Previously unknown burial site of civilians killed during Great Patriotic War discovered in Belarus

A previously unknown burial site of civilians killed during the Great Patriotic War has been discovered in the Gomel Region, sb.by reports with reference to the Prosecutor General's Office

Photo by Gomel Region Prosecutor's Office

Field search operations are underway in the village of Zalipye – a location established by the Prosecutor's Office when analysing the collected evidence about the places of extermination of civilians during the occupation of 1941-1944 as part of the investigation of the criminal case on the genocide of the Belarusian people.

"The skeletal remains of at least 10 people, a number of civilian household items (fragments of shoes, spoons, dishes), a bullet and shell casings from a German Mauser 98K carbine have been found,” the source reported.

According to a protocol of the interrogation of a local resident, a trench was dug near her house to hide from bombing and German shells.

"There was a railway line nearby, and partisans often attacked it to damage enemy trains. In retaliation for that, the Nazis staged a raid on the villagers who were staying near the railway in about 1943. Many people were driven into a barn, where they had to stay for 3-5 days. Afterwards, according to the witness's mother, ‘several Bandera supporters kicked civilians out of the barn, led them to a dug-out trench and shot them," the prosecutor's office clarified.

The search and field work continues. The circumstances of the death and the identity of the citizens will be clarified during the investigation of the criminal case on genocide.