On 25 October, whilst the Bolshevik seizure of power was in progress he was appointed dictator by the cabinet meeting of the Provisional Government. Assuming this role at 4:00 pm, he immediately set about appointing assistants and replacing General Polkolnikov as commander of the Petrograd Military District, with General Jaques Bagratuni. The principal consequence of this was that a number of Polkolnikov colleagues immediately resigned or quietly watched events unfold from their windows.