Alexander Davydov (soldier)

In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Yakovlevich and the family name is Davydov.

Alexander Yakovlevich Davydov (Russian: Александр Яковлевич Давыдов; Kureika, November 6th 1917 – 1987)^[1] was a Soviet Red Army major and the illegitimate third son of Joseph Stalin.^[2]

Alexander Davydov
Born	6 November 1917 Kureika, Russian Republic
Died	1987 (aged 69–70) Soviet Union
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Years of service	1940–1945
Rank	Major
Battles / wars	World War II Invasion of Manchuria
Children	2

Biography

Early life

Stalin resided in the Siberian village of Kureika during his exile. Here, he had an affair with 14-year-old Lidiya Platonovna Pereprygina while he was 35, and whom he promised he would marry once she became an adult. Pereprygina allegedly became pregnant with Stalin's child.^[3][4][5] The child was born in December 1914, but died soon after.^[6] At the age of 16, Pereprygina became pregnant again and gave birth to Alexander on 6 November 1917. Stalin went out of exile and left Siberia before he was born. Pereprygina later married Yakov Semyonovich Davydov, a peasant fisherman who adopted Alexander.^[7][8] Stalin knew of Davydov's existence and allegedly tried twice to bring him to Moscow. However, they never met.^[9]

World War II

Davydov was drafted into the Red Army in August 1940. He participated in the Manchurian Campaign against the Japanese between March and August 1945. He achieved the rank of major.^[10]

Later life

Davydov fathered a son named Eduard. Around 1948–1949, Davydov fathered another son named Yuri. In interviews with NTV and The Siberian Times, Yuri stated that in the early 1970s Davydov and his wife "invited [Yuri] to a room for a 'serious conversation'", in which Yuri was informed of their relation to Stalin, but advised his son to not speak of it due to the influence of Stalin's cult of personality.^[11][12] Davydov died in 1987.

In 2016, Yuri Davydov took a DNA test that confirmed Alexander's father was Stalin, with a reported 99.98% accuracy. Alexander Burdonsky, Stalin's grandson through his son Vasily Stalin, provided the genetic material to confirm the relation.^[12]

Awards and honors

• Order of the Red Star
• Medal "For Battle Merit"
• Medal "For the Victory over Japan"