Russian Communists (by an eyewitness), in The Black Deeds of the
Kremlin: A White Book, Ukrainian Association of Victims of Russian
Communist Terror, Toronto, 1953, pp. 123-124)
(18) Some had nails driven into their skulls.
M. Kowal
BOLSHEVIK MURDERS
I am Michael Kowal, from the town of Kaminka Strumylova in the
Lviw Region in Ukraine. During the communist occupation of Western
Ukraine I personally witnessed three arrests in my native town on
June 22, 1941, those of Bohdan Mulkevich, and Michael Mulkevich who
lived on Zamok Street, and Michael Mulkevich's blacksmith
apprentice, presumably from the village of Rymaniw in the same
Region. They were suspected of disloyalty to the communist regime.
After the communist retreat from Kaminska-Strumylova they were
found in the town prison with 33 other victims, murdered in a
horribly sadistic manner. All the corpses were tied together with
barbed wire and all bore signs of terrible beatings. Some had
nails driven into their skulls. None of them had been shot to
death. Their bodies, nude and badly mauled, were practically
unrecognizable to their relatives.
Bohdan Mulkevish's wife recognized her husband, but, trying to
verify her identification by his gold teeth, found them missing.
All the bodies were taken away for interment.
That Same day 19 other bodies were discovered near the village
of Todan about 9 or 10 kilometers from Kaminka-Strumylova. They
were tied to trees and their chests were pierced with bayonets.
These were all identified by relatives and taken away for burial.
(M. Kowal, Bolshevik Murders, in The Black Deeds of the Kremlin: A
White Book, Ukrainian Association of Victims of Russian Communist
Terror, Toronto, 1953, p. 529)
(19) Shot the children in cold blood.
Andriy Vodopyan
A RAVINE FILLED WITH THE BODIES OF CHILDREN
I was serving in the Soviet Russian Army. Our artillery unit
was retreating before the Germans in the direction of Yeletsk. On
September 18, 1941, our unit came to a wide ravine situated about
14 miles from Chartsysk station, and about 60 miles from the city
of Staline. The ravine stretched from the station of Chartsysk to
the station of Snizhy. When we approached the ravine we were taken
aback by a horrible sight. The whole ravine was filled with the
bodies of children. They were lying in different positions. Most
of them were from 14 to 16 years of age. They were dressed in
black, and we recognized them as students of the F.S.U., a
well-known trade and craft school. We counted 370 bodies
altogether. All of them had been killed by machine gun fire.
This group of children was being evacuated from Staline when
the Germans neared the city. The children had marched 60 miles,
and, exhausted and unable to continue walking, asked for
transportation. The officers in charge promised to send them