Vasily Banykin

From 1904 to 1908 he studied at medical school in Samara, on a scholarship provided by the Stavropol zemstvo (local government).

In 1910 Banykin enrolled in the medical school at the University of Tartu, but only studied for four semesters, as his father died and he was left without means.

He actively promoted the Left SR program (land declared national property, urban merchants assessed with high taxes, sharp criticism of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk).

From the very beginning of his term in office, the city introduced the eight hour workday, and spent the money seized from merchants on the creation of kindergartens in the villages of the district and to build a playground in Stavropol as well as hospitals and schools.

[citation needed] On 6 March 1918 Banykin was elected chairman of the executive committee of the Stavropol District, thus becoming the administrative and political chief of an area containing almost a quarter of a million people.

Banykin's family was evacuated to Sengiley on the ship Hope (Russian: Надежда) where they were to hide with relatives.

She was arrested and imprisoned until the capture of the city by the 5th (Kursk) Regiment of the 24th (Simbirsk) Division of the Red Army on 6 October 1918.

[clarification needed] Theodosia Sokolova accused Banykin of having been in league with the counter-revolutionary Volunteer Army.

Their testimony indicated that the killer was a local resident, Mikhail Krasnov, who after the restoration of Soviet power had gone to Siberia, where he lived on forged documents under the name of Žilcov.

According to eyewitnesses, Banykin's corpse was abused by a merchant, Shishkin, driving a water cart twice over the body and by having its eyes poked out with a cane.

Referring to the recollections of eyewitnesses, Melnik concludes that Banykin was accidentally shot dead by a security guard of a warehouse of the district consumer's union, without intention and without any political motivation.

During the famine she repeatedly appealed for help to the executive committee, and was allocated food and shoes for her daughter.

By decree number 647/31 of the executive committee of the Council of People's Deputies of Tolyatti on 1 November 1967, he was described as one "who fell at the hands of the enemy in the line of duty" and given a more important street as a namesake.