"By order of Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin, a pre-investigation check was carried out on the basis of declassified materials submitted by the Russian Federal Security Service's department for the Oryol Region. Based on its results, a criminal probe has been opened into the facts of civilian executions", the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement.
"The Nazi occupation of the Oryol Region during the Great Patriotic War lasted from October 1941 to August 1943. According to incomplete data, the Nazis killed over 80,000 civilians, including women, children, and elderly people over this period. In addition, over 200,000 people were deported to Germany for forced labour", the Russian Investigative Committee continued.