity makes them look pitiful, their retainers are in even worse condition.

It is now a few minutes before 2 AM.

When everyone is ready, Commandant Yurovsky takes out another piece of paper, one that he had written himself.

"Comrade Citizen Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov..." He mutters. 

He is rehearsing. Repeating the text to himself to not fumble it. 

Before he says it out loud, however, he remembers something.

"Comrade Tselms." He says. "Go turn on the engine by the window."

"Yes Comrade Commandant!" The Latvian salutes.

Indeed, the basement has a singular window from which sound could escape. Another Red Guard goes to close it.

Tselms quickly activates the motor to mask any sound that could sneak out. 

Now, no one will know.

Yurovsky makes his Red Guards stand shoulder to shoulder, and he goes to stand in the middle of them.

"Comrade Citizen Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov." He declares loudly. "Due to the advances of the White Army against the forces of the Proletariat, by order of the Ural Soviet, you are sentenced to death! This sentence is to be carried out by myself and my men."

"What... What do you mean... What is the meaning of this?" Nikolai begs. Covering his terror by acting surprised.

"You are now being held accountable for the myriad crimes you committed against Russia and her people."

Nikolai II's eyes widen immediately, he goes to retrieve his saber from it's sheath, while moving to cover his wife and children behind his own body.

Alas, he had been disarmed a while ago. Turning his head, he sees that Trupp as done essentially the exact same motion.

Yurovsky takes out his revolver and shoots the last Tsar of Russia in the chest.

He does not die. In fact, he does not even fall to the ground.

The Red Guards raise their Mosin-Nagands and also open fire. One bullet to the head kills Kharitonov. The others are bound for the Tsar.

Nikolai II now falls, but he is still alive. Medvedev-Kudrin delivers a bullet to the brain, mercy-killing him.

Two of the Romanov dogs, Jemmie and Ortipo jump to defend their master, but against rifles, their stand is useless. The two hounds are put down by Yurovsky.

The Tsarina also dies, protecting Alexei with her body.

Olga is shot after she attempts to defend the last Romanov dog, Joy. 

Trupp also dies. Nikulin struck the elderly man with the buttstock of his Mosin, killing him.

With that, the first volley ends. The Red Guards reload in horrific silence.

Commandant Yurovsky feels sick upon seeing the carnage. Especially the bodies of the two dogs, who were innocent and not even physically able to commit the crimes that warranted their deaths.

But he shakes his head. No matter how many people must die, the Proletariat must reign and the last fragments of tyranny must die.

Tselms runs down the stairs to partake in the execution, but Ermakov is startled by Tselms rushing down the stairs, the Cheka agent fires a round at the Latvian, thinking him a White or a Czechoslovak.

He misses the Latvian and, terrified, Tselms goes back up.

Yurovsky takes another look at the Imperial Russian Family. 

Every daughter except Olga is still alive, bullets having ricocheted from them. Alexei is also alive, sobbing in his chair. Botkin and Nyuta are also alive.

This time, the volley will be proper. Yurovsky raises his saber. 

The Red Guards raise their Mosins and aim at the surviving children.

The Commandant lets down his sword. The Reds squeeze their triggers.

Tatiana and Maria fall to the ground, like the adults.

The only survivors are Alexei, bleeding and crying hysterically, and Anastasia, screaming herself mute for help.

Yurovsky kicks the heir in the stomach, then places his revolver on Alexei's forehead and fires.

Meanwhile, the Red Guards charge at Anastasia with their bayonets raised.

She is molested before finally being gutted and dying.

And so, the guns fall silent. The Imperial Russian Family are dead.

Some of the Guards bend down to loot the corpses of what little they still have, especially the gemstones in the daughters' dresses.

One of them, Kabanov, trips against something which in turn yips.

The last Romanov dog, Joy.

"Comrade Commandant!" He calls out. "One of the dogs is still alive."

Yurovsky shrugs. "Do whatever you want with it, I don't care... As for the rest of you, help me take out the corpses!"

His Imperial Majesty Nicholas II Alexandrovich, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias, Tsar of Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland
18th of May 1868 - 17th of July 1918, 50 years, 1 month, 29 days old

Her Imperial Majesty Alexandra Feodorovna, Empress of All the Russias, born Princess Alix Victoria Helena Louise Beatrice of Hesse and by Rhine
6th of June 1872 - 17th of July 1918, 46 years, 1 month, 11 days old

Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia
15th of November 1895 - 17th of July 1918, 22 years, 8 months, 2 days old

Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia
10th of June 1897 - 17th of July 1918, 21 years, 1 month, 7 days old

Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia
26th of June 1899 - 17th of July 1918, 19 years, 21 days old

Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia
18th of June 1901 - 17th of July 1918, 17 years, 29 days old

His Imperial Highness the Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, Heir Tsesarevich of Russia.
12th of August 1904 - 17th of July 1918, 13 years, 11 months, 5 days old

Doctor Yevgeny Sergeyevich Botkin, Physician to the Imperial Court
27th of March 1865 - 17th of July 1918, 53 years, 3 months, 20 days old

Anna "Nyuta" Stepanovna Demidova, lady-in-waiting and personal attendant to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
26th of January 1878 - 17th of July 1918, 40 years, 5 months, 21 days old

Ivan Mikhailovich Kharitonov, Imperial Court Cook
[Unknown] 1872 - 17th of July 1918, 46 years, 1 month, 3 days old

Alois Egorovich Trupp, Imperial Footman and Valet
[Unknown] 1856 - 17th of July 1918, 62 years, 3 months, 9 days old

Jemmie
Male, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
[Unknown] - 17th of July 1918

Ortipo
Male, French Bulldog
[Unknown] - 17th of July 1918

They were survived by Joy, Male Spaniel, last member of the Imperial Russian Family. He would join other members of the Romanov family who were able to flee to England.

Note 1 : The names of the Red Guards Valentin Nikolaevich Netrebin and Valdis Miervaldis Tselms are invented, as the first names of those two are uncertain.
They, however, existed.

Note 2 : I am aware that when the Imperial Russian Family were executed, Tsar Nikolai II had already surrendered the throne. I however decided to refer to him as Tsar.