Brusilov, Aleksei Alekseevich (1853-1926)

Russian general, military leader in World War I who achieved major successes against the Austro-Hungarian forces in 1916. Later he was commander of the Red Army 1920, which drove the Poles to within a few miles of Warsaw before being repulsed by them.

He was responsible for the Brusilov offensive of June 1916 which relieved pressure on the Western and Italian Fronts by drawing German units east to cover the losses sustained by Austro-Hungarian forces. The attack so decimated the Austo-Hungarians that they were never able to play an equal role in the Central Powers' alliance again. However, it cost the Russians nearly one million casualties which further exacerbated the dissatisfaction which was to lead to revolution the following year.