Following the German Revolution, in November 1918 Germany formally handed over political power to the Estonian national government. In response, Bolshevik Russia invaded, attempting to regain control over the territory. At this time, Platon was in Tartu (Dorpat), having fallen ill with pneumonia. The Bolsheviks took Tartu on 24 December, and on 2 January Platon was arrested and imprisoned in a cellar. On 14 January 1919, he was executed along with two other priests, Michael Bleive and Nikolai Bezhanitsky, just before the city was retaken by the Estonian Army.