In 1879 he became the chief of the Petersburg Military District. From 1881 to 1886 he acted as Military Procurator-in-Chief of Russia and was responsible among other things, for the investigation and persecution of the organizers of the murder of Emperor Alexander II of Russia (1881).
He became head of the Petersburg Military District in 1879. From 1881 to 1886, he held a key role as Chief Military Procurator of Russia, which included tasks such as investigating and bringing to justice those involved in the assassination of Emperor Alexander II (1881).