"Shooted help me"

The 56-year-old peasant Stepan Ivanovich Karagodin was arrested on the night of December 1, 1937 by the employees of the Tomsk GO NKVD , convicted by a special meeting as the organizer of the Spy-sabotage group and a resident of the Japanese military intelligence and sentenced to shoot . The verdict was carried out on January 21, 1938. The wife and children did not know about the execution and hoped that Stepan Ivanovich was alive. In the late 50s, they received a certificate of rehabilitation, which said that he "died in conclusion."

The great-great-grandson of Stepan Ivanovich, a graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy of Tomsk University, 34-year-old Denis Karagodin decided to establish the names of everyone who is guilty of falsification of the accusations against the arrested in the Harbin case, and trace the criminal chain-from the Kremlin initiators of the Great Terror to the simple performers in Tomsk, up to the drivers of Black Rights and engineers, and engineers, and engineers, and engineers, Reprinting the Papers of the NKVD. The archives of the Soviet intelligence services are extremely reluctant to share information, but Denis managed to get many documents indicating how the Stalinist repressions machine that killed innocent people worked.

Karagodin raised the question of the criminal liability of the state and specific executors of terror

In an article dedicated to the investigation of Denis Karagodin , the doctor of historical sciences Ivan Kurill writes: “Karagodin raised the question of the responsibility of the state and specific performers of terror, not political, which was talked about, starting with the 20th Congress of the CPSU, and that the very criminal liability. In Russia, such a step looks at the same time natural and impossible. His tribunal for executioners.

In June 2016, Denis Karagodin told Radio Liberty about his hope to complete the investigation by this trial. Now all the materials necessary to prepare this process are collected. In November, Denis received the last key document: the act of bringing the NKVD Tomsk Gorotadel to execute the verdict against 36 people, including Stepan Ivanovich Karagodin and his six "accomplices".

“Now we have the whole chain of killers completely: from the Politburo to a specific executioner,” writes Denis Karagodin.

Stepan Ivanovich Karagodin with his wife and son

In total on this day - January 21, 1938 - in the prison of the city of Tomsk, the employees of the Goroddel of the NKVD were shot 64 people . People who were not mentioned in the act took place in nomenclature reporting on other sentences.

It is possible that for the first time in the history of Russia, a person was issued such a document

The most important thing is that the document indicates the names of direct executioners. This is the assistant to the head of the Tomsk prison Zyryanov, the commandant of the city department of the NKVD Denisov and the inspector Noskov.

Denis Karagodin sought to receive this document for more than one month. His numerous written and oral requests always ended with the same - formal subscriptions or reports that this document is not.

Once in a desperate position and not wanting to give up, Denis developed a difficult plan of action. He hoped to find help in the State Duma or even in the Russian Orthodox Church. However, after its repeated request, a letter unexpectedly came from the archive of the FSB of Russia in the Novosibirsk Region with copies of the execution documents and the names of the executioners.

Denis Karagodin

Denis Karagodin told Radio Liberty about how this happened:

- In 2012, I began to collect information about the NKVD employees on departmental and political archives, but it turned out that the descendants of the people whose relatives were shot in Tomsk could help.

I started coming to me through the site. Of the materials sent by bit, I “removed” the data of the NKVD employees: who was arrested, who searched, who was understood, who conducted the investigation, who signed arrest sanctions, etc.

It was this information that was not provided to me, they hid that such archives generally exist

Once I wrote a person whose relative was shot. Thanks to the documents that he sent, I identified the NKVD employees who killed Alexei Ivanovich Salikhov - he was shot on July 5, 1938. Moreover, it turned out that he lived on the same street with my great -grandfather Stepan Ivanovich Karagodin, literally two houses later. It was an incredible discovery that very inspired me! I entered the address of this house to the interactive map of my investigation . The surprises did not end there. When analyzing his documents (I decided to approach this especially carefully-as they say, "in a neighborly"), a very strange record was discovered at the extract from the execution act. It was on it that "the act of bringing the sentence is stored in the special archive of the 1st special department of the NKVD of the USSR." I haven't met this before. And most importantly - it was this information that was not provided to me, they blocked any attempts to access them; Moreover, it was hidden that such archives generally exist. “We have no information” - there was a standard answer.

