On the night of July 16-17, 1918 in the city of Yekaterinburg, in the basement of the house of mining engineer Nikolai Ipatiev, the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, their children - Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, the heir Tsarevich Alexei, as well as the life medical doctor Evgeny Botkin, valet Alexei Trupp, room girl Anna Demidova and cook Ivan Kharitonov.

The last Russian emperor, Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov (Nicholas II), ascended the throne in 1894 after the death of the emperor's father. Alexander III and ruled until 1917, until the situation in the country became more complicated. On March 12 (February 27, old style), 1917, an armed uprising began in Petrograd, and on March 15 (March 2, old style), 1917, at the insistence of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma, Nicholas II signed the abdication of the throne for himself and his son Alexei in favor of younger brother Mikhail Alexandrovich.

After his abdication from March to August 1917, Nikolai and his family were under arrest in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoye Selo. A special commission of the Provisional Government studied materials for the possible trial of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna on charges of treason. Not finding evidence and documents that clearly denounced them in this, the Provisional Government was inclined to deport them abroad (to Great Britain).

The execution of the royal family: a reconstruction of eventsOn the night of July 16-17, 1918, Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family were executed in Yekaterinburg. RIA Novosti offers you a reconstruction of the tragic events that took place 95 years ago in the basement of the Ipatiev House.

In August 1917, the arrested were transferred to Tobolsk. The main idea of ​​the Bolshevik leadership was an open trial of the former emperor. In April 1918, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee decided to transfer the Romanovs to Moscow. For judgment on former king Vladimir Lenin spoke out, it was supposed to make Leon Trotsky the main accuser of Nicholas II. However, information appeared about the existence of "White Guard conspiracies" to kidnap the tsar, the concentration of "officers-conspirators" for this purpose in Tyumen and Tobolsk, and on April 6, 1918, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee decided to transfer the royal family to the Urals. The royal family was moved to Yekaterinburg and placed in the Ipatiev house.

The uprising of the White Czechs and the offensive of the White Guard troops on Yekaterinburg accelerated the decision to execute the former tsar.

It was entrusted to the commandant of the House to organize the execution of all members of the royal family, Dr. Botkin and the servants who were in the house. special purpose Yakov Yurovsky.

© Photo: Museum of the History of Yekaterinburg

The execution scene is known from the investigative protocols, from the words of participants and eyewitnesses and stories direct executors. Yurovsky spoke about the execution of the royal family in three documents: "Note" (1920); "Memoirs" (1922) and "Speech at a meeting of old Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg" (1934). All the details of this atrocity, transmitted by the main participant at different times and under completely different circumstances, agree on how she was shot royal family and her servants.

According to documentary sources, it is possible to establish the time of the beginning of the murder of Nicholas II, members of his family and their servants. The car that delivered the last order to destroy the family arrived at half past two in the night from July 16 to 17, 1918. After that, the commandant ordered the life doctor Botkin to wake the royal family. It took the family about 40 minutes to get ready, then she and the servants were transferred to the basement of this house, overlooking Voznesensky Lane. Nicholas II carried Tsarevich Alexei in his arms, because he could not walk due to illness. At the request of Alexandra Feodorovna, two chairs were brought into the room. She sat on one, on the other Tsarevich Alexei. The rest lined up along the wall. Yurovsky led the firing squad into the room and read the sentence.

Here is how Yurovsky himself describes the scene of execution: “I suggested that everyone stand up. Everyone stood up, occupying the entire wall and one of the side walls. The room was very small. Nikolai stood with his back to me. Urala decided to shoot them. Nikolai turned and asked. I repeated the order and ordered: "Shoot." I fired the first shot and killed Nikolai on the spot. The firing lasted a very long time and, despite my hopes that the wooden wall would not ricochet, the bullets bounced off it "For a long time I was unable to stop this shooting, which had taken on a careless character. But when, finally, I managed to stop, I saw that many were still alive. For example, Dr. Botkin was lying, leaning on his elbow right hand, as if in the pose of a rester, finished him off with a revolver shot. Alexei, Tatyana, Anastasia and Olga were also alive. Demidova was also alive. Tov. Ermakov wanted to finish the job with a bayonet. But, however, it did not work. The reason became clear later (the daughters were wearing diamond shells like bras). I had to shoot each one in turn."

After the statement of death, all the corpses began to be transferred to the truck. At the beginning of the fourth hour, at dawn, the corpses of the dead were taken out of the Ipatiev house.

The remains of Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna, Olga, Tatyana and Anastasia Romanov, as well as those from their entourage, who were shot in the House of Special Purpose (Ipatiev House), were discovered in July 1991 near Yekaterinburg.

On July 17, 1998, the remains of members of the royal family were buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

In October 2008, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation decided to rehabilitate the Russian Emperor Nicholas II and members of his family. The Prosecutor General's Office of Russia also decided to rehabilitate members of the imperial family - the Grand Dukes and Princes of the Blood, who were executed by the Bolsheviks after the revolution. The servants and close associates of the royal family, who were executed by the Bolsheviks or were subjected to repression, were rehabilitated.

In January 2009, the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee under the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation stopped investigating the case on the circumstances of the death and burial of the last Russian emperor, members of his family and people from his entourage, who were shot in Yekaterinburg on July 17, 1918, "due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for bringing to criminal liability and death of the persons who committed the deliberate murder" (subparagraphs 3 and 4 of part 1 of article 24 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the RSFSR).

The tragic history of the royal family: from execution to restIn 1918, on the night of July 17 in Yekaterinburg, in the basement of the house of mining engineer Nikolai Ipatiev, the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, their children - Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatyana, Maria, Anastasia, heir Tsarevich Alexei were shot.

