The court recognized the crimes of the Nazis in the Kherson region as genocide of the peoples of the USSR

The court recognized the crimes of the German Nazis in the Kherson region during the Great Patriotic War as genocide of the peoples of the USSR. This was announced on March 25 on the website of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation.

"The court hearings established that the total number of those killed and tortured, as well as those who died of starvation and infectious diseases, amounted to more than 70 thousand people, and more than 37 thousand were forcibly abducted to Western European countries in order to engage in hard labor," the ministry said in a statement.

It is specified that the Nazis destroyed over 12 thousand structures, including industrial buildings, residential buildings, livestock buildings. According to direct directives from the occupation authorities and the military command, schools, clubs, theaters, museums, libraries, outpatient clinics and hospitals, and children's institutions were burned and destroyed. The total amount of damage caused, translated into the modern exchange rate, exceeded 8 trillion rubles.

In addition, the Investigative Committee (IC) of Russia identified the burial of over 1,000 people on the outskirts of the city of Genichesk, from where the remains of more than 280 people, including over 40 children, as well as shell casings and bullets of foreign manufacture (Luger, Mauser, etc.) were recovered.

"The personal belongings of the victims, attributes of their clothes and other items relevant to the investigation found during inspections of the incident sites and seized have been recognized as material evidence and attached to the materials of the criminal case. Search activities, as well as exhumation work, are continuing," the agency said in a statement on its Telegram channel.

The ministry clarified that in support of the stated facts, the court was provided with a significant evidence base, including archival documents, expert opinions and witness statements.

"The evidence gathered by the investigation became another confirmation of the inhuman plan of the Nazi invaders and their accomplices to plunder, enslave and exterminate the civilian population not only of individual settlements and regions, but also of the entire Soviet people," the Investigative Committee concluded.

Beyond the Gates of Hell: How the Red Army Liberated Auschwitz

The crimes of the Nazis became known to the world

Earlier, on March 24, the court recognized the crimes of the German Nazis in the Murmansk region during the Second World War as genocide of the peoples of the USSR. It is specified that the capital of the Kola Arctic was a strategic target of the invaders. At the same time, Murmansk residents did not stop working to contribute to the victory.