In the Rostov region, they plan to use aerial photographs of 1943 to search for the burial place of victims of the genocide of civilians by the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War. On April 12, the deputy governor of the region, Vadim Artyomov, told Izvestia about this.
It is assumed that search operations within the framework of the federal project “No statute of limitations” will help find the remains of 1,300 victims.
“The archival documents mention a large burial – this is the Mountain Forest, where about 1.3 thousand people are supposedly buried. Today the territory of the forest is about 10 hectares, it has grown greatly over the past 75 years, it is almost impossible to find exact burial places. We hope that the aerial photography of 1943, which is in one of the archives, will help in this, ”said Artyomov.
In addition, the study of archival documents made it possible to identify 45 points on the map, where, according to eyewitnesses, there were mass graves of civilians. Some of this evidence has already been confirmed. Thus, as a result of searches, 266 remains of old people, women and children were found in the Millerovsky district, where three “shooting pits” were found. Samples of the collected material were transferred to the investigating authorities for further molecular genetic examinations.
Then the prospecting work was temporarily stopped due to the onset of the autumn-winter period. In 2021, the search will continue, said the deputy head of the region.
“As you know, there were several concentration camps on the territory of Millerovo, the most famous of which was DULAG-125 – a transit camp for Soviet prisoners of war. There were also concentration camps on the territory of the House of Culture, at the elevator, and so on. Perhaps those who were shot are prisoners of precisely these concentration camps. Whether this is so, forensic and molecular genetic expertise will show. But today we can say that most of the victims are old people, women, children, ”said Artyomov.
According to preliminary estimates, there are still about 700 civilians killed near the border of Millerovo during the occupation. Search work at the mass grave site will be conducted by about 10 search teams.
“Consolidation of efforts of search engines, scientists and intelligence officers will allow us to achieve justice and name war criminals. Justice must prevail, as there are crimes that do not have a statute of limitations, – summed up Artyomov.
In November 2020, the Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Alexander Fedorov, emphasized that those involved in the genocide and murder of civilians during the Great Patriotic War should be convicted, their names and crimes should be made public.