The Kishinev pogrom of April 6-7, 1903, became one of the turning points in pre-revolutionary Russia. The trigger was the disappearance of a teenager in Dubossary, which the local press, primarily the newspaper "Bessarabets" by Krushevan, presented in the spirit of a ritual accusation. Rumors of Jewish cruelty towards Christians spread exaggeratedly throughout the city, escalating tensions. During the riots, about 50 people were killed, around 600 were injured, and a third of the city's buildings were damaged; local authorities, including Governor Raaben, failed to curb the violence in a timely manner, for which he was later dismissed from his position.

The world's reaction was immediate - the very word "pogrom" entered the international lexicon. It is worth noting that some of the information that spread about the atrocities later turned out to be inaccurate: in court, it was revealed that a witness whose testimony formed the basis of the most shocking publications had not personally seen anything of the sort.
For the revolutionary movement, the significance of these events was considerable. The blow to hopes for gradual emancipation radicalized part of the Jewish youth: some turned to Zionism and emigration, while others turned to revolutionary struggle. This milieu replenished the combat organizations of the Social Revolutionaries and socialist circles. A version also spread regarding the involvement of Interior Minister Plehve in allowing the pogroms - this version, not documented, nevertheless strengthened hostility towards the authorities and became one of the backgrounds for the subsequent terrorist acts, including the assassination of Plehve in 1904.

Kishinev weakened trust in the authorities both domestically and abroad, becoming one of the factors that accelerated the growing revolutionary crisis, which culminated in the events of 1905.