This article is dedicated to the reinstatement of the death penalty at the front in July of 1917. The article reviews possible causes for the abolition of the death penalty in March of 1917. The article identifies the role of the June military advance and Tarnopolsky disaster in the reinstatement of the death penalty. The roles of L. G. Kornilov, A. F. Kerensky and M. M. Filonenko are also highlighted. Many of the main documents, orders and instructions related to this process are published in the article. Use of the death penalty at the front in the summer of 1917 is described on the basis of numerous memoirs and newspaper publications. The activity of military revolutionary courts and punitive detachments at the front is likewise treated. The author emphasizes cases of repression against soldiers and at the military units. Examples of court cases are given. On the basis of the examined death penalty cases, it is argued that the punishment was imposed inconsistently in 1917. Despite its high profile, application of the death penalty was minimal. At the same time this measure increased the likelihood of a new revolution explosion and became one of convincing reasons for the 1918 outbreak of violence.