Between 3 and 6 October 1938, towards the end of the Great Terror, 187 people were shot in the wooded area near Selifontovo village, Yaroslavsky district. They had been condemned to death by an assizes session of the Military Collegium of the USSR Supreme Court.
The site of their burial was found in 1989 thanks to the testimony of witnesses. Excavations were carried out in 1989 and 1990 and the remains were exhumed and subjected to forensic examination. On 26 October 1990, based on this investigation and archival documentation, it was concluded that the burial was a common grave of the Victims of Political Repression. Decision No. 12 (18 January 1991) of the Yaroslavsky district Soviet of People’s Deputies resolved the legal status of the land: “The award of a plot of land under the control of the Stavotinsky Forestry Concern in division 44 of the Yaroslavl Forestry Combine for the organisation of the burial of the victims of Stalinist repression”.
In 1991 (some say 1992) a wooden cross was raised over the burial place. It was taken down in 1994 and on 11 August that year a memorial opened there. The inscription at the foot of the monument reads: “May we never forget the victims of political repression, shot on 3-6 October 1938”, and twelve plaques bear the names of the executed.
Lest We Forget: A Book in Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repression, linked by Fate to the Yaroslavl Region (9 vols, 1993-2017) includes biographical entries for those shot or sent to the camps.
| Date | Nature of ceremonies | Organiser or responsible person | Participants | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3-6 October
|
Commemorative Service on anniversary of execution
|
Yaroslavl Region Memorial Society
|
Relatives of the victims, Memorial Society members, parishioners
|
Annual event in 1990s; from time to time thereafter
|
|
30 October
|
Remembrance Day for the Victims of Political Repression
|
Regional commission for Restoration of the Rights of Rehabilitated Victims of Political Repression
|
Relatives of the victims, representatives of city and district administrations, religious and other unofficial organisations
|
Annual event
|
| State of burials | Area | Boundaries |
|---|---|---|
|
Have not survived
|
not established
|
not delineated
|
[ original texts and hyperlinks ]
“Food for thought”, Lest We Forget: … those linked to the Yaroslavl Region who were repressed in the 1930s-1940s and early 1950s, Yaroslavl, 1992 (preliminary draft)
Yu. Markovich, “Roses in a forest clearing”, Lest We Forget: … those … repressed in the 1930s-1940s and early 1950s, Yaroslavl, 1993
Reply № 10/1829 (dated 9 July 2004) by the Yaroslavl Region FSB to a formal enquiry by RIC Memorial (St Petersburg)
*
Reply № 01-04540/14 (dated 6 May 2014) by the Yaroslavl Region Administration to a formal enquiry by RIC Memorial (St Petersburg)
Reply № 1579/14 (dated 10 April 2014) by the administration of the Yaroslavl district to a formal enquiry by RIC Memorial (St Petersburg)
