Rasputin: Holy Man. Scandal. Unkillable.Episode 71:37
What Happened in the Moika Cellar?
The most famous assassination story in history is reconstructed—and then challenged scene by scene.
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Transcript
In this cellar, cyanide was supposed to begin a killing; the river was supposed to finish it.
On December 30th, 1916, Rasputin accepted an invitation to a social function.
It was held in the cellar of Prince Yussupov's Moika Palace.
Prince Felix Yussupov believed Rasputin represented a danger to the monarchy.
According to the traditional account, cakes and wine were laced with cyanide.
A warning reached Rasputin, but he still entered the palace cellar.
The traditional account says Rasputin was poisoned, shot, bludgeoned, then drowned.
The narrative is largely based on Prince Yussupov's published memoirs.
But the reported autopsy found no poison, casting doubt on the cyanide story. In murder stories, the smallest missing detail can change everything.
A forensic review identified a contact gunshot wound to Rasputin's forehead.
That review argues Rasputin was already dead before his body entered the Little Nevka River.
His memoir claims Rasputin survived poison, gunfire, and a beating.
After the murder, accounts said Rasputin's body was dumped into the Neva River.
A post-mortem photograph was apparently discovered by police two months later.
But what did the river evidence actually prove about Rasputin's final moments?
Where it leaves off
When Rasputin entered the Little Nevka River, was he still fighting for life—or was the drowning merely another invention?
Sources
- The death of Rasputin—A forensic evaluation - PMCpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govsecondary
- Introduction - Gregory Rasputin: Topics in Chronicling America - Research Guides at Library of Congressguides.loc.govsecondary
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