- That is, it is a super -secret department of special services?

- I believe that rather - yes. At least the period of interest to me. It was possible to establish that now he is in the archive of the Office of the FSB of Russia in the Omsk Region. He got there as a reserve storage fund during the Second World War, when archives were evacuated from the Far East and from the European part of the USSR. Moreover, at the place of this reserve storage, there are documents of the Special Meeting at the NKVD, and the archive affairs of the dispossession of the territories of the Far East, and various Moscow documents, and much more, including the same special fiber of the NKVD of the USSR.

- They took it out, fearing that these documents will capture the Japanese or the Germans?

- Yes, sure. Everything was carried out as part of the "standard" evacuation of the most valuable. The most valuable, you understand!

Historians cannot believe that I succeeded

I instantly requested the document I need in all form. The letter received from Omsk said that there was no act of execution of my great -grandfather in the archive, and in the volume I said, "there are acts on the execution of decisions of the Judicial Troika of the UNKVD in the Chita region." And it was a real breakthrough, because from this bureaucratic formulation I established what I was always sure of: these documents still exist!

I sent a similar request to the Office of the FSB of Russia for the Novosibirsk Region, believing that I will receive another unsubscription. There was no answer for several months, and I sent the request again. The resulting "technical response" turned out to be absolutely stunning - the act of execution that I desired!

“You have guesses, why did they send it?”

-Firstly , the request itself was formulated extremely accurately: the entire nomenclature of orders and dates was indicated. There was a factor of knowledge of the Archive of the special department, a correspondence with the Office of the FSB Omsk and Tomsk was given. All this information is not for an ordinary person and not even for every historian.

It is also interesting that on the documents you do not have the stamp "secret" or "committed secret." There are only two options: either they were so secret that it never even occurred to anyone to visize them in this way, or the vulture still stands, but on the front title sheet of the fund.

Historians and specialists with whom I managed to talk cannot believe that I succeeded. Some were simply shocked by the fact that such documents still exist and achieve them really. It is possible that in general, for the first time in the history of Russia, a person was issued such a document. But, of course, I do not know this reliably.

According to some reports, a number of employees of the FSB departments were sincerely convinced that this act was simply physically not, allegedly he was simply destroyed - “cleaned up”, like many other documents. But I knew that this was not so, I knew that these documents exist, I was absolutely convinced of this! So it turned out.

The second page from the act of execution with the name of Stepan Karagodin

- What exactly does this act open?

It was a conveyor, a cold -blooded murder machine

- The document is an order of the NKVD Office in the Novosibirsk Region, in which 36 people are listed and orders them to shoot them on the basis of the decision of the Special Meeting at the NKVD. The document was personally sent to the head of the Tomsk city department of the NKVD Ivan Ovchinnikov for execution. After the execution - the murder of 36 people - this document, together with the act of execution, was to be sent back to Novosibirsk (this is the instruction in this order itself). Which was done. Thus, we have a document on three sheets, on the back of the third sheet - the act of execution itself, envious of the executioners.

A document is a key capable of opening many doors, primarily symbolic.

Now we reliably know the commandant of the Tomsk Gorodetel of the NKVD - this is Denisov. The surname Noskova was also known to me by publication in a local newspaper. This Noskova always had a “black horse”, I could not understand why it did not pass through the bases where other employees meet. Now it’s clear: she was “just an executioner”, an inspector (on “special assignments”).

The release of the newspaper "Red Banner", No. 211 dated November 13, 1937. “All four killers are on my list,” says Denis Karagodin

- Why did they write about her in the newspaper?

The publications did not indicate what exactly the NKVD employees were awarded for, but I knew for sure why - for mass killings

- In the spring of 2016, sitting in the reading room of the library of Tomsk University and working on issues of the French post -structuralist tradition, I suddenly got up for myself and went to the periodicals fund. And, opening the binder of the Tomsk newspaper "Red Banner" for 1937-1938, began to look for a photograph of the prosecutor Nikolai Pilyushenko. There was such a mass killer, an absolute maniac (demanded from subordinates that they read more fiction, so that prosecutorial accusations of the period of great terror are improved in terms of eloquence). In 1939, he, however, was arrested, accusing him of the "right -Trotsky counter -revolutionary conspiracy", but then they simply released it - was lucky. Moreover, he was recognized as a victim of political repression and entered the book of memory of the Tomsk region as a victim.

