Vladimir Burtsev - Exile and Publications (1888 - 1914)

1914)

In 1888 Burtsev managed to escape from exile and emigrate to Switzerland. In 1889 he co-founded magazine "Свободная Россия" (Free Russia) but it survived only three issues. "In 1890 . . . Burtsev, wanted by the czarist police, boarded a British boat bound from Constantinople to London. When the ship found itself surrounded by Turkish police vessels with Russians on board, the captain refused their demand to hand over the fugitive, announcing: “This is English territory. And I am a gentleman!”

In 1898 Burtsev was arrested by British police for advocating, in his magazine "Народоволец" (Narodnaya Volya Comrade), the assassination of Nicholas II. Burtsev was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months at hard labour. On his release he went on to publish it in Switzerland, resulting in his permanent ban from that country.

In London he published the two-volume book "За сто лет (1800-1896)" (For Hundred Years (1800–1896)). He founded and published six issues of "Былое" (The Past), a historical magazine. After the Russian Revolution of 1905 Burtsev briefly returned illegally to Russia and founded the Russian version of the "Былое" magazine. Upon his return to the West in 1907, Burtsev began publishing the magazine "Общее дело" (Common Cause) which was a continuation of the foreign edition of "Былое" beginning with the 7th issue.

By exposing numerous Tsarist agent provocateurs such as Yevno Azef, Burtsev gained fame as a counterintelligence expert and became known as "the Sherlock Holmes of the Revolution".