Junker mutiny

Junker mutiny (Юнкерский мятеж) was a counterrevolutionary mutiny of students of junker schools against the Bolsheviks in Petrograd in October 1917.

On October 29 (November 11 (N.S.)) of 1917, students of junker schools in Petrograd rose up against the Bolsheviks under the leadership of the Committee for Salvation of Motherland and Revolution (Комитет спасения родины и революции), organised by the Right Esers. The goal of the mutiny was to support the Kerensky-Krasnov uprising (October 26 - October 31, 1917). The rebellious students wanted to seize the city telephone exchange, Peter and Paul Fortress, Smolny and arrest the Soviet government together with the Bolshevik leaders.

On October 29, the Red Guard patrol detained one of the leaders of the Junker mutiny, an Eser A.A.Bruderer, who had a plan of the mutiny with him. Former commander-in-chief of the Petrograd military okrug Colonel G.P.Polkovnikov pronounced himself a commander of the so called "salvation army" (войска спасения) and ordered his garrison not to execute orders issued by the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee (PMRC), arrest its commissars, and send representatives from all military units to Nikolayevskoye School of Engineers (a.k.a. Engineer's Fortress), the headquarters of the mutiny leaders. The junkers of the Nikolayevskoye School of Engineers seized the Mikhailovsky Manege, stole a number of armored cars, captured the city telephone exchange, cut off power in Smolny, seized Hotel Astoria, and began to disarm the Red Guards and revolutionary soldiers. The students of Vladimirskoye Military School disarmed the school guards and arrested some of the PMRC commissars. At 8:30 a.m. on October 29, the leaders of the Junker mutiny sent out telegrams all over Petrograd, announcing the success of the rebellion and calling out for the arrest of all the PMRC commissars and the concentration of participating military units at the Nikolayevskoye School of Engineers.

The revolutionary garrison of Petrograd, however, refused to support the mutiny. PMRC issued an appeal to the citizens of Petrograd and announced the state of siege. By 11 a.m. of October 29, the Red Guards and revolutionary soldiers had regained control over the telephone exchange and surrounded the Engineer’s Fortress. Most of the junkers fled, but those who remained would be disarmed by 5 p.m. and sent to the Peter and Paul Fortress.