The Prosecutor General’s Office established a mass grave site of the Great Patriotic War near the Uruchye tract during the investigation of the criminal case of genocide

In the forest area of the Minsk district near the entrance to the 120th Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade training ground, the Prosecutor General’s Office conducted procedural actions – during the investigation of the criminal case of genocide, a mass grave site of the Great Patriotic War was discovered and opened.

The Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Shved asked the Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Roman Golovchenko and the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus Viktor Khrenin to arrive upon the site.

The Prosecutor of the Minsk Region, Yuri Shchetko, reported to the audience about the events conducted in the tract.

According to the information available to the prosecutor's office, there are at least 7 such places near the Uruchye tract, where more than 38 thousand people are buried.

According to archival data, from 1941 to 1944, the Nazi occupiers were bringing here civilians and servicemen from Minsk and its surroundings and shooting them. People were buried in pre-dug graves up to 5 meters deep. In the neighboring villages, the sounds of gunshots, screams and groans of people were constantly heard. People later found a large number of bullet casings and German rifle cartridges near the graves.

When talking to media representatives, Roman Golovchenko underlined the importance of the ongoing investigation and the preservation of the historical memory of the tragedy of the Belarusian people: “In such places, one can feel especially acutely what happened to our people, what ordeals they were subjected to, how inhumane the aggressors were. This happened quite recently by historical standards. Therefore, this is a living memory. It gives us a feeling as if our exhausted ancestors were looking down on us and give us the opportunity not to forget these events. It is necessary to do everything so that this does not happen again.”

Lilia Ananich, Deputy Chairman of the Permanent Commission on Human Rights, National Relations and Mass Media of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, who was present at the site, spoke about the activities of the Parliament in this direction: “The initiative of the Prosecutor General’s Office has been heard by deputies, and today the draft legislative act is completed to a sufficient degree, which is recognized to become a document of political, legal and moral value, a law that condemns the genocide of the Belarusian people, recognizes the genocide of the Belarusian people.”

It should be noted that in the 90s, work was carried out to search for mass graves of Soviet citizens in the area of the Uruchye tract. However, they were unsuccessful due to insufficient and contradictory information.

It became possible to discover these places within the framework of the investigation of the criminal case of genocide.

To establish their exact location, about 40 hectares of the territory adjacent to the tract were examined. Significant assistance in the search was provided by specialists of the Ministry of Defense.

“We are actively cooperating with the Prosecutor General’s Office. We are well aware that our task is to preserve the memory of the courage and heroism of the unconquered Belarusian people, of those terrible crimes that took place on this land. And today, manipulation and distortion of historical facts have become, in fact, a weapon against our country. It is important to show the citizens of Belarus and the world community the horrors of the war, to remind them of the price the Belarusian people paid for peace and freedom on their land,” Viktor Khrenin said.

The investigation was significantly helped by the testimony of citizen Chernov V.F., who said that more than 25 years ago a random passerby showed him the place of murder of civilians. During verification of his testimony at the scene, he reported approximate boundaries of this site.

According to information received from various sources, more than 8 thousand people may be buried in the pit-grave opened.

During the inspection of the upper layer, numerous bone remains, fragments of clothing, shoes, ammunition, and other items were seized, which will be sent for expert examination.

In conclusion, the Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus Alexey Stuk talked to journalists.

He called “the ascertainment of all the facts of atrocities of the Nazi occupiers and their henchmen in the territory of the former BSSR, as well as those responsible for their commission” the main objective of the investigation of the criminal case of genocide.

The Deputy Prosecutor General informed that according to new information available, “in addition to the Wehrmacht and the SS, various collaborationist formations consisting of nationalists from Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and military units of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa) also took part in the extermination of civilians.”

“Unfortunately, this mood has also been transmitted to the modern political elites of some countries,” said Alexey Stuk.

“The investigation of the criminal case had a wide response from the population. Many citizens proactively report the information that they witnessed themselves or that they know about from the words of eyewitnesses,” the Deputy Prosecutor General summed up.

Photo: Prosecutor General’s Office, Pavel Orlovsky (BelTA), Pavel Rusak (MINSK-NEWS)

Department for Interaction
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