Pavel Nikolaevich Shatilov
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Pavel Shatilov was born in Tiflis on November 13, 1881, to an old noble family of military men (his father and grandfather rose to the rank of generals). In 1900, Shatilov graduated from the Page Corps and received the rank of cornet in the Life Guards Cossack Regiment of His Majesty. From 1903 to 1908, he studied at the Nicholas General Staff Academy. During his studies, he became acquainted with Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel.¹

In 1904, he became sotnik (lieutenant) of the Fourth Siberian Cossack Regiment. Shatilov participated in the Russo-Japanese War and later served in the Caucasus Military District. During the First World War, Shatilov fought on the South-Western Front. From December 16, 1916, he was the commander of the Black Sea Cossack Regiment in the Second Caucasian Cossack Division. At the end of 1917, Shatilov received the post of quartermaster general of the headquarters of the Caucasian army with the rank of major general. In September of the same year, he went to prison for supporting the Kornilov putsch.²

Shatilov joined the Volunteer Army at the end of 1918. From January 1919, Shatilov was the head of the First Cavalry Division in the cavalry corps of General Wrangel. In May 1919, he received for his successful military operations the rank of lieutenant general, granted to him by Denikin. From December 1919 to early January 1920, he was the chief of staff of the Volunteer Army. On March 22, 1920, General Shatilov was appointed assistant to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of South Russia (VSYuR). On June 21, 1920, he received the post of Chief of Staff of the Russian Army, led by General Wrangel. For his successful evacuation from Crimea in November 1920, Shatilov was promoted to general of the cavalry.³

In the first years of his emigration, Shatilov was close to Wrangel. From 1924 to 1934, Shatilov served as head of the first department of the Russian All-Military Union (ROVS) in France. In the 1930s, Shatilov was associated with the organization “National Union of the New Generation” (later renamed as NTS). His contacts with this emigrant organization caused many ROVS members to question Shatilov's activities in his post.⁴

The abduction of General Yevgenii Miller in 1937 by NKVD agents forced Shatilov to retire. Because of some unconfirmed information concerning the connections of some ROVS members with the Soviet special services, on June 22, 1941, the Germans arrested General Shatilov along with a number of other Russian émigré officers.⁵ In 1942, the Germans released him from prison.⁶ After the end of World War II, he began writing his memoirs. In November 1951, he became the honorary chairman of the Association of the Life Guards Cossack Regiment.⁷

On May 5, 1962, Pavel Nikolaevich Shatilov died of blood cancer in Asnières near Paris. He was buried in the Russian cemetery in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois.⁸