Nikolai Kibalchich
Nikolai Ivanovich Kibalchich  |
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| Born | 1853 Korop, Chernigov Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | April 3, 1881 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Nikolai Ivanovich Kibalchich (Russian: Николай Иванович Кибальчич, Ukrainian: Микола Іванович Кибальчич, Mykola Ivanovych Kybalchych; 1853 – April 3, 1881) was a Russian revolutionary of Ukrainian origin, who took part in the assassination of Tsar Alexander II as the main explosive expert for Narodnaya Volya (the People's Will), and also a rocket pioneer. He was the paternal uncle of revolutionary Victor Serge.
Born in Korop, Chernigov Governorate (present Ukraine), 1853. Kibalchich was the son of an Orthodox parish priest. He studied at the Saint Petersburg Engineering College and worked on experiments into pulsed rocket propulsion.
In 1875 Kibalchich was arrested for lending a prohibited book to a peasant. He spent 3 years in prison before being sentenced to 2 months imprisonment.
He went on to join Narodnaya Volya, becoming their main explosives expert. In March 1881, he was charged with taking part in the assassination of Alexander II.
All through the night from February 28 to March 1, Mykolaj and his assistants - the Fleet Lieutenant Sukhnanov and Mikhail Grachvesky – worked without rest preparing the missile shells. The Peoples Will members had to be quick. Andrei Zhelyabov, who was to direct the missile throwers in an attempt on the life of the Emperor Alexander II, had been arrested on Feb 27th. If the Tsar survived the explosion, Zhelyabov was to kill him with a dagger. Zhelyabov’s arrest on the eve of the assassination attempt came as a complete surprise, although alarming rumors had appeared in February that the police were up to something. The plan was in jeopardy. There was no one to warn the Narodnaya-Volya people. Nikolai Kletochnikov, assistant to the file clerk of the Third (Security) Department, bearer of a Saint Stanislav Order, who had often warned the Narodniks about the gathering dangers, had been arrested at the end of January.
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