Since its discovery in 1997, Sandarmokh has become a place of pilgrimage for the descendants of those killed in Stalin’s Great Terror, for local villagers, for historians and for public figures. An International Day of Remembrance has been held at Sandarmokh every year since then, attended by delegations from various parts of Russia and from … Continue reading Who wants to rewrite the history of Sandarmokh—and why?
Remembrance
monuments, events, publications
Dmitriev and Orwell
On Tuesday, 26 December, we were waiting for two reports: one about what happened that day at the Petrozavodsk City Court; the other, an account of a recent investigation into the new row over who is buried at Sandarmokh, and how they died. An excerpt from a long interview with MARIA KARP on Radio Svoboda … Continue reading Dmitriev and Orwell
Arseny Roginsky (video)
The late Arseny Roginsky (1946-2017), chairman of the Memorial Society, talks about the "Last Address" project (26 September 2016) https://youtu.be/91MoStAhYh8 (and see Memorial letter, 16 December 2016, in response to the arrest of Yury Dmitriev)
Stalin’s long shadow
"In March 1953, after Stalin's death, the chief editor of the weekly Literaturnaya Gazeta Konstantin Simonov wrote that the main task of Soviet literature henceforth would be to understand Stalin's role in Russian history. He had no idea how right he would be!" writes Alexander Cherkasov. "It was literature that fostered the growth of interest … Continue reading Stalin’s long shadow
“The Executed Renaissance”
Another of those shot at Sandarmokh between 27 October and 4 November 1937 was Oleksiy SARVAN (1893-1937). The March 1937 Resolution from the White Sea Canal corrective-labour camps (see below) sends Sarvan for trial because of his "systematic anti-Soviet work" among his fellow prisoners. The case was sent to the procurator's office of the BelBalt … Continue reading “The Executed Renaissance”
The Dmitriev Affair 