1905-1906
Underground Printing-Нouse

The Butyrskaya Prison Fortress was run by the Moscow Armed Escort Battalion. This battalion was stationed at #61 on Lesnaya Street, practically adjacent to the “Caucasian Shop” (this was the codename of the underground printing office used by the revolutionaries). Either officers of the Armed Escort or privates would often call in the exotic neighbourhood shop.

In modern times this building is just an ordinary residential building.

The 2nd precinct of the Sushchevsky police unit, surveying the district where the underground printing office was situated, was a genuine nest of foes to the group of undergrounders. It was the detectives of this infamous 2nd precinct who took great efforts in search for the covert printing office on the territory under their jurisdiction.

In 1903, the staff of the Sushchevsky unit was burdened with another big headache: a new district became part of Moscow city. A part of this district fell under their jurisdiction. We can assume that because of this change, the police loosened its grip over the “trouble-free” district which housed the underground printing office.

Today, the Central Ministry of Internal Affairs Museum occupies the building of the former imperial police station.

This was the closest of the dangerous neighbours to the printing office. Since a large store of alcohol in one place could cause sudden public unrest, the government wine warehouse was very well guarded. Out in the street, the policeman kept a watch on the affairs from his post which was located practically opposite the underground enterprise: not the best of the company for professional revolutionaries.

Nowadays the building has been fully reconstructed, with spacious industrial premises turned into offices.

The Butyrskaya Prison, or the infamous “Butyrka” as it was called for short, was the central transit prison in Tsarist Russia, one of the oldest in the country. It seems that it would be hard to find a worse location for underground activities than this one. The “Russian Bastille” inculcated holy terror in the hot minds of all anti-state activists. It seemed like a disastrous decision to organize covert operations in such a close vicinity to it. But our underground activists relied on the idea that the police would not expect them to be so daring.

Luckily, the founders and operators of the underground printing office on Lesnaya Street did not have to experience the jailhouse life, in spite of being located closely to it.

The Butyrskaya Prison is still functional. The former “Butyrskaya Prison Fortress” has not changed at all, from the architectural point of view, over the past 100 years.

The presence of this monumental facility in close vicinity posed significant risks for covert activities. Just like any other state-owned enterprise of technical and infrastructural importance the tram depot was heavily guarded both from inside and outside. And there were reasons for that: the Bolshevik movement was very strong among the staff of the tram depot, one of whose workers, Peter Shepetilnikov, was elected as a member of the Moscow Soviet (Council) of Workers' Deputies. (Soviets emerged across the country in the course of the first Russian revolution of 1905-1907 as political bodies fighting for the workers’ rights.)

“Shepetilnikov Trolley Depot” (yes, named after that very Shepetilnikov) is currently located at this site. This depot is not used for public transport service and only serves as a repair workshop.

The tram line across Lesnaya Street is still functional, just as it was 100 years ago, but nowadays it offers more of a scenic or tourist ride.

This was the only place in the vicinity which did not emanate danger, but on the contrary, was supportive of the underground activities. The location of the Georgian fruit shop (which gave a cover to the underground printing office) could not have been better: just four blocks away from the “native” Georgian settlement.

The Georgian settlement is an old Moscow district, which had been populated by Georgians coming to Moscow since the beginning of the 12th century.

The establishment of yet another Georgian company, close to the Georgian settlement, planning to do good business, did not arouse any suspicion among the authorities.

The close proximity to the Tishinsky Market situated in the Georgian settlement, was also a plus, because one could always buy fresh Georgian fruits there. These fruits were a must to imitate the functioning of the “Caucasian shop” which housed the covert printing office.

Nowadays you can see the monument to the friendship between the Russian and Georgian people, standing in the middle of Tishinsky Square.

The risky idea of locating such an enterprise in one of the most guarded city districts, which was nearly flooded with police and soldiers, belonged to already well-known professional revolutionaries like Leonid Krasin, Trifon Enukidze and Vasily Sokolov.

For the most part, it was a detailed, well thought operation, which was finely carried-out by the masters of covert activity, who were specifically called in by the party leadership from Georgia.

The choice for the location of the planned printing office in Moscow was a lucky one: a Georgian settlement was situated nearby and the emergence of new fellow countrymen on the adjacent streets did not arouse any suspicions.

However, the covert operation was located in truly dangerous environment: amidst buildings directly associated with the imperial guard.

To better understand and see the district, please use our interactive map.