Lado Ketskhoveli was one of the most important members of the RSDLP in Transcaucasia. He was engaged in printing activities and propaganda among the workers. Joseph Stalin worked with him in his youth. Ketskhoveli died during another imprisonment in prison. For the Bolsheviks, he became an exemplary hero and role model.
Early years
The future revolutionary Lado Ketskhoveli was born on January 14, 1877 in the small Georgian village of Tkviavi in the Tiflis province. His father was a priest. Lado is a party nickname. The real name of the revolutionary was Vladimir. The father sent the boy to study at the Tiflis Orthodox Theological Seminary. Within its walls, Lado Ketskhoveli became interested in revolutionary ideas that were popular among young people.
In 1893, the young man was expelled from the seminary. Repression followed after he organized a student strike. After this episode, Lado Ketskhoveli could not live in Tiflis. The young man moved to Kyiv, where he was going to continue his unfinished education. There, the revolutionary again entered the theological seminary. Despite the troubles in Tiflis, Ketskhoveli did not abandon his interest in the revolution. He became an active figure in the Kyiv circles of socialDemocrats. In 1896, an arrest followed and another expulsion from the seminary.
Mesame Dasi member
According to the court decision, Lado Ketskhoveli was sent to his native Georgia. At the same time, he fell under the supervision of law enforcement agencies. But even this did not prevent the revolutionary from joining the Mesame-dasi, the first social democratic organization in Transcaucasia. In it, Ketskhoveli received the position of manager of the printing house. It was Lado who organized the underground production of campaign materials, which made it possible to conduct propaganda more effectively in the working environment of Tiflis.
The revolutionary has become a connoisseur of publishing. In September 1901, together with Iosif Dzhugashvili (the future Stalin), he founded a new newspaper "Brdzola" (translated from Georgian - "Struggle"). The publication was printed in Baku. This newspaper represented the point of view of the Marxist minority in Mesame Dasi, who believed that in order to advance socialism, it was necessary to use revolutionary methods (the majority relied on democratic tools and dialogue with the authorities).
In Baku
With the advent of the RSDLP, the fearless revolutionary Lado Ketskhoveli and his closest associates joined this new party. In 1901, the Social Democrat, on behalf of his organization, created its branch in Baku, which immediately attracted the attention of the tsarist secret police. In an industrially important city, the party unleashed active agitation among the oil and railway workers. Responsible for this important matter was Lado Ketskhoveli. The revolutionary went oncreate new printing houses (including the famous "Nina") and print newspapers.
While in Baku, Ketskhoveli established contacts with Lenin, who lived in exile. The revolutionaries found a common language. The result of their cooperation was the publication of the Bolshevik "Iskra" in the printing houses of Lado. Issues of this newspaper were distributed in many cities of Transcaucasia. At the same time, Ketskhoveli arranged for the transportation of prohibited materials from abroad through the Persian border.
The Secret Life of a Revolutionary
Like all Russian revolutionaries, Ketskhoveli lived according to numerous conspiratorial rules. In Baku, he had a passport in the name of Nikolai Melikov. After the revolutionary escaped from police surveillance, the hunt began for him. The Tiflis gendarmes knew that he was hiding in Baku, but could not find his exact location. For a relatively long time, the illegal immigrant managed to remain unnoticed.
Ketskhoveli printing house lived on party money. The Baku cell supplied her with all the necessary materials. In the state, the revolutionary had two proletarians who performed the function of compositors. In order to systematically buy paint, paper, and other important supplies, according to the law, it was necessary to obtain permission from the governor. Ketskhoveli forged this document and freely acquired everything he needed. At the same time, the false paper was signed on behalf of the governor of Elisavetpol, and not the governor of Baku.
Arrest and death
In the autumn of 1902, the Social Democrat was arrested. The Tiflis gendarmes received an anonymous denunciation, which helped them uncover a conspiratorial network and catch Ketskhoveli. The prisoner was sent to Metekhi Castle. While in prison, the prisoner refused to cooperate with the investigation. Moreover, in the cell, Ketskhoveli continued his tireless revolutionary activity. He became the initiator of the strike, in which the prisoners of the castle took part.
On August 30, 1903, one of the jailers shot at the window of the revolutionary's cell. The bullet hit right in Lado Ketskhoveli. The biography of the Social Democrat, who died in custody, in Soviet times became one of the examples of the principles and courage of the fighters against tsarist power.