On January 15, 2009, the investigator issued a decision to dismiss the criminal case, but on August 26, 2010, the judge of the Basmanny District Court of Moscow decided, in accordance with Article 90 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, to recognize this decision as unfounded and ordered to eliminate the violations committed. On November 25, 2010, the decision of the investigation to dismiss this case was canceled by the Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee.

On January 14, 2011, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation announced that the decision was brought in accordance with the court decision and the criminal case on the death of representatives of the Russian Imperial House and persons from their entourage in 1918-1919 was terminated. Identification of the remains of members of the family of the former Russian Emperor Nicholas II (Romanov) and persons from his retinue has been confirmed.

On October 27, 2011, the decision to close the investigation into the case of the execution of the royal family was. The ruling on 800 pages contains the main conclusions of the investigation and indicates the authenticity of the discovered remains of the royal family.

However, the question of authentication still remains open. The Russian Orthodox Church, in order to recognize the found remains as the relics of the royal martyrs, the Russian Imperial House supports the position of the Russian Orthodox Church in this matter. The director of the Chancellery of the Russian Imperial House emphasized that genetic expertise is not enough.

The Church canonized Nicholas II and his family and on July 17 celebrates the feast day of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

The family of the last Emperor of Russia, Nikolai Romanov, was killed in 1918. Due to the concealment of facts by the Bolsheviks, a number of alternative versions appear. For a long time there were rumors that turned the murder of the royal family into a legend. There were theories that one of his children escaped.

What actually happened in the summer of 1918 near Yekaterinburg? You will find the answer to this question in our article.

background

Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century was one of the most economically developed countries in the world. Nikolai Alexandrovich, who came to power, turned out to be a meek and noble man. In spirit, he was not an autocrat, but an officer. Therefore, with his views on life, it was difficult to manage a crumbling state.

The revolution of 1905 showed the failure of power and its isolation from the people. In fact, there were two authorities in the country. The official one is the emperor, and the real one is officials, nobles and landowners. It was the latter who destroyed the once great power with their greed, licentiousness and short-sightedness.

Strikes and rallies, demonstrations and bread riots, famine. All this was indicative of a decline. The only way out could be the accession to the throne of a powerful and tough ruler who could take control of the country completely under his control.

Nicholas II was not like that. It was focused on building railways, churches, improving the economy and culture in society. He has made progress in these areas. But positive changes affected, basically, only the tops of society, while the majority of ordinary residents remained at the level of the Middle Ages. Splinters, wells, carts and peasant-craft everyday life.

After joining Russian Empire to the First world war only increased the discontent of the people. The execution of the royal family became the apotheosis of general insanity. Next, we will look into this crime in more detail.

Now it is important to note the following. After the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II and his brother from the throne in the state, soldiers, workers and peasants begin to advance to the first roles. People who have not previously dealt with management, with a minimum level of culture and superficial judgments, gain power.

The petty local commissars wanted to curry favor with the higher ranks. Ordinary and junior officers simply mindlessly carried out orders. Time of Troubles, which came in these turbulent years, splashed unfavorable elements to the surface.

Next you will see more photos of the Romanov royal family. If you look at them carefully, you can see that the clothes of the emperor, his wife and children are by no means pompous. They are no different from the peasants and escorts who surrounded them in exile.
Let's see what really happened in Yekaterinburg in July 1918.

Course of events

The execution of the royal family was planned and prepared for quite a long time. While power was still in the hands of the Provisional Government, they tried to protect them. Therefore, after the events in July 1917 in Petrograd, the emperor, his wife, children and retinue were transferred to Tobolsk.

The place was specially chosen to be quiet. But in fact, they found one from which it was difficult to escape. By that time, the railway tracks had not yet been extended to Tobolsk. The nearest station was two hundred and eighty kilometers away.

It sought to protect the family of the emperor, so the exile to Tobolsk became for Nicholas II a respite before the subsequent nightmare. The king, queen, their children and retinue stayed there for more than six months.

But in April, the Bolsheviks, after a fierce struggle for power, recall the "unfinished business." A decision is made to deliver the entire imperial family to Yekaterinburg, which at that time was a stronghold of the red movement.

Prince Mikhail, the tsar's brother, was the first to be transferred to Perm from Petrograd. At the end of March, son Mikhail and three children of Konstantin Konstantinovich were sent to Vyatka. Later, the last four are transferred to Yekaterinburg.

The main reason for the transfer to the east was the family ties of Nikolai Alexandrovich with the German Emperor Wilhelm, as well as the proximity of the Entente to Petrograd. The revolutionaries were afraid of the release of the king and the restoration of the monarchy.

The role of Yakovlev, who was instructed to transport the emperor and his family from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg, is interesting. He knew about the assassination attempt on the tsar being prepared by the Siberian Bolsheviks.

Judging by the archives, there are two opinions of experts. The first say that in reality it is Konstantin Myachin. And he received a directive from the Center "to deliver the king and his family to Moscow." The latter are inclined to believe that Yakovlev was a European spy who intended to save the emperor by taking him to Japan through Omsk and Vladivostok.

After arriving in Yekaterinburg, all prisoners were placed in the Ipatiev mansion. A photo of the royal family of the Romanovs has been preserved when they were transferred to the Yakovlev Ural Council. The place of detention among the revolutionaries was called the "house of special purpose."

Here they were kept for seventy-eight days. More details about the relationship of the convoy to the emperor and his family will be discussed later. In the meantime, it is important to focus on the fact that it was rude and boorish. They were robbed, psychologically and morally crushed, mocked in such a way that it was not noticeable outside the walls of the mansion.

