Afanasii Perfilev

Born in 1731; died Jan. 10, 1775, in Moscow. Iaik Cossack. Comrade-in-arms of E. I. Pugachev in the Peasant War of 1773–75.

Perfil’ev was one of the leaders of the uprising of the Iaik Cossacks in 1772. In December 1773 he joined up with Pugachev near Orenburg, and in February 1774 he was elected elder of the cossack insurgents. He was one of the leaders in the siege of Iaitskii Gorodok. Subsequently he commanded a regiment of Iaik Cossacks and performed the function of a judge. After Pugachev was routed at Chernyi Iar on Aug. 25, 1774, Perfil’ev crossed the Volga; on Sept. 12, 1774, he was taken prisoner. At his trial in Moscow, he refused to repent. He was sentenced to be quartered along with Pugachev and other leaders of the uprising, and he conducted himself courageously at the time of the execution.