The newspaper "Red Banner" is a breathtaking reading. On each sheet - screams about the attack from all sides on the "our socialist homeland" of the fascists of all stripes (including even "fascist pirates") and the "wise leadership of the NKVD" conspiracies.

January 21, 1938 64 people were killed in Tomsk

"Having worked" 1937 completely, and these are 242 numbers , I found interesting information. Several photographs of the NKVD regional employees awarded the highest state awards ; The publications did not indicate what exactly they were awarded for, but I knew for sure for what - for mass killings. It was the zenith of their success. In one of these pictures there was Noskova , in the note under her photo there was a signature - "One of the active employees of the Tomsk Gorodantel of the NKVD." Then I just mechanically brought it to my file cabinet.

On January 21, 1938, 64 people were killed in Tomsk in Tomsk. And this is only one day. Until this day, there were the same mass killings, and after, too, and months earlier and months later. It was a conveyor, a cold -blooded murder machine, a simple mechanism, a routine.

I believe that these three executioners are the main group. Although there are other executioners in my file cabinet, it is these precisely these.

- And you want to calculate absolutely everyone, up to the drivers of the "black funnels" and the engineers printing the documents?

“ I don’t want to, but I did it .”

And these are not just surnames and positions, but the entire amount of personal data (name, year and place of birth, track record, numbers of orders for awarding, assigning titles, death certificate and photography).

The main thing is the shooting team that I hunted for. I got them! All

I installed the entire list of drivers of the Garage of the Tomsk Gorodantel of the NKVD, and I also have data for a couple of engineers of the town. But this is still an optional goal. We will not “attract” the driver as an accomplice (although if you work out the handwriting of printing machines and compare the shift schedule, this is possible). The driver, as an accomplice, "attract" 100%. To do this, there will be enough just an outfit for transport for specific dates - in principle, I think this is feasible.

But, the main thing is not them, but that shooting team for which I hunted. I got them! All.

I spent the past weekend with the decryption of the documents received and finalizing the profiles of the killers; And suddenly I realized that my investigation was completed.

This is a very strange feeling, you know. Imagine that you developed the operation of the day “d” on landing in Normandy and started moving, when suddenly they informed you that Hitler went to the bathroom, there, accidentally slipping, hit his head on the sink and died.

“What else do you know about executioners?”

NKVD, and later the KGB of the USSR hid traces of its crimes - mass killings - falsifying documents in the registry offices

-Yes , in general, that's it. I also want to get their additional photos. There is already noskova’s photograph, there is a Denisov party party number, respectively, I will find a photo, and the third is new, Zyryanov is an assistant to the head of the prison. I had evidence that the Komsomol members also participated in the massacres, it was a separate line that I was developing. And he was a member of the Komsomol since 1930. It was he who was involved in the work "on the Komsomol line", he helped. There was an order - pay any money, but only for them to do the job. I found a salary of 1936–38, I wanted to understand whether there was a jump on payments during this period. I even decided to make a table, identify according to indirect signs, by some associative connections, and literally-bang, and everything is sent to you. I think they themselves did not understand what they did.

Well, what does it mean to send? Only Karakuli of their autographs and surnames (without initials), of course, are not provided. Names, patronymics, track record, year of birth, photo, etc. - I have already installed it myself. Of course, they would not have provided me with such information, of course, they would not have provided me (this can not even be discussed). In June of this year, I already told you a little about this .

Cadets and cadets of the NKVD training courses in Novosibirsk, 1930s

-You write that you also revealed an intra-chamber agent-provocateur. Who is this person?

They beat books on the head with large volumes of books, pinched the fingers with doors, put on the "jistal"

- This is the main "hen" of the Tomsk town of the NKVD - Pushnin Ivan Fedorovich, born in 1911. Moreover, not a simple “hen”, but so fierce that she even allowed themselves to teach investigators (personnel employees of the city department), how exactly they should work with the under investigation. On the instructions of the NKVD, he impersoned the representative of the Polish General Staff, “recruited” more than thirty people in the non -existent “batch of folk heroes”, including his wife, after which they were arrested, they staged a furs from the prison, and the arrested in the case announced that he died, and for persuasiveness they showed his photographs in the coffin.

