Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (January 21, 1869 – December 30, 1916) was one of the most controversial figures of the late Russian Empire. Born to a Siberian peasant family, he claimed divine healing powers and gained the trust of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra by allegedly alleviating their hemophiliac son Alexei's suffering, becoming an enormously influential court advisor.
Rasputin's prophecies come from three sources: letters to the Tsar, recorded conversations with court figures, and a posthumously published 'prophecy book' (whose authenticity is disputed). His most famous prediction concerned his own death and its chain reaction on the Romanov dynasty — he warned that if killed by nobles, the entire royal family would perish within two years.
Rasputin was assassinated on December 30, 1916, in a conspiracy led by Prince Yusupov. Just over a year later, the Tsar was forced to abdicate and revolution swept Russia; in July 1918, the entire imperial family was executed by the Bolsheviks. This site compiles Rasputin's known prophecies and evaluates those that can be verified against historical events.
Core Message
"I feel that I shall leave life before January 1, 1917. I wish to make known to the Russian people, to Papa (the Tsar), to the Russian Mother (the Tsarina), and to the Children: if I am killed by common assassins, you have nothing to fear. But if I am killed by nobles, none of your family shall remain alive for more than two years."
1869 — Born in Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk Governorate, Siberia1905 — Introduced to the St. Petersburg court, begins treating Tsarevich Alexei1910-1916 — Growing influence at court, delivers multiple propheciesDecember 30, 1916 — Assassinated by Prince Yusupov and co-conspirators1917 — February and October Revolutions erupt in RussiaJuly 1918 — Tsar Nicholas II and his entire family executed
Prophecies compiled from historical documents, correspondence, and the alleged posthumous 'prophecy book'; the book's authenticity remains academically disputed (Wikipedia )
Some of Rasputin's letters to the Tsar are preserved in the Russian State Historical Archives (RGIA )
Verification based on public historical records and academic research
Editorial opinions do not represent academic consensus
Site icon: hypnotic eye with cross — Rasputin was famed for his piercing, mesmerizing gaze and his identity as an Orthodox holy wanderer
Rasputin Prophecies All Prophecies 15 Q&A entries in total
Rasputin predicted his own death in a letter to the Tsar
Grigori Rasputin: "I feel that I shall leave life before January 1, 1917. If I am killed by common assassins, and especially by my brothers the Russian peasants, you, Tsar of Russia, have nothing to fear. But if I am murdered by boyars and nobles, their hands will remain soiled with my blood for twenty-five years and they will leave Russia. Brothers will kill brothers."
Rasputin predicted the fall of the Romanov dynasty
Grigori Rasputin: "If I die, the Tsar will soon lose his crown. None of your family will remain alive for more than two years. They will all be killed by the Russian people."
Rasputin predicted Russia would be engulfed in bloody turmoil
Grigori Rasputin: "A terrible storm will sweep over Russia. Misery will descend like snowfall. Everywhere there will be wailing crowds. Seas of tears and rivers of blood. Words cannot describe the horror. But the darkest days will eventually pass."
Predicted 'storms of steel' — World War I
Grigori Rasputin: "Storms of steel will fall from the sky, and many tall and mighty things will be destroyed. The rulers of the earth will fall like clowns. Their crowns will roll in the streets and no one will pick them up."
Predicted World War II and poison gas
Grigori Rasputin: "After the 'storms of steel' there will be another great war. It will come when a small man rises to power. He will come under the banner of peace, but war is his nature. He will fill the skies with poison gas."
Warning to the Tsar about the consequences of war in a letter
Grigori Rasputin: "Tsar, I implore you once more not to enter that war. I foresee great misery. Suffering without end, darkness covering everything. Russia drowning in immense grief. When will it end? I cannot say. So much blood! So many tears!"
Predicted Russia's future fate
Grigori Rasputin: "Russia will experience three great catastrophes. The first will come shortly after my death, when the people rise against the Tsar. The second disaster will be even more terrible, when people turn against people. The third catastrophe will make Russia great again, but before that there will be a long darkness."
Predicted his own body would be desecrated
Grigori Rasputin: "My body will not rest in peace. Even in death I shall find no rest; hatred will follow me into the grave."
Prophecy about poisoned rivers from the 'prophecy book'
Grigori Rasputin: "The waters of the rivers will become poisoned. Fish will float belly-up. Forests will wither. People who drink river water will be poisoned, and thousands will die from it."
