 Rambai muchinyora ndima ino - Durnovo aizivikanwa nokushora kwake pachena ukama hwepedyo neUnited Kingdom pamutengo wehukama neGermany hwaakaratidza mutsamba yake yakatumirwa kuna Nicholas II muna February 1914. Mutsamba iyi Durnovo akarondedzera maonero ake uye kuti aizozadziswa sei pakapera Hondo Yenyika I. Aitenda kuti zvido zveGermany neRussia zvaipindirana nepo hondo pakati peumambo huviri yaigona kungoguma nekuparadzwa kwemitemo yezvematongerwo enyika iripo yezvose. Durnovo akafanoona hondo yakanga yava pedyo pakati peRussia, France neBritain vachirwisana neGermany, Austria-Hungary, neTurkey. Mharidzo yake yakanyatsofanotaura kukundwa kweRussia uye kuora mwoyo kweMasoja eHumambo, kubviswa kwemasangano emitemo aripo, kushorwa kwepfungwa, uye Humambo hunotsigira shanduko yemagariro evanhu muchimiro chayo chakanyanyisa nzira uye shanduko yacho zvakaoma kufanotaura. Gwaro racho rakawanikwa pakati pemapepa aCzar Nicholas pashure peRevolution yaFebruary ya1917. Hazvizivikanwi kana Tsar akanga ariverenga kana kuti kwete. 