In the forest area between the villages of Sloboda and Bortniki, Beshenkovichi district, the remains of civilians, presumably shot by Nazi criminals and their accomplices during the Great Patriotic War, household items and personal belongings were discovered.

The Beshenkovichi District Prosecutor's Office, as part of the investigation of the genocide criminal case, while analyzing information received from local residents and by studying archival data, identified a previously unknown burial site of civilians in the forest area between the villages of Sloboda and Bortniki.

Reference. Describing the circumstances of the extermination, witnesses reported that the Germans gathered residents of the aforementioned villages on the outskirts of the forest. Two pits had been dug in advance: 1 - for the bodies of men, 2 - for the bodies of women and children. The fascists shot the civilian population with machine guns, and the bodies were placed in the pits. A total of presumably 350-365 people were shot.

An investigative team led by Beshenkovichi District Prosecutor Andrei Starchenko, with the participation of the search unit of the 52nd separate specialized search battalion, inspected the scene with photo documentation – bone remains, presumably of 20 victims, as well as bullets and shell casings, have currently been found and seized.

Household items and personal belongings of civilians were also found in the burial site from the Great Patriotic War: buttons, shoes, including children's shoes.

Search operations are ongoing.

Assistant Prosecutor

Beshenkovichi District

2nd Class Lawyer S.A. Kiryanov