# Vladimir Kotulsky

Vladimir Klimentievich Kotulsky (Russian: Котульский, Владимир Климентьевич) (some spellings can be found: Klementevich Katulsky; July 15, 1879, Bialystok, Russian Empire – February 24, 1951, Krasnoyarsk, USSR) was a Russian and Soviet geologist, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences (1945), professor, specialist in the geology of copper-nickel deposits. Vice-director of Geolcom (1921–1929). Director of the Geological Prospecting Institute for Non-Ferrous Metals (1929–1930).

## Biography

He was born on July 15, 1879, in Bialystok (modern Poland), in the family of a station master, his mother worked as a telegraph operator.
In 1880, he moved with his parents to Odessa.

### Education

In 1897 he graduated from a real school in Odessa.
In 1897–1903, he studied at the Mining Institute in. He was approved in the rank of mining engineer.
In 1903–1904, he was drafted into the army as a gunner and bombardier. In 1904, he graduated from the course of the training brigade team as a junior fireworker. He passed the exam for the rank of ensign of the reserve.
In 1905, he was again drafted into the army until the end of the Russo-Japanese War.

### Geological work

In May 1906, he began to work as the head of mining operations at the Allaverdi mine (Alaverdi district [ru]).
In 1908, he began teaching at the Mining Institute at the Department of Mineralogy. At the same time, he participated in the expeditions of the Lena Geological Party of the Mining Department (until 1914).
In 1914, he was on a business trip to Paris with Professor Lacroix and in Geneva with Professor Duparc. In the summer, he worked in an expedition to Minerals of Slyudyanka [ru] with Lodochnikov, Vladimir Nikitovich [ru].
In 1915, he was elected a geologist Geological Committee [ru] (1921 - vice-director, 1924 - senior geologist) and appointed chairman of the metal section of the committee.
In the summer of 1916, when the "geological" part Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty was liquidated, and the subsoil was leased to foreigners, V. K. Kotulsky came to Altai, where he worked for the next two years. In 1917, he got acquainted with the deposits of the Sugatovsky and Surgutanovsky mines in Altai, with the Alexandrovsky and Zapadno-Aleksandrovsky (later called Kotulsky) polymetallic deposits in Kazakhstan, which in fact made up a single Altai-Kazakh polymetallic province. According to his figurative definition, the southwestern part of Altai is a separate structure, which he called Rudny Altai, which has become firmly established in scientific geological usage.
In the summer of 1918, he was elected vice-director of the temporary Geological Committee, which operated in Siberia, under the Government of Kolchak. In 1920, after the Tomsk period of activity as a member of the temporary committee, he returned to Petrograd again.
From December 29, 1928 to 1930, he was the head of the State Commission on Mineral Reserves [ru] (OKZ).
After the reorganization of GeolCom in 1929, into the Main Geological Department under the Presidium Supreme Council of National Economy and the creation of geological exploration institutes for mining industries on the basis of scientific departments, he was the director of the Geological Exploration Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals (1929–1930), which was part of GeolCom. He was engaged in the study of gold deposits of Kalba and lead-zinc deposits of Rudny Altai and Central Kazakhstan [ru]. He participated in expeditions to Siberia, Central Asia, the Urals, and the Caucasus.
From 1929, he lectured, in 1930, he was elected head of the Department of Minerals LGI.
He was the initiator of drilling the first deep well in Kryvyi Rih, the transition from diamond drilling to shot drilling, the organization of domestic production of drilling units, the creation of scientific funds, the development of a classification of deposit reserves, the organization of a placer and mineralogical laboratory, the development of methods of field chemical analysis, the organization of the Geophysical sector.

#### Arrest in 1930

He was arrested OGPU on October 28, 1930, in Leningrad on the false charge that at one time in Siberia he "organized the Geological Committee, maintained at the expense of the White Guard government, in 1925 involved in the organization some local geologists from among the leading officials, slowed down the development of deposits, engaged in sabotage, distorted reports, underestimated the reserves of metal deposits, informed the British concession Lena-Goldfields of secret information on the Altai deposits", sentenced under Article 58 (paragraphs 7 and 11) to death with replacement for 10 years in prison. Soon he was released thanks to the efforts of his sister Elena Klimentyevna Katulskaya — a famous singer, soloist of Bolshoi Theater. In 1931, he discovered a sulphide deposit on the Kola Peninsula.

#### Arrest in 1932

He was arrested for the second time on January 19, 1932, under 58 Article (58–7, 58–11 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR), sentenced to 10 years Gulag. He was involved in the work of the Special Geological Bureau: head of the Special Geological Bureau in Murmansk (1932–1933), consultant of the trust "Apatit" (Khibinogorsk), consultant of the trust "Severonickel" (Monchegorsk, 1934–1941). He participated in the work of the XVII International Geological Congress (IGC) [ru] (Moscow, 1937) under the protection of a "secretary"-escort in civilian clothes. Soon after that, he was released with permission to live in the "minus" zone (except for large cities).
On August 10, 1941, he arrived in Norilsk, was appointed senior geologist of the geological department of the Norilsk Mining Combine (1941–1944). In 1943, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for his work on the Monchegorsk and Norilsk deposits. Conviction expunged on.
In 1945, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences (without defending a dissertation). From 1945, he was the head of the scientific part of the raw materials laboratory of the Institute [Gipronickel [ru] in Leningrad, and in Institute of Geological Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences [ru].

#### Arrest 1949

Arrested in the “Krasnoyarsk case [ru]” on May 12, 1949, kept in Lefortovo prison, accused of crimes under Art. 58, paragraph 1-a, 7, 10, 11. Sentenced by the OSO under the MGB USSR on October 28, 1950 to 25 years in the camps. On February 24, 1951, on the stage from Krasnoyarsk to Norillag died (killed by a criminal). Rehabilitation in the “Krasnoyarsk case” he was rehabilitated on March 31, 1954, in full - May 31, 1989.

## Family

His father was the head of the railway station Odessa.
* Sister - Elena Klimentyevna (1888–1966) - People's Artist of the USSR, opera singer, professor of the Moscow Conservatory.
* Sister - Nadezhda Klimentyevna (Parshina, Tolstaya) (1870-19??) - since 1920 the wife of the actor I. L. Tolstoy (son L. N. Tolstoy).
His first wife was Alexandra Nikitichna (née Ilkevich), married to October 1, 1904
* Son - Vladimir (19?? — 19??), geologist, worked as the chief specialist of the Moscow Institute "Hydroproject".
His second wife was Nadezhda Klavdievna (née Khvalynskaya), a translator of scientific literature on geology from foreign languages.
* Son — Alexander (1920–1941) — Soviet poet. He died in September 1941, near Old Peterhof.