Prophecy about the Antichrist from the 'prophecy book'
Grigori Rasputin: "The Antichrist will appear before the world with the face of a scholar, gentle and refined, promising peace and prosperity. But his tongue is forked, and his words are the words of a serpent. He will lead countless people astray. He will come before the great catastrophe."
Prophecy about flying machines from the 'prophecy book'
Grigori Rasputin: "The world of the future will be full of flying carriages. People will need neither horses nor camels. The roads in the sky will be busier than the roads on the ground."
Prophecy about human communication from the 'prophecy book'
Grigori Rasputin: "In the future, people will be able to talk without meeting. They will see each other and hear each other even if separated by thousands of miles. People will stare at little windows all day and forget real life."
Prophecy about the end of the world from the 'prophecy book'
Grigori Rasputin: "When men learn to fly in the sky but forget how to walk on the earth, when iron snakes cross the land and iron birds fill the sky, the age of fire and blood will come. The world will be consumed by an ultimate fire."
Predicted the rulers who would follow the Tsar
Grigori Rasputin: "After the Tsar there shall be no more Tsars. Those who come will not be chosen by God, but by the Devil. They will rule with an iron fist, and blood will flow for seventy years."
Curse upon those who murdered him
Grigori Rasputin: "Those who kill me will meet no good end. The Yusupov family will lose all their wealth, spend the rest of their lives in foreign lands, and never return to Russian soil."
Prophecy Verification Evaluating predictions against reality for expired time points
Predicted 'storms of steel' — World War I
Grigori Rasputin: "Storms of steel will fall from the sky, and many tall and mighty things will be destroyed. The rulers of the earth will fall like clowns. Their crowns will roll in the streets and no one will pick them up."
WWI saw artillery and new weapons (tanks, aerial bombing) rain destruction — 'storms of steel from the sky.' Four empires (Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman) collapsed after the war, with monarchs losing their crowns, closely matching 'rulers fall like clowns, crowns roll in the streets.' Ernst Jünger's 1920 WWI memoir was titled 'Storm of Steel.'
Warning to the Tsar about the consequences of war in a letter
Grigori Rasputin: "Tsar, I implore you once more not to enter that war. I foresee great misery. Suffering without end, darkness covering everything. Russia drowning in immense grief. When will it end? I cannot say. So much blood! So many tears!"
Before WWI in 1914, Rasputin reportedly urged the Tsar multiple times against entering the war. Russia suffered devastating losses — approximately 1.7 million military dead and 5 million wounded — ultimately leading to the empire's collapse. Rasputin's prediction of catastrophic consequences was essentially fulfilled.
Rasputin predicted his own death in a letter to the Tsar
Grigori Rasputin: "I feel that I shall leave life before January 1, 1917. If I am killed by common assassins, and especially by my brothers the Russian peasants, you, Tsar of Russia, have nothing to fear. But if I am murdered by boyars and nobles, their hands will remain soiled with my blood for twenty-five years and they will leave Russia. Brothers will kill brothers."
Rasputin was assassinated on December 30, 1916, by Prince Yusupov and other nobles, fulfilling the 'killed by nobles' scenario. The Russian Revolution followed, nobles fled abroad ('leave Russia'), and the civil war saw countrymen killing countrymen ('brothers kill brothers').
Rasputin predicted Russia would be engulfed in bloody turmoil
Grigori Rasputin: "A terrible storm will sweep over Russia. Misery will descend like snowfall. Everywhere there will be wailing crowds. Seas of tears and rivers of blood. Words cannot describe the horror. But the darkest days will eventually pass."
Russia experienced the February and October Revolutions in 1917, followed by the 1918-1922 Civil War that killed an estimated 7-12 million people (including famine and disease). The description of 'rivers of blood' closely matches the historical reality.
Predicted his own body would be desecrated
Grigori Rasputin: "My body will not rest in peace. Even in death I shall find no rest; hatred will follow me into the grave."
After his murder, Rasputin was secretly buried at Tsarskoye Selo. After the February Revolution in 1917, soldiers of the Provisional Government exhumed his coffin and publicly burned his body. His remains indeed found 'no rest.'
Rasputin predicted the fall of the Romanov dynasty
Grigori Rasputin: "If I die, the Tsar will soon lose his crown. None of your family will remain alive for more than two years. They will all be killed by the Russian people."
After Rasputin's murder in December 1916, the Tsar abdicated in March 1917 ('lose his crown'). On July 17, 1918, the entire imperial family was executed by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg. From Rasputin's death to the family's execution was approximately 19 months, within the 'two years' prediction.