Considering the results of the investigations, we will dwell in more detail on the night when the monarch with his family and retinue was shot. Now we note that the execution took place at about half past three in the morning. Life physician Botkin, on the orders of the revolutionaries, woke up all the captives and went down with them to the basement.

There a terrible crime took place. Yurovsky commanded. He blurted out a prepared phrase that "they are trying to save them, and the matter is urgent." None of the prisoners understood. Nicholas II only had time to ask them to repeat what was said, but the soldiers, frightened by the horror of the situation, began firing indiscriminately. Moreover, several punishers fired from another room through the doorway. According to eyewitnesses, not everyone was killed the first time. Some were finished off with a bayonet.

Thus, this indicates the haste and unpreparedness of the operation. The execution became lynching, to which the Bolsheviks who had lost their heads went.

Government disinformation

The execution of the royal family still remains an unsolved mystery of Russian history. Responsibility for this atrocity may lie both with Lenin and Sverdlov, for whom the Ural Soviet simply provided an alibi, and directly with the Siberian revolutionaries, who succumbed to general panic and lost their heads in wartime conditions.

Nevertheless, immediately after the atrocity, the government launched a campaign to whitewash its reputation. Among researchers dealing with this period, the latest actions are called the "disinformation campaign."

The death of the royal family was proclaimed the only necessary measure. Since, judging by the customized Bolshevik articles, a counter-revolutionary conspiracy was uncovered. Some white officers planned to attack the Ipatiev mansion and free the emperor and his family.

The second point, which was furiously hidden for many years, was that eleven people were shot. Emperor, his wife, five children and four servants.

The events of the crime were not disclosed for several years. Official recognition was given only in 1925. This decision was prompted by the publication in Western Europe of a book that outlined the results of Sokolov's investigation. At the same time, Bykov was instructed to write about the "real course of events." This pamphlet was published in Sverdlovsk in 1926.

Nevertheless, the lies of the Bolsheviks at the international level, as well as the concealment of the truth from the common people, shook faith in power. and its consequences, according to Lykova, caused people to distrust the government, which has not changed even in the post-Soviet era.

The fate of the rest of the Romanovs

The execution of the royal family had to be prepared. A similar "warm-up" was the liquidation of the Emperor's brother Mikhail Alexandrovich with his personal secretary.
On the night of June 12-13, 1918, they were forcibly taken out of the Perm hotel outside the city. They were shot in the forest, and their remains have not yet been found.

A statement was made to the international press that Grand Duke was kidnapped by intruders and disappeared without a trace. For Russia, the official version was the escape of Mikhail Alexandrovich.

The main purpose of such a statement was to speed up the trial of the emperor and his family. They started a rumor that the escapee could contribute to the release of the "bloody tyrant" from "fair punishment."

Not only the last royal family suffered. In Vologda, eight people related to the Romanovs were also killed. Among the victims are princes of imperial blood Igor, Ivan and Konstantin Konstantinovich, Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, Prince Paley, manager and cell attendant.

All of them were thrown into the Nizhnyaya Selimskaya mine, not far from the city of Alapaevsk. They only resisted and were shot dead. The rest were stunned and thrown down alive. In 2009, they were all canonized as martyrs.

But the thirst for blood did not subside. In January 1919, four more Romanovs were also shot in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Nikolai and Georgy Mikhailovich, Dmitry Konstantinovich and Pavel Alexandrovich. The official version of the revolutionary committee was as follows: the liquidation of the hostages in response to the assassination of Liebknecht and Luxembourg in Germany.

Memoirs of contemporaries

Researchers have tried to reconstruct how members of the royal family were killed. The best way to deal with this is the testimonies of people who were present there.
The first such source is notes from personal diary Trotsky. He noted that the blame lies with the local authorities. He especially singled out the names of Stalin and Sverdlov as the people who made this decision. Lev Davidovich writes that in the conditions of the approach of the Czechoslovak detachments, Stalin's phrase that "the tsar cannot be handed over to the White Guards" became a death sentence.

But scientists doubt the exact reflection of events in the notes. They were made in the late thirties, when he was working on a biography of Stalin. A number of errors were made there, indicating that Trotsky forgot many of those events.

The second evidence is information from Milyutin's diary, which mentions the murder of the royal family. He writes that Sverdlov came to the meeting and asked Lenin to speak. As soon as Yakov Mikhailovich said that the tsar was gone, Vladimir Ilyich abruptly changed the subject and continued the meeting, as if the previous phrase had not happened.

The most complete history of the royal family in last days life was restored according to the protocols of interrogations of participants in these events. People from the guard, punitive and funeral squads testified several times.

Although they are often confused, the main idea remains the same. All the Bolsheviks who were next to the tsar in recent months had claims against him. Someone in the past was in prison himself, someone has relatives. In general, they gathered a contingent of former prisoners.

In Yekaterinburg, anarchists and socialist-revolutionaries put pressure on the Bolsheviks. In order not to lose credibility, the local council decided to quickly put an end to this matter. Moreover, there was a rumor that Lenin wanted to exchange the royal family for a reduction in the amount of indemnity.

According to the participants, this was the only solution. In addition, many of them boasted during interrogations that they personally killed the emperor. Who with one, and who with three shots. Judging by the diaries of Nikolai and his wife, the workers guarding them were often drunk. Therefore, real events cannot be reconstructed for certain.

What happened to the remains

The murder of the royal family took place in secret, and they planned to keep it a secret. But those responsible for the liquidation of the remains did not cope with their task.

A very large funeral team was assembled. Yurovsky had to send many back to the city "as unnecessary."

According to the testimonies of the participants in the process, they were busy with the task for several days. At first, it was planned to burn the clothes, and throw the naked bodies into the mine and cover them with earth. But the crash didn't work. I had to remove the remains of the royal family and come up with another way.

