Vassily Balabanov

Vasily Vasilievich Balabanov (January 30, 1873, Bakhmut, Ukraine Balabanov — January 27, 1947, Vancouver, Canada) was an administrator and Provincial Governor of Imperial Russia.

Vasily Balabanov went to the University of Moscow, graduated in 1894, married and took care of the family estate in Bakhmut until 1905 when under the Government of Russia he went to Turkistan on a fact finding mission. He envisioned a plan to settle the area with soldiers returning from the Russian-Japanese War. He was appointed the Minister of Resettlement of Turkistan. He was later appointed the Administrator of Semirechye Province and stayed in Lepsinsk until the Russian Revolution reached there.

With the help of Lieutenant General Alexander Dutov he escaped through the mountainous passes with his younger children, third wife, and trusted officers to China in 1920. He settled in the border area for about 6 months helping the anti-Bolsheviks until an assassination attempt (a 10,000 rouble reward was posted for him) forced him to flee with his family overland to Hankow. Alexander Dutov was assassinated when he escaped to China.

At the time China did not recognize the Communist Government of Russia, and Vasile being invited to China by the Governor of the nearest Province was supplied with a small stippend while in China to pay for expenses.

He and his family stayed in Hankow for 6 years before emigrating to Vancouver, British Columbia on the Empress of Russia with the help of Western Missionaries in Shanghai.

He settled with his family (Clara, Basil, Taras (Tom Balabanov), Galina Doubroff, and Olga Lapka) and lived in Richmond, Vancouver, and Grand Forks, British Columbia. His family struggled with the change of life and depression in Canada, working a number of short term jobs. His life ended in 1947.[1]