Britain killed Rasputin, claims Russian film
Grigori Rasputin, the infamous Siberian mystic, was murdered as part of a British Government plot to depose Tsar Nicholas II and replace him with a malleable Anglophile bisexual, a major new Russian book and film are to claim.
In a country that loves a good conspiracy theory, especially if a western power is the conspirator, both are likely to have a significant impact at a time when Britain is once again accused of scheming to weaken and discredit Russia.
Rasputin`s sensational murder in 1916 has long been the source of fascination and speculation, in part because of his stubborn refusal to die.
Disputed reports claim he survived poisoning, bludgeoning and several shootings before he was finally drowned in the icy waters of St Petersburg`s Neva river. Allegations of British involvement in the murder are not entirely new.
In 2004, Richard Cullen, a retired Scotland Yard detective, and historian Andrew Cook concluded that the shot which finished Rasputin off was fired by Oswald Rayner, a British spy who later became The Daily Telegraph`s Helsinki correspondent.
According to their theory, the British Government believed Rasputin was using his influence over the Royal Family to push for an armistice between Russia and Germany.
There were also fears that his unpopularity risked precipitating a revolution that could also cause Russia to pull out of the war.
But the Russian script writer, author and amateur historian Alexander Lebedev has come up with an altogether more sensational - and convoluted - theory, pinning the blame for the murder on the Liberal prime minister David Lloyd George.
According to Mr Lebedev, Lloyd George had decided to oust the Tsar after British, French and Anzac forces were defeated at Gallipoli in December 1915 - a campaign, he says, that was aimed not at the Ottoman Turks but at weakening Russia.
"Anglo-French forces invaded without informing Russia," he said. "It was a clear attempt to drive Russia from the Black Sea, essentially giving the allies control of the Southern Balkans."
With the Dardanelles campaign ending in disastrous failure, Lloyd George fretted that Russia`s regional presence would be strengthened after the war, giving Moscow a potential stranglehold of the Arabian peninsular.
Aware that Nicholas II was increasingly unpopular, the prime minister hatched a plan to get the tsar to stand aside in favour of his cousin, Grand Prince Dmitri - a strong anglophile who was much more likely to do Britain`s bidding.
Which is where Rasputin came in. Tsaritsa Alexandra, Nicholas`s wife, had come to rely heavily on the mystic, believing he had powers to cure her son Alexei`s haemophilia.
Under British orders, Dmitri`s homosexual lover Prince Felix Yusupov was to entice Rasputin to his home and order him to persuade Alexandra to get her husband to stand down. But Rasputin refused, even under extreme torture, and Plan B was put into effect.
By killing the faith healer, the British apparently believed the Royal Family would be so grief-stricken they would easier to influence - especially if the tsarevich were to die because of Rasputin`s absence. It may all sound a little implausible, but many Russians are likely to buy into the story.
Ask a Russian what he thinks of the British and the answer is usually a conflicting one. A love of English traditions is coloured by a conviction that most Britons are cunning, underhand and frequently treacherous.
For hundreds of years, they believe, Britain has been trying to diminish Russian influence, whether during the Crimean War or in the 19th century "Great Game" when Russian and British agents competed for control of Central Asia. The game continues today.
Britain has become a haven for some of President Vladimir Putin`s biggest enemies, and Russian attempts to extradite them have been rebuffed by British courts.
The theory that MI6, in a modern reprise of the Rasputin killing, murdered Alexander Litvinenko in order to tarnish Russia`s reputation is also quickly taking hold.
Giving added credibility to the as yet untitled film and book project is its unprecedented support from the Orthodox Church, whose influence has soared since the collapse of Communism.
The Russian Church has traditionally taken a dim view of the theatre, one that is largely based on the opinions of John the Golden Mouthed or Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople till his death in about 407 AD.
One of Russian Orthodoxy`s three holy hierarchs, John devoted most of life to railing against the theatre after watching a play in which the actors performed lewd acts with farmyard animals.
But for the first time in church history, the patriarch of All Russia, Alexei II, has given special dispensation to one of it`s priests, Ivan Okhlobystin, to play the role of Rasputin in the film.
Mr Okhlobystin is unlike pretty much any other Russian Orthodox priest, traditionally conservative and heavily bearded. Fond of baseball caps and designer sunglasses, his arms are covered in tattoos - attributes that may seem unsuited for the role of Rasputin.
Then again, Mr Okhlobystin, who was ordained into the church in 2001, is also its only former professional actor, and a celebrity at that. It is unclear whether the church is backing the project because of the allegations of British involvement in the murder - a fact that is more the focus of the book than the film - or because of its sympathetic portrayal of Rasputin.
Seen in the West either as a sinister and manipulative figure or as, in the words of the Boney M song, "Russia`s greatest love machine", Rasputin remains a venerated figure among the Russian faithful, revered for his ability to perform miracles.
There is even a campaign in the Orthodox Church, not openly supported by the patriarch, to canonise him. Mr Okhlobystin does not support making Rasputin a saint.
"He was a highly gifted person, selfless, undoubtedly a talented healer, undoubtedly with a gift to see the future - but at the same time ordinary man." Ordinary perhaps, but still a man with powers that stretch into the 21st century, claimed Mr Okhlobystin.
He said that Rasputin saved his life while he was making the film in the Spring. "I was crossing the street and nearly walked in front of a tram that I hadn`t seen," he said. "But then I heard a baritone voice crying `Ivan, look out!` It must have been him."
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