It was decided to burn them or bury them along the road, which was just being built. Previously, it was planned to disfigure the bodies with sulfuric acid beyond recognition. It is clear from the protocols that two corpses were burned, and the rest were buried.

Presumably, the body of Alexei and one girl from the servant burned down.

The second difficulty was that the team was busy all night, and in the morning travelers began to appear. An order was given to cordon off the place and forbid leaving the neighboring village. But the secrecy of the operation was hopelessly failed.

The investigation showed that attempts to bury the bodies were near the mine number 7 and the 184th crossing. In particular, they were discovered near the latter in 1991.

Kirsta investigation

On July 26-27, 1918, peasants discovered a golden cross with precious stones in a fire pit near the Isetsky mine. The discovery was immediately delivered to Lieutenant Sheremetyev, who was hiding from the Bolsheviks in the village of Koptyaki. It was carried out, but later the case was assigned to Kirsta.

He began to study the testimony of witnesses who pointed to the murder of the royal Romanov family. The information confused and frightened him. The investigator did not expect that these were not the consequences of a military court, but a criminal case.

He began to interrogate witnesses who gave contradictory testimonies. But on their basis, Kirsta concluded that perhaps only the emperor and his heir were shot. The rest of the family was taken to Perm.

One gets the impression that this investigator set himself the goal of proving that not the entire Romanov royal family was killed. Even after he explicitly confirmed the fact of the crime, Kirsta continued to interrogate new people.

So, over time, he finds a certain doctor Utochkin, who proved that he treated Princess Anastasia. Then another witness spoke of the transfer of the emperor's wife and some of the children to Perm, which she knew about from rumors.

After Kirsta finally confused the case, it was given to another investigator.

Sokolov's investigation

Kolchak, who came to power in 1919, ordered Dieterichs to figure out how the Romanov royal family was killed. The latter entrusted this case to the investigator for especially important cases of the Omsk District.

His last name was Sokolov. This man began to investigate the murder of the royal family from scratch. Although he was given all the paperwork, he did not trust Kirsta's confusing protocols.

Sokolov again visited the mine, as well as the Ipatiev mansion. Inspection of the house was hampered by the presence of the headquarters of the Czech army there. Nevertheless, a German inscription on the wall was discovered, a quotation from Heine's verse that the monarch was killed by subjects. The words were clearly scratched out after the loss of the city by the Reds.

In addition to documents on Yekaterinburg, the investigator was sent files on the murder of Prince Mikhail in Perm and on the crime against the princes in Alapaevsk.

After the Bolsheviks recapture this region, Sokolov takes out all the paperwork to Harbin, and then to Western Europe. Photos of the royal family, diaries, evidence, and so on were evacuated.

He published the results of the investigation in 1924 in Paris. In 1997, Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, transferred all office work to the Russian government. In return, he was delivered the archives of his family, taken out during the Second World War.

Modern Investigation

In 1979, a group of enthusiasts led by Ryabov and Avdonin, according to archival documents, discovered a burial near the 184 km station. In 1991, the latter declared that he knew where the remains of the executed emperor were. An investigation was reopened to finally shed light on the murder of the royal family.

The main work on this case was carried out in the archives of the two capitals and in the cities that appeared in the reports of the twenties. Protocols, letters, telegrams, photos of the royal family and their diaries were studied. In addition, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, research was carried out in the archives of most countries of Western Europe and the USA.

The study of the burial was carried out by the senior prosecutor-criminalist Solovyov. On the whole, he confirmed all of Sokolov's materials. His message to Patriarch Alexei II states that "under the conditions of that time, it was impossible to completely destroy the corpses."

In addition, a consequence of the end of XX - early XXI century completely refuted the alternative versions of events, which we will discuss later.
The canonization of the royal family was carried out in 1981 by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and in Russia in 2000.

Since the Bolsheviks tried to classify this crime, rumors spread that contributed to the formation of alternative versions.

So, according to one of them, it was a ritual murder due to a conspiracy of the Jewish Masons. One of the investigator's assistants testified that he saw "kabbalistic symbols" on the basement walls. When checked, it turned out to be traces of bullets and bayonets.

According to the theory of Dieterichs, the head of the emperor was cut off and alcoholized. The finds of the remains disproved this crazy idea.

Rumors spread by the Bolsheviks and false testimonies of "eyewitnesses" gave rise to a series of versions about people who escaped. But photographs of the royal family in the last days of their lives do not confirm them. As well as the found and identified remains refute these versions.

Only after all the facts of this crime were proven, the canonization of the royal family took place in Russia. This explains why it was held 19 years later than abroad.

So, in this article, we got acquainted with the circumstances and investigation of one of the worst atrocities in the history of Russia in the twentieth century.

In this case, the conversation will be about those gentlemen, thanks to whom, on the night of July 16-17, 1918, in Yekaterinburg there was a brutal the royal family of the Romanovs was killed. The name of these executioners is one - regicides. Some of them made the decision, while others carried it out. As a result, the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna and their children, Grand Duchesses Anastasia, Maria, Olga, Tatyana and Tsarevich Alexei, died. Together with them, people from the service personnel were also shot. These are the personal cook of the family Ivan Mikhailovich Kharitonov, the chamber footman Alexei Egorovich Trupp, the room girl Anna Demidova and the family doctor Evgeny Sergeevich Botkin.

criminals

A terrible crime was preceded by a meeting of the Presidium of the Ural Council, which took place on July 12, 1918. It was on it that the decision was made to execute the royal family. A detailed plan was also developed for both the crime itself and the destruction of corpses, that is, the concealment of traces of the destruction of innocent people.

