Vasili Osipovitcb Bebutoff, prince, a Russian soldier, born in 1792, died in Tiflis, March 22, 1858. His family, originally Armenians, acquired distinction in Georgia. He joined the army of the Caucasus in 1809, served in 1812 against the French, and subsequently took part in the subjugation of a part of Daghestan. In 1825-'7 he was governor of Imeretia, and in 1828 fought bravely against the Turks under Paskevitch; and he was made major general for storming Akhaltzikh and holding that fortress in March, 1829, for ten days, against superior Turkish forces, until relieved by Muravieff. Appointed governor of the new Russian province of Armenia, he concluded in 1835 a boundary treaty with Persia, and was in 1838-'40 a member of the Transcaucasian administration in Tiflis. In October, 1846, he defeated Shamyl; and in November, 1847, he became president of the Transcaucasian administrative council. On the outbreak of the Crimean war he was placed in command of the army of observation on the frontier, and by routing the Turks near Kadiklar, Dec. 1, 1853, he prevented their invasion of Russian Armenia. He achieved a decisive victory near Kuruk-Dereh, Aug. 5, 1854, over Zarif Pasha with 40,000 men, an army more than twice as large as his own; but failing to follow up his advantage, he was superseded in 1855 by Muravieff, and detailed for the covering of Georgia, where, on hearing of Omar Pasha's arrival in Mingrelia, he lost no time in forcing him to retreat.

In 1856 he succeeded Muravieff as commander-in-chief until the arrival of Bariatinsky. He was made general of infantry in January, 1857. - Two of his brothers fell on the battlefields of the Caucasus. His third brother, David, fought under Paskevitch in Poland and Hungary, and before Silistria as commander of the Caucasian cavalry regiment, became lieutenant general in 1856, and was military commander of Warsaw from 1861 till his death there, March 23, 1867.