Departures of note

Roman Malinovsky was born in Plotsk province, Poland, then part of the Russian Empire, and lost his parents, who were ethnic Polish peasants, while still a child. He was jailed for several robberies from 1894 to 1899, serving three years in prison, and was also charged with attempted rape. In 1902 he enlisted in the Izmaylovsky Regiment by impersonating a cousin with the same name.

While serving in the regiment, Malinovsky began his activity as an Okhrana agent, reporting on fellow soldiers and officers. He was discharged from the Imperial Russian Army in 1905 at the end of the Russo‑Japanese War and relocated to Saint Petersburg.