The meeting was headed by the chairman of the Ural Council, a member of the presidium of the regional committee of the RCP (b) Alexander Georgievich Beloborodov (1891-1938). Together with him, the decision was made by: the military commissar of Yekaterinburg Filipp Isaevich Goloshchekin (1876-1941), the chairman of the regional Cheka Fyodor Nikolaevich Lukoyanov (1894-1947), the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Yekaterinburgsky Rabochiy Georgy Ivanovich Safarov (1891-1942), the supply commissar of the Ural Council Pyotr Lazarevich Voikov (1888-1927), commandant of the "House of Special Purpose" Yakov Mikhailovich Yurovsky (1878-1938).

The Bolsheviks called the house of the engineer Ipatiev the "House of Special Purpose". It was in it that the Romanov royal family was kept in May-July 1918 after it was transported from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg.

But you have to be a very naive person to think that middle-level executives took responsibility and independently made the most important political decision to execute the royal family. They found it possible only to coordinate it with the chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, Yakov Mikhailovich Sverdlov (1885-1919). This is how the Bolsheviks presented everything in their time.

Already somewhere, where, but in the Leninist party, discipline was ironclad. Decisions came only from the very top, and grass-roots employees unquestioningly executed them. Therefore, with all responsibility it can be argued that the instruction was given directly by Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, who was sitting in the silence of the Kremlin office. Naturally, he discussed this issue with Sverdlov and the chief Ural Bolshevik Evgeny Alekseevich Preobrazhensky (1886-1937).

The latter, of course, was aware of all the decisions, although he was absent from Yekaterinburg on the bloody date of the execution. At this time, he took part in the work of the V All-Russian Congress of Soviets in Moscow, and then departed for Kursk and returned to the Urals only in last days July 1918.

But, in any case, officially Ulyanov and Preobrazhensky cannot be blamed for the death of the Romanov family. Sverdlov bears indirect responsibility. After all, he imposed the resolution "agreed". A kind of soft-bodied leader. Resignedly took note of the decision of the grassroots organization and readily scribbled the usual replies on a piece of paper. Only a 5-year-old child can believe in this.

The royal family in the basement of the Ipatiev house before the execution

Now let's talk about performers. About those villains who carried out a terrible sacrilege by raising their hands against the anointed of God and his family. To date, the exact name of the killers is unknown. No one can name the number of criminals. There is an opinion that Latvian riflemen took part in the execution, since the Bolsheviks considered that Russian soldiers would not shoot at the tsar and his family. Other researchers insist on the Hungarians who guarded the arrested Romanovs.

However, there are names that appear on all the lists of various researchers. This is the commandant of the "House of Special Purpose" Yakov Mikhailovich Yurovsky, who led the execution. His deputy Grigory Petrovich Nikulin (1895-1965). The commander of the guards of the royal family, Pyotr Zakharovich Ermakov (1884-1952) and an employee of the Cheka, Mikhail Aleksandrovich Medvedev (Kudrin) (1891-1964).

These four people were directly involved in the execution of representatives of the House of Romanov. They carried out the decision of the Ural Council. At the same time, they showed amazing cruelty, since they not only shot absolutely defenseless people, but also finished them off with bayonets, and then doused them with acid so that the bodies could not be recognized.

To each will be rewarded according to his deeds

Organizers

There is an opinion that God sees everything and punishes the villains for their deeds. The regicides belong to the most cruel part of the criminal elements. Their goal is to seize power. They go to her through the corpses, not at all embarrassed by this. At the same time, people are dying who are not at all to blame for the fact that they received their crowned title by inheritance. As for Nicholas II, this man was no longer emperor at the time of his death, since he voluntarily renounced the crown.

Moreover, there is no way to justify the death of his family and staff. What was driving the villains? Of course, rabid cynicism, disregard for human lives, lack of spirituality and rejection of Christian norms and rules. The most terrible thing is that, having committed a terrible crime, these gentlemen were proud of what they had done for the rest of their lives. They willingly told about everything to journalists, schoolchildren and just idle listeners.

But let's go back to God and see life path those who doomed innocent people to a terrible death for the sake of an irrepressible desire to command others.

Ulyanov and Sverdlov

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. We all know him as the leader of the world proletariat. However, this people's leader was spattered up to the top of his head with human blood. After the execution of the Romanovs, he lived for only 5 years. He died of syphilis, having lost his mind. This is the most terrible punishment of the heavenly forces.

Yakov Mikhailovich Sverdlov. He left this world at the age of 33, 9 months after the villainy committed in Yekaterinburg. In the city of Orel, he was severely beaten by workers. The very ones for whose rights he allegedly stood up for. With multiple fractures and injuries, he was taken to Moscow, where he died 8 days later.

These are the two main criminals directly responsible for the death of the Romanov family. The regicides were punished and died not at an advanced age, surrounded by children and grandchildren, but in the prime of life. As for the other organizers of villainy, here the heavenly forces delayed the punishment, but God's judgment still happened, giving everyone what they deserved.

Goloshchekin and Beloborodov (right)

Philip Isaevich Goloshchekin- the chief security officer of Yekaterinburg and the territories adjacent to it. It was he who went to Moscow at the end of June, where he received oral instructions from Sverdlov regarding the execution of crowned persons. After that, he returned to the Urals, where the Presidium of the Ural Council was hastily assembled, and a decision was made on the secret execution of the Romanovs.

In mid-October 1939, Philip Isaevich was arrested. He was accused of anti-state activities and an unhealthy attraction to little boys. This perverted gentleman was shot at the end of October 1941. Goloshchekin outlived the Romanovs by 23 years, but retribution still overtook him.

