The life of Nikolai Flegontovich Ikonnikov (1885-1970) resembles an exciting adventure novel. Born in the village of Annenkovo in the Kuznetsk district (now Penza region) to a family of the district's noble leader, he was a gold medalist of a Moscow gymnasium and a graduate of Moscow University. Ikonnikov participated in two expeditions to South America, exploring the impenetrable jungles at the sources of the Amazon, for which he received a large silver medal from the Society of Naturalists. His collections are stored in the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, and he was considered a promising entomologist.

At the age of 26-27, Ikonnikov became the last noble leader of the Kuznetsk district in history and the chairman of the district zemstvo. In the summer of 1917, he was elected a member of the Central Council of Landowners under the Provisional Government. During the Civil War, he initially served as an intendant in the Volunteer Army, and then headed the Bolshevik structure 'Glavsahar', which dealt with the transportation and distribution of sugar across the country. In this role, he organized the transfer of supporters of the White movement from Moscow across the front line, and the scheme operated for 15 months. He wrote about this in his book '500 Days in the Enemy's Rear: A Report on a Mission to Soviet Russia in 1918' (Paris, 1933). However, not everyone believes that his motive was loyalty to the White idea. After the exposure of a 'counter-revolutionary conspiracy', he managed to leave for Yugoslavia in 1920, and then to Paris in 1924.

His further life could belong to another person. Ikonnikov was a member of the council of the Union of Russian Nobility in Paris, and since 1938 he headed the Genealogical Department. He was also a member of the Central Genealogical Commission under the council of the Union of Russian Nobility in Europe. His main work became the compilation 'La Noblesse de Russie', published in 1956-1966 in French with a print run of 70 copies. This 51-volume reference work still has no equal in terms of completeness. On the title page of each half-volume, under the author's name, are the words 'leader of the Kuznetsk nobility'. Ikonnikov's edition is now considered a bibliographic rarity.