White Movement in Transbaikal - End of Ataman Semyonov's Regime in Transbaikal

End of Ataman Semyonov's Regime in Transbaikal

After the defeat of Admiral Kolchak's armies in the Ural and Western Siberia, the Great Siberian Ice march of the rest of Vladimir Kappel's 30,000 strong army started in January 1920 heading for Chita. General Vladimir Kappel died of deep frostbite on January 25, 1920 and his body was briefly buried in Chita. In February 1920 the Russian Eastern Outlying Districts Forces were formed and on April 27, 1920 the Far Eastern Army headed by the Commander-in-Chief of all military formations of the Russian Eastern Outlying Districts, Ataman Grigory Semyonov. The Army included the following units:

• 1st Transbaikalian Corps Lieutenant-General Grigory Semyonov (March 10 to July 23, 1920); Lieutenant-General Georgy Matsievsky (since July 1920)
• 2nd Separate Rifle Corps Lieutenant-General Grigory Verzhbitsky (February to August 23, 1920); Major-General Innokenty Smolin (since August 23, 1920)
• 3rd Separate Rifle Corps Major-General Viktorin Molchanov (since February 22, 1920)

In addition, all Cossack units were not included into the Far Eastern Army. On August 1, 1920 the Asian Cavalry Division headed by Roman Ungern von Sternberg was re-formed into a partisan detachment but Ungern von Sternberg's troops left the front for Mongolia.

After the signing the Gongota Agreement of 1920 between the Far Eastern Republic and the Japanese Expeditionary Corps, Ataman Semyonov was left without any support. He even tried to negotiate with the Soviets and Ataman Semenyov formed the Transbaikalian People's Assembly in order to save his government but in vain. The Japanese troops left Transbaikal on October 19, 1920 and Grigory Semyonov's troops retreated from Chita on October 22. The Far Eastern Army left its supply base at Dauria railway station for Mongolia where was engaged into a series of confrontations with the Reds and Chinese troops. Then the Army moved to Manchuria and fought in the Russian Far East until November 1922 then finally was evacuated to China. Most of refugees settled down near Hailar.