Chairman of the Ural Council Alexander Georgievich Beloborodov- at present, this is the chairman of the regional duma. It was he who led the meeting at which the decision was made to execute the royal family. His signature was next to the word "I approve". If we approach this issue officially, then it is he who bears the main responsibility for the murder of innocent people.

Beloborodov has been a member of the Bolshevik Party since 1907, having joined it as a minor boy after the 1905 revolution. In all the posts entrusted to him by his senior comrades, he showed himself to be an exemplary and diligent worker. The best proof of this is July 1918.

After the execution of the crowned persons, Alexander Georgievich soared very high. In March 1919, his candidacy was considered for the post of president of the young Soviet republic. But preference was given to Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin (1875-1946), since he knew peasant life well, and our "hero" was born into a working-class family.

But the former chairman of the Ural Council was not offended. He was appointed head of the political department of the Red Army. In 1921, he became the deputy of Felix Dzherzhinesky, who headed people's commissariat internal affairs. In 1923 he succeeded him in this high post. True, further a brilliant career did not work out.

In December 1927, Beloborodov was removed from his post and exiled to Arkhangelsk. From 1930 he worked as a middle manager. In August 1936 he was arrested by the NKVD. In February 1938, by decision of the military board, Alexander Georgievich was shot. At the time of his death, he was 46 years old. After the death of the Romanovs, the main culprit did not live even 20 years. In 1938, his wife Yablonskaya Franciska Viktorovna was also shot.

Safarov and Voikov (right)

Georgy Ivanovich Safarov- Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper "Ekaterinburg Worker". This Bolshevik with pre-revolutionary experience was an ardent supporter of the execution of the Romanov family, although she did nothing wrong to him. He lived well until 1917 in France and Switzerland. He came to Russia together with Ulyanov and Zinoviev in a "sealed carriage".

After the committed villainy, he worked in Turkestan, and then in the executive committee of the Comintern. Then he became the editor-in-chief of Leningradskaya Pravda. In 1927 he was expelled from the party and sentenced to 4 years of exile in the city of Achinsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory). In 1928, the party card was returned and again sent to work in the Comintern. But after the assassination of Sergei Kirov at the end of 1934, Safarov finally lost confidence.

He was again exiled to Achinsk, and in December 1936 he was sentenced to 5 years in the camps. From January 1937, Georgy Ivanovich served his sentence in Vorkuta. He performed the duties of a water carrier there. He walked in a prisoner's pea jacket, belted with a rope. The family abandoned him after the guilty verdict. For the former Bolshevik-Leninist, this was a heavy moral blow.

Safarov was not released after the end of his term. It was a difficult time, military, and someone apparently decided that Ulyanov’s former ally had nothing to do in the rear Soviet troops. He was shot by decision of a special commission on July 27, 1942. This "hero" survived the Romanovs by 24 years and 10 days. He died at the age of 51, having lost both freedom and family at the end of his life.

Pyotr Lazarevich Voikov- the main supplier of the Urals. He was closely involved in food issues. And how could he get food in 1919? Naturally, he took them away from peasants and merchants who did not leave Yekaterinburg. With his tireless activity, he brought the region to complete impoverishment. The troops of the white army arrived well in time, otherwise people would begin to die of hunger.

This gentleman also came to Russia in a "sealed carriage", but not with Ulyanov, but with Anatoly Lunacharsky (the first people's commissar of education). Voikov was a Menshevik at first, but quickly figured out which way the wind was blowing. At the end of 1917, he broke with a shameful past and joined the RCP (b).

Pyotr Lazarevich not only raised his hand, voting for the death of the Romanovs, but also took an active part in hiding the traces of villainy. It was he who came up with the idea to douse the bodies with sulfuric acid. Since he was in charge of all the warehouses of the city, he personally signed the invoice for the receipt of this very acid. By his order, transport was also allocated for the transportation of bodies, shovels, picks, crowbars. The business manager is the main one, whatever you want.

Activities related to material values, Pyotr Lazarevich liked. From 1919 he worked consumer cooperation while holding the position of Deputy Chairman of the Central Union. Concurrently, he organized the sale abroad of the treasures of the Romanov House and museum valuables of the Diamond Fund, the Armory, private collections requisitioned from the exploiters.

Priceless works of art and jewelry went to the black market, since officially at that time no one had business with the young Soviet state. Hence the ridiculous prices that were given for items that had a unique historical value.

In October 1924, Voikov left as an envoy to Poland. It was already big politics, and Petr Lazarevich enthusiastically began to settle in a new field. But the poor guy was out of luck. On June 7, 1927, he was shot dead by Boris Kaverda (1907-1987). The Bolshevik terrorist fell at the hands of another terrorist belonging to the white émigré movement. Retribution came almost 9 years after the death of the Romanovs. At the time of his death, our next "hero" was 38 years old.

Fyodor Nikolaevich Lukoyanov- the chief Chekist of the Urals. He voted for the execution of the royal family, therefore he is one of the organizers of villainy. But in subsequent years, this "hero" did not show himself in any way. The point is that since 1919 he began to be tormented by bouts of schizophrenia. Therefore, Fedor Nikolaevich devoted his entire life to journalism. He worked in various newspapers, and died in 1947 at the age of 53, 29 years after the murder of the Romanov family.

Performers

As for the direct perpetrators of the bloody crime, God's court treated them much milder than the organizers. They were forced people and just carried out the order. Therefore, they are less to blame. At least that's what you might think if you trace the fateful path of each criminal.

The main perpetrator of the terrible murder of defenseless women and men, as well as a sick boy. He boasted that he personally shot Nicholas II. However, his subordinates also claimed this role.