In 1958, the military prosecutor's office refused to rehabilitate Pushnin with the wording "as a person engaged in falsification of criminal cases"; However, already in 1990, with the wording "a person who was not a full -time employee of the NKVD" he was rehabilitated.

But if one door closes, then, probably, some more opens. It was this legal incident that allowed me to request access to his business as a “victim of political repression” - let's see what kind of victim it is. I have no right to refuse. The case is on constant storage in the FSB department in the Tomsk region. I did the same in relation to prosecutor Pilyushenko.

I call similar legal loopholes "bugs of the system." Watching the film "Matrix"? It is largely built on the concept of French social theorist Jean Baudrillard, one of my beloved academic authors.

- And did this intra -chamber agent knock out the testimony from your great -grandfather too?

- We cannot claim it. But torture in the Tomsk Goroddel of the NKVD was actively used; This was called "world" - measures of physical influence. I have official documents testifying to this. Moreover, it is necessary to understand that it was precisely the physical violence that could be applied to one under investigation, for example, to beat with large volumes of books on the head, to clamp the fingers with doors, to put on “trough”, “high -rise”, various stretch marks, beaten trivial, etc., and a more sophisticated method was also used to some investigative: it was enough to simply show the first sheet of their own questionnaires, where they themselves indicated when they themselves pointed out The first interrogation of the composition of both their family members, and threaten with repressions to them ... —The was more than enough for people to sign any documents; If only they didn’t touch the family. Everything is simple. Perhaps something similar happened to Stepan Ivanovich, because after his arrest of his sons, serving on a call in Tomsk, they suddenly promoted the service. A kind of "contract", understand? Agreed. I do not know reliably, of course. But on those sheets in the protocol of interrogation that I saw, his painting was shot down. And sometimes the impression is that at first clean sheets were signed, and on top of them, interrogation materials reprinted later by the driver were already introduced.

This is what the whole project looks like. Documents and external hard drive for 2 terabytes, ”says Denis Karagodin

- After our June interview and other publications about your investigation, you received many letters - and simply from the curious, and from those who want to find information about their repressed relatives. What do they write to you? "Man, you are well done, but you will not achieve anything" or "We will do the same?"

Each story is hell, and you must enter it without leaving the hell of the Russian bureaucracy

- That I will not achieve anything, I heard from the very first day. And at a certain moment, and even my closest friends were convinced that I could not advance further, that this is the limit and a dead end. But I simply did not pay attention to this, because the solution of impossible problems is, in fact, the entire STEPANIVANOVICHKAGODIN.org project is. Any of its points is an impossible task, and as you see, each is solved. Of course, there is something and the impossible, but I have determined these zones, and, realizing them (like the stalker of the Strugatsky brothers), I concentrate on the possible.

Yes - many wrote that I was well done. This, of course, was pleasant. But in every such letter there was a family tragedy and crippled destinies. I think people wanted revenge. And seeing that at least someone succeeds, they wished me the strength. They even offered money; Of course, I refused.

We learned what several generations of our family wanted to know - the names of all killers

I was also often asked about exactly how to draw up a request and where to send it, how to get to certain documents. I suggested how it is better to do, but it was given to me with great difficulty - it is very difficult. Each story is hell, and you must enter it and talk about events; Without leaving the hell of the Russian bureaucracy. This is an endless stream ... It is very difficult, but sometimes you can’t answer, since a letter is a scream from a person’s heart, perhaps the last desperate chance to find out something. I sincerely say to you: I really want to take off this humanitarian burden. I am not a society "Memorial", but for some reason they write to me. They, I think, also write them ... In general, everyone writes to everyone, and in the end we have what we have.

- And the relatives of those people who, together with Stepan Ivanovich, were shot in his case, were found?

Now we know absolutely the entire chain of killers: from the organizers in Moscow to specific executioners in Tomsk

- No. I could not find these relatives. Yes, to be honest, I did not set myself such a task. I think they are simply not alive. Here, look: eight people are held in the shooting case, seven are shot. Death certificates in the Tomsk registry office are falsified at all - there are false dates and false causes of death. This is the NKVD, and later the KGB of the USSR hid the traces of its crimes - mass killings, falsifying documents in the registry offices. About how exactly this happened (including secret intra -defense orders) can also be read on my site . However, over time (this is the 50s and 80s), certificates for three out of seven were corrected for real ones: the real date of death-"January 21, 1938", the real cause of death-"execution". This means only one thing - at the time of correction, relatives of the dead were alive.

