Mishka Yaponchik (born Moisei Wolfovich Vinnitsky; 30 October 1891 – 29 July 1919) was an Odesa gangster, Jewish revolutionary, and a Soviet military leader. Early years Moisey Volfovich Vinnitsky was born into the family of a Jewish wagon-builder, Meyer-Volf Mordkovich Vinnitsky, according to some records in stanitsa Golta (today is part of Pervomaisk). Vinnitsky was around 4 years old when his family moved to Odesa (Moldavanka). Other records state that he was born into the family of a seaport serviceman (bindyuzhnik) at 23 Hospital Street (today Bohdan Khmelnytsky Street) in Odesa (Moldavanka). Vinnitsky's mother, Doba Zelmanovna, gave birth to five sons and a daughter. Upon his birth he received a double name, Moisey-Yakov (Moses-Jacob), similar to his father. Because such a double name was uncommon in Russian culture, Vinnitsky's second name was sometimes recorded as the paternal name—Moisey Yakovlevich. Sometime in 1897 Mishka lost his father. At first he worked at a mattress factory as a trainee, while also attending the Jewish school (presumably cheder). Later, as an electrician, he received a job at the Anatra factory. At the time of the Jewish pogroms in October 1905 Vinnitsky participated in the Jewish self-defense. Later he joined the organization of anarchists-communists Molodaya Volya (Young Will). It was probably during that time that he received his famous street name, "Mishka the Japanese", presumably for the shape of his eyes. Another version suggests that he began to be recognized by this name after he narrated a story that he heard from a Portuguese sailor to his Odesa friends about a Japanese gang from Nagasaki. The story was about Japanese gangsters who set up rules for their "business" and never trespassed them. Yaponchik offered this example for his buddies to follow. In 1907 Vinnitsky was sentenced to death by hanging for the assassination of the chief of the Mikhailov police precinct in Odesa V.Kozhukhar,. This sentence was later commuted to a term of 12 years' hard labor (katorga). According to legend, Vinnitsky made a special boot-shining box in which he placed explosives. Vinnitsky would sit on the corner of Dalnytska Street and Steep Street and ask passers-by if they wanted their boots cleaned. This activity was annoying the chief of the local precinct. One day, however, a slightly-inebriated precinct chief placed his boot on the cleaning box. After cleaning his boots, Vinnitsky lit the explosives and managed to run away, leaving his client to