Yakov Yurovsky

After the crime, he was taken to Moscow and sent to work in the organs of the Cheka. Then, after the liberation of Yekaterinburg from the White troops, Yurovsky returned to the city. Received the post of Chief Chekist of the Urals.

In 1921 he was transferred to the Gokhran and began to live in Moscow. Was engaged in accounting material assets. After that, he worked a little in the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs.

In 1923, a sharp decline. Yakov Mikhailovich was appointed director of the Krasny Bogatyr plant. That is, our hero began to lead the production of rubber shoes: boots, galoshes, boots. A rather strange profile after the KGB and financial activities.

In 1928, Yurovsky was transferred as director of the Polytechnic Museum. This is a long building near the Bolshoi Theatre. In 1938, the main perpetrator of the assassination died of an ulcer at the age of 60. He outlived his victims by 20 years and 16 days.

But apparently the regicides bring a curse on their offspring. This "hero" had three children. The eldest daughter Rimma Yakovlevna (1898-1980) and two younger sons.

The daughter joined the Bolshevik Party in 1917 and headed the youth organization (Komsomol) of Yekaterinburg. Since 1926, in the party work. She made a good career in this field in the city of Voronezh in 1934-1937. Then she was transferred to Rostov-on-Don, where she was arrested in 1938. She stayed in the camps until 1946.

Sat in prison and son Alexander Yakovlevich (1904-1986). He was arrested in 1952, but, however, was soon released. But trouble happened with the grandchildren and granddaughters. All the boys tragically died. Two fell from the roof of the house, two burned down during the fire. The girls died in infancy. Yurovsky's niece Maria suffered the most. She had 11 children. Only one boy survived to adolescence. The mother abandoned him. The child was adopted by strangers.

Concerning Nikulin, Ermakova and Medvedev (Kudrin), then these gentlemen lived to old age. They worked, were honorably retired, and then buried with dignity. But regicides always get what they deserve. This trio escaped their well-deserved punishment on earth, but there is still judgment in heaven.

Grave of Grigory Petrovich Nikulin

After death, each soul rushes to heavenly places, hoping that the angels will let her into the kingdom of heaven. So the souls of the killers rushed to the Light. But then a dark personality appeared in front of each of them. She politely took the sinner by the elbow and unambiguously nodded in the opposite direction from Paradise.

There, in the heavenly haze, a black pharynx was visible in the Underworld. And next to him were disgusting grinning faces, nothing like heavenly angels. These are devils, and they have one job - to put a sinner on a hot frying pan and fry him forever on a slow fire.

In conclusion, it should be noted that violence always breeds violence. The one who commits a crime becomes a victim of the criminals himself. Vivid proof of this is the fate of the regicides, about which we have tried to tell in as much detail as possible in our sad story.

Egor Laskutnikov

The main condition for the existence of immortality is death itself.

Stanislav Jerzy Lec

The execution of the Romanov royal family on the night of July 17, 1918 is one of the major events the era of the civil war, the formation of Soviet power, as well as Russia's exit from the First World War. The murder of Nicholas 2 and his family was largely predetermined by the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks. But in this story, not everything is as simple as it is commonly said. In this article, I will present all the facts that are known in this case in order to assess the events of those days.

History of events

We should start with the fact that Nicholas 2 was not the last Russian emperor, as many believe today. He abdicated (for himself and for his son Alexei) in favor of his brother, Mikhail Romanov. Here he is last emperor. This is important to remember, we will return to this fact later. Also, in most textbooks, the execution of the royal family is equated with the murder of the family of Nicholas 2. But these were far from all the Romanovs. To understand how many people in question, I will give only data on the latest Russian emperors:

• Nicholas 1 - 4 sons and 4 daughters.
• Alexander 2 - 6 sons and 2 daughters.
• Alexander 3 - 4 sons and 2 daughters.
• Nicholas 2 - son and 4 daughters.

That is, the family is very large, and any of the list above is a direct descendant of the imperial branch, which means a direct contender for the throne. But most of them also had children of their own ...

Arrest of members of the royal family

Nicholas 2, having abdicated the throne, put forward rather simple demands, the fulfillment of which the Provisional Government guaranteed. The requirements were as follows:

• Safe transfer of the emperor to Tsarskoe Selo to his family, where at that time Tsarevich Alexei was more.
• The safety of the whole family at the time of their stay in Tsarskoye Selo until the full recovery of Tsarevich Alexei.
• The safety of the road to the northern ports of Russia, from where Nicholas 2 and his family should cross to England.
• After graduation civil war the royal family will return to Russia and will live in Livadia (Crimea).

It is important to understand these points in order to see the intentions of Nicholas 2 and later the Bolsheviks. The emperor abdicated the throne so that the current government would provide him with a safe exit to England.

What is the role of the British government?

The provisional government of Russia, after receiving the requirements of Nicholas 2, turned to England with the question of the consent of the latter to host Russian monarch. A positive response was received. But here it is important to understand that the request itself was a formality. The fact is that at that time an investigation was underway against the royal family, for the period of which it was impossible to leave Russia. Therefore, England, giving consent, did not risk anything at all. Something else is much more interesting. After the complete justification of Nicholas 2, the Provisional Government again makes a request to England, but more specific. This time the question was no longer posed abstractly, but concretely, because everything was ready for the move to the island. But then England refused.

Therefore, when today Western countries and people, screaming at every corner about the innocently killed, talk about the execution of Nicholas 2, this only causes a reaction of disgust at their hypocrisy. One word from the British government that they agree to accept Nicholas 2 with his family, and in principle there would be no execution. But they refused...

In the photo on the left is Nicholas 2, on the right is George 4, King of England. They were distant relatives and had an obvious resemblance in appearance.