Anna Dmitrievna Karagodina with children

-The skeptic listens to us and says: well, he installed all these executioners, they were born in 1892, they have not been in the world a long time ago. What next?

No one in the history of Russia filed such a lawsuit, no one had the idea to get to the end

- Our investigation is completed - this is the main thing. We learned what several generations of our family wanted to know - the names of all the killers. And we did it. Everyone made their part. Mine began in 2012 and ended on November 12, 2016. The investigation itself was carried out on December 1, 1937, that is, the nights of the arrest of Stepan Ivanovich by the employees of the Tomsk city department of the NKVD. Now we know absolutely the whole chain of killers: from the organizers in Moscow to specific executioners in Tomsk, and not just surnames, but detailed biographies with a track record and career list, including home addresses. The case is done.

When in 1928 Stepan Ivanovich was arrested for the second time (having imprisoned in Blagoveshchensk, and later dispossessed and sent to the Narymsky Territory), his wife Anna Dmitrievna - a Cossack, a Maykop native, being completely illiterate, began a public pressure campaign , thereby laying a good tradition. In 2013, I came to the Far East in the village of Volkovo, found the descendants of those who then stood up for Stepan Ivanovich in 1928, and thanked them; He left a letter of thanks in the magnificent museum of a rural school.

Unlike my great -grandmother, I can conduct similar campaigns at the level that my university education allows me. At the same time, the spirit of the Kuban Cossacks lives in me.

The chain of killers is quite long - more than 20 people: organizers, managers, performers, accomplices

In the same 1928, the Bolshevik newspaper Amurskaya Pravda (the existing, by the way) made with the devastating article “The Merry Effect” in relation to the administration of the village of Volkovo, the Blagoveshchensk district of the Amursky Territory, which was headed by Stepan Ivanovich at that time. This article was eventually introduced by the Bolshevik investigation to the materials of the 1928 case and served as the “next evidence” of his guilt. The result - dispossession and expulsion to Siberia in 3 years. By her departure, he ended up in Tomsk.

Thus, in addition to the campaign of public pressure, the media component was introduced into the case; And these two components became permanent.

Now, taking advantage of the multi-level campaigns of socio-political pressure laid down in 1928 by my great-grandmother Anna Dmitrievna and using media, but already as a mechanism converted to our favor, I achieved what I achieved-the murder of my great-grandfather has been disclosed! I think Anna Dmitrievna would be happy with me. I give her my tribute to her memory.

And what is done is the main thing; And this is more than enough.

However, this is not all.

A group of persons by prior conspiracy committed a mass murder

The second part of the investigation project is the prosecution of all persons guilty of the murder of Stepan Ivanovich Karagodin. Absolutely the whole chain: from the organizers of this particular murder - members of the Politburo in Moscow (led by citizen Dzhugashvili Joseph Vissarionovich, born in 1878, better known under the pseudonyms of Koba, Stalin) to specific executioners in the city of Tomsk (citizens: Zyryanova Nikolai Ivanovich, born in 1912, Denisov Sergey Timofeevich, born in 1892 and 1892 Noskova Ekaterina Mikhailovna, born in 1903). The chain of killers is quite long - more than 20 people: organizers, managers, performers, accomplices - all. Including the driver of the black "funnel" - he will go as an accomplice. Accusation: a group of persons by prior conspiracy committed a mass murder.

Scenarios of this legal procedure (on prosecution) have already been developed.

- Mass murder is all 64 people?

- No. Only seven. Of course, on that fateful day - January 21, 1938, at least 64 people were killed by the employees of the Tomsk Goroddel of the NKVD (and associated persons). Although the act of execution has names 36 of these 64 people, but the actual material of the evidence base we have only in terms of seven of them. This is Stepan Ivanovich Karagodin and everyone who went through his case and was shot with him as part of the Harbinsky operation by decision of the Special Meeting at the NKVD: namely, Baturin Frol Danilovich, Bocharnikov Joseph Mikhailovich, Malakisher Matvey Leontyevich, Simo Elena Dmitrievna, Starovoi Ulyana Andreyevna and Oldovoit and Starovois and Oldovoit and Starovois Ulyana Andreyevna and Shabalin Veniamin Yakovlevich.