Predicted World War II and poison gas
Grigori Rasputin: "After the 'storms of steel' there will be another great war. It will come when a small man rises to power. He will come under the banner of peace, but war is his nature. He will fill the skies with poison gas."
The 'small man' is interpreted as Hitler (about 175cm, not literally short, but read as a metaphor for the contrast between stature and ambition). Hitler indeed used peace negotiations as cover for expansion. The Nazis used poison gas (Zyklon B) in concentration camps killing millions, but did not deploy chemical weapons on the battlefield at scale (unlike WWI). The general direction matches but details diverge.
Prophecy about flying machines from the 'prophecy book'
Grigori Rasputin: "The world of the future will be full of flying carriages. People will need neither horses nor camels. The roads in the sky will be busier than the roads on the ground."
Commercial aviation expanded rapidly from the mid-20th century. By the 21st century, over 100,000 flights operate globally each day. While 'sky roads busier than ground roads' is rhetorically exaggerated, aviation has become a critical part of global transport. From a 1910s perspective, foreseeing the aviation age was genuinely prescient.
Curse upon those who murdered him
Grigori Rasputin: "Those who kill me will meet no good end. The Yusupov family will lose all their wealth, spend the rest of their lives in foreign lands, and never return to Russian soil."
Prince Yusupov, the chief conspirator in Rasputin's murder, fled to France after the 1917 Revolution. The Yusupov family's vast Russian fortune was entirely confiscated. Yusupov spent the rest of his life in Paris, dying in 1967, never returning to Russia.
Prophecy about poisoned rivers from the 'prophecy book'
Grigori Rasputin: "The waters of the rivers will become poisoned. Fish will float belly-up. Forests will wither. People who drink river water will be poisoned, and thousands will die from it."
The 'poisoned rivers' have been linked by some researchers to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which contaminated nearby rivers (Pripyat River etc.) with radioactive material, created a 30km exclusion zone, and killed vast swathes of forest ('Red Forest'). However, this prophecy comes from the disputed 'prophecy book' and is vague enough to apply to industrial pollution in general.
Predicted Russia's future fate
Grigori Rasputin: "Russia will experience three great catastrophes. The first will come shortly after my death, when the people rise against the Tsar. The second disaster will be even more terrible, when people turn against people. The third catastrophe will make Russia great again, but before that there will be a long darkness."
The 'first catastrophe' maps to the 1917 Revolution overthrowing the Tsar; 'second disaster, people against people' can be read as the 1918-1922 Civil War or Stalin's purges; the 'third catastrophe' is disputed — some map it to the USSR's dissolution (1991), others to different events. The 'long darkness' is also open to interpretation. The prophecy's vagueness makes definitive verification difficult.
Predicted the rulers who would follow the Tsar
Grigori Rasputin: "After the Tsar there shall be no more Tsars. Those who come will not be chosen by God, but by the Devil. They will rule with an iron fist, and blood will flow for seventy years."
After the Tsar's abdication in 1917, Russia never had another Tsar. The Soviet Communist Party ruled with an iron fist — Stalin's purges and the Gulag system killed millions. From the USSR's founding in 1922 to its dissolution in 1991 is approximately seventy years, strikingly matching 'blood will flow for seventy years.' However, the reliability of this prophecy's source is questionable.
Prophecy about human communication from the 'prophecy book'
Grigori Rasputin: "In the future, people will be able to talk without meeting. They will see each other and hear each other even if separated by thousands of miles. People will stare at little windows all day and forget real life."
Video calling became mainstream from the late 20th century, and smartphone 'little windows' transformed human communication. Apple launched FaceTime in 2010, making video calls routine. 'Staring at little windows all day, forgetting real life' closely matches modern smartphone addiction. However, this prophecy comes from the disputed 'prophecy book.'
Prophecy about the Antichrist from the 'prophecy book'
Grigori Rasputin: "The Antichrist will appear before the world with the face of a scholar, gentle and refined, promising peace and prosperity. But his tongue is forked, and his words are the words of a serpent. He will lead countless people astray. He will come before the great catastrophe."
Prophecy about the end of the world from the 'prophecy book'
Grigori Rasputin: "When men learn to fly in the sky but forget how to walk on the earth, when iron snakes cross the land and iron birds fill the sky, the age of fire and blood will come. The world will be consumed by an ultimate fire."