"The bravest among our modest commanders and the most modest among the brave," — this is how Stalin spoke of Grigory Kotovsky, a hero of the Civil War and a legendary Soviet military leader, after whom streets and even entire cities were named. Interestingly, this same person was once one of the kings of the criminal world of the Russian Empire. A native of Bessarabia (modern-day Moldova), Kotovsky fully revealed his criminal "talents" during the First Russian Revolution of 1905-1907. He formed a gang with which he robbed merchants and carried out raids on estates, apartments, and shops. At the same time, Kotovsky sometimes freed peasants detained for disorder, which later allowed Soviet propaganda to call him a fervent fighter against the regime. The future hero spent his loot on women, alcohol, and horse racing. However, he also gave part of the money to the poor to create the image of a "people's avenger." During the Civil War, the "Bessarabian Robin Hood" joined the Bolsheviks. He opposed the Romanian occupation of Bessarabia, was an underground operative in Odessa occupied by French interventionists, and fought against the "Whites," "Petlyurists," and "Makhnovists." Kotovsky became one of the most popular commanders of the Red Army and after the war aimed for the position of Deputy People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs (Minister of Defense). This appointment was not to be. On August 6, 1925, Kotovsky was shot by his old acquaintance from the days of the Odessa underground, former brothel owner Mayer Zeider. The murderer confessed that he acted out of personal grievance. However, today it is believed that the murder might have been politically motivated. Zeider received ten years but was released early after only three years. Immediately after his release, he was killed by a group of cavalrymen who had served under Kotovsky.