“But you will be refused to initiate a matter.”

- Have you tried it?

Who else and when managed to go so far?

Scenarios on the legal procedure (prosecution of those responsible for criminal liability) have been developed. And not to take such an opportunity would be just criminal. Who else and when managed to go so far? With such a texture and evidence? Are there such examples? I personally do not know. Let it be, and if it suddenly turns out to be unsuccessful, then at least she will go down in history as an attempt. And the laid tradition is a strong thing!

One person kills another, and then says: you know, I killed him, but here is a certificate that I rehabilitated him - now everything is in order. No - out of order. And this is absolutely obvious.

No one has ever filed such a lawsuit in the history of Russia, no one had the idea to get to the end.

In fact, the matter against these killers has already begun

Formally, there are several types of restrictions: the statute of limitations for this particular type of crime. But this restriction is easily removed in the State Duma. There are other formal signs of “refusal”, but, as I already said, we have not developed a script, but scenarios.

Indeed, in fact, the matter against these killers has already begun. Prior to this, we conducted investigation inversely - revealing the guilty in the murder in the case of the "guilt" of the dead. Now we turn the wrong side on the right side - in the normal position of the tissue of reality. Everything should and will be called their own names: killers - killers, executioners - executioners, accomplices - accomplices, and victims - victims. And not in an abstract theoretical and hypothetical sense, but in more than objective and specific.

It is difficult to say what all this can eventually end truly, but at least (at least) it really “can give the beginning of a public discussion. The discussion that did not take place in the 1950s or in the 1980s,” as historian Ivan Kurill wrote, comprehending the project of my investigation.

I will add the following.

In 1857, Alexander II sent the theorist of Russian anarchism Mikhail Bakunin to Tomsk, to the Siberian link to the eternal settlement. He successfully runs from the exile in 1861, through the territory of Japan, ending in the end to London, where he was organized in the magazine "Bell" to Alexander Herzen, who, as we recall, "woke up Russian revolutionaries."

My great-grandfather Stepan Ivanovich Karagodin, being in Tomsk after the departure of his Siberian exile, in the early 1930s, lives not only on Bakunin Street, but also in his very house-though in the basement (entrance to the right, from the yard). Modern address - Tomsk, st. Bakunin, house 14. And he not only lives in this house, but is also arrested by the employees of the Tomsk Gorodantel of the NKVD at this address, with the charges of him as a "resident of Japanese military intelligence."

Of course, there is no direct connection in this, but it is difficult to deny a certain combination. In any case, symbolically - this can be regarded as a sign. The sign of inclusion in the fabric of history. In her historical cycle. Let it and not from the front door, but the semi -basement, but still the entrance.

So. I do not exclude the fact that we will close this cycle with our lawsuit.

I feel that people who were shot in Tomsk and lying at the bottom of this ravine under a pile of reinforced concrete reinforcement and industrial garbage help me

In general, I am not a very religious person, rather an agnostic (digging in the structure of the social at the "program level", with enthusiasm, looking after the success of the Cern project - the highest point of development of human theoretical thought). But at the same time, I, of course, are familiar with both the Christian theological tradition and the Russian religious philosophy; My beloved saints are Thomas Akvinsky and Aurelius Augustine - two greatest theologians.

And so, thinking about everything I did, and especially on a series of fantastic coincidences, I at times come to such a strange and largely completely mystical thought that all these coincidences are not accidental. That all these people, shot in Tomsk on the chestnut and now lying at the bottom of this ravine under a pile of reinforced concrete reinforcement and industrial garbage, help me. I don’t know how, but sometimes I just physically feel this strange, incomparable power, but with such support to us, who live now, can do absolutely everything.

And even if I can’t draw up everything legally-to make an act of bringing to criminal liability of the killers of my great-grandfather, what difference does it make to me that some uncle in the mantle will tell me, when I already know who killed who killed.

I believe that the discussion, which was not held with us either in the 1950s or in the 1980s, has now begun.

I thank all those whom I should thank.

I am ready to answer any additional questions as much as possible or get your comment on your website .