Roman F. Ungern and the attempts to organize the center of Anti-Bolshevik resistance in Mongolia (1918-1921)

The second part of the profile about General R.F. Ungern von Sternberg analyses the military and political situation in Mongolia after the Asian division under his command advanced into its territory. The author characterizes the military rule which was established by Ungern in Mongolia and describes his role in the formation of Mongolian statehood in the conditions of confrontation between “the red” and “the white”. The author’s attention is focused on changes in the political mood of the Russian and Mongolian population in 1921. It is concluded that Ungern aimed at creating a base for the White movement in Mongolia and restoring the Civil War “white” front in Russia’s Far East rather than his being simply “the mystical symbol” of spiritual opposition to Bolshevism. His claim to restore “world monarchies” was in fact a military operation meant to occupy the territory of Baikal region and Transbaikalia to further advance into the Soviet Siberia. However, Ungern’s strategy turned out adventurous and erroneous, derailing the real chance to reinforce the White movement in Russia’s Far East in 1921.