ULAN-UDE, December 18 (RIA Novosti) – Remains of more than a dozen people presumably executed during Stalin’s repression campaign in the 1930s, were discovered Wednesday in Siberia, local investigators said.
The remains were found during housing construction on the outskirts of Ulan-Ude, the capital city of the republic of Buryatia, when a worker spotted a human skull in the digging bucket of an excavator.
Investigators, who arrived at the site after the discovery, found more remains with wounds characteristic of execution-style shots in the back of the head.
“The remains of at least 16 people have been discovered so far. According to a preliminary investigation, this is a burial place for victims of executions,” a police spokesman said.
Further investigation will attempt to establish the timeframe of the executions and identify the victims, the official added.
According to historical archives, more than 20,000 residents of Buryatia were killed during Stalinist repressions in the 1930s, with at least 6,000 people executed by firing squads in 1937-1938.