When was the royal family of the Romanovs executed?

Michael's murder

After the October Revolution, Mikhail Romanov approached the Bolsheviks with a request to remain in Russia as an ordinary citizen. This request was granted. But the last Russian emperor was not destined to live "quietly" for long. Already in March 1918 he was arrested. There is no reason for the arrest. Until now, not a single historian has been able to find a single historical document explaining the reason for the arrest of Mikhail Romanov.

After his arrest, on March 17 he was sent to Perm, where he lived for several months in a hotel. On the night of July 13, 1918, he was taken away from the hotel and shot. This was the first victim of the Romanov family by the Bolsheviks. The official reaction of the USSR to this event was ambivalent:

• It was announced to its citizens that Mikhail shamefully fled from Russia abroad. Thus, the authorities got rid of unnecessary questions, and, most importantly, received a legitimate reason to toughen the maintenance of the rest of the members of the royal family.
• For foreign countries, it was announced through the media that Mikhail was missing. They say he went out on the night of July 13 for a walk and did not return.

The execution of the family of Nicholas 2

The backstory here is quite interesting. Immediately after the October Revolution, the Romanov royal family was arrested. The investigation did not reveal the guilt of Nicholas 2, so the charges were dropped. At the same time, it was impossible to let the family go to England (the British refused), and the Bolsheviks really did not want to send them to the Crimea, because there were “whites” very close by. Yes, and throughout almost the entire Civil War, Crimea was under the control of the white movement, and all the Romanovs who were on the peninsula were saved by moving to Europe. Therefore, they decided to send them to Tobolsk. The fact of secrecy of the dispatch is noted in his diaries by Nikolay 2, who writes that they were taken to ONE of the cities in the depths of the country.

Until March, the royal family lived relatively calmly in Tobolsk, but on March 24 an investigator arrived here, and on March 26 a reinforced detachment of Red Army soldiers arrived. In fact, since that time, enhanced security measures have begun. The basis is the imaginary flight of Michael.

Subsequently, the family was moved to Yekaterinburg, where she settled in the Ipatiev house. On the night of July 17, 1918, the Romanov royal family was shot. Together with them, their servants were also shot. In total that day died:

• Nicholas 2,
• His wife, Alexandra
• The emperor's children are Tsarevich Alexei, Maria, Tatiana and Anastasia.
• Family doctor - Botkin
• Maid - Demidova
• Personal chef - Kharitonov
• Footman - Troupe.

In total, 10 people were shot. The corpses, according to the official version, were thrown into the mine and filled with acid.

Who killed the family of Nicholas 2?

I have already said above that since March, the protection of the royal family has been significantly increased. After moving to Yekaterinburg, it was already a full-fledged arrest. The family was settled in the house of Ipatiev, and a guard was presented to them, the head of the garrison of which was Avdeev. On July 4, almost the entire composition of the guard was replaced, as was his chief. In the future, it was these people who were accused of murdering the royal family:

• Yakov Yurovsky. Supervised the execution.
• Grigory Nikulin. Yurovsky's assistant.
• Peter Ermakov. Head of the Emperor's Guard.
• Mikhail Medvedev-Kudrin. Cheka representative.

These are the main persons, but there were also ordinary performers. It is noteworthy that all of them significantly survived this event. Most later took part in the Second World War, received a pension from the USSR.

Reprisal against the rest of the family

Since March 1918, other members of the royal family have been gathering in Alapaevsk (Perm province). In particular, Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna, Princes John, Konstantin and Igor, as well as Vladimir Paley are imprisoned here. The latter was the grandson of Alexander 2, but had a different surname. Subsequently, all of them were transported to Vologda, where on July 19, 1918 they were thrown alive into the mine.

The latest events in the destruction of the Romanov dynastic family date back to January 19, 1919, when princes Nikolai and Georgy Mikhailovich, Pavel Alexandrovich and Dmitry Konstantinovich were shot in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Reaction to the assassination of the Romanov imperial family

The murder of the family of Nicholas 2 had the greatest resonance, which is why it needs to be studied. There are many sources indicating that when Lenin was informed about the murder of Nicholas 2, he did not seem to even react to it. It is impossible to verify such judgments, but one can refer to archival documents. In particular, we are interested in Protocol No. 159 of the meeting of the Council of People's Commissars of July 18, 1918. The protocol is very short. Heard the question of the murder of Nicholas 2. Decided - to take note. That's it, just take note. There are no other documents regarding this case! This is complete absurdity. In the yard of the 20th century, but not a single document is preserved regarding such an important historical event, except for one note "Take note" ...

However, the underlying reaction to the murder is investigation. They started

Investigations into the murder of the family of Nicholas 2

The leadership of the Bolsheviks, as expected, began an investigation into the murder of the family. The official investigation began on 21 July. She conducted an investigation quickly enough, since Kolchak's troops approached Yekaterinburg. The main conclusion of this official investigation is that there was no murder. Only Nikolai 2 was shot by the verdict of the Yekaterinburg Soviet. But there are a number of very weak points that still cast doubt on the veracity of the investigation:

• The investigation began a week later. In Russia, the former emperor is being killed, and the authorities react to this a week later! Why was this week of pause?
• Why conduct an investigation if there was a shooting on the orders of the Soviets? In this case, right on July 17, the Bolsheviks were supposed to report that “the execution of the Romanov royal family took place on the orders of the Yekaterinburg Soviet. Nikolai 2 was shot, but his family was not touched.
• There are no supporting documents. Even today, all references to the decision of the Yekaterinburg Council are oral. Even in Stalin's times, when they were shot by the millions, documents remained, they say, "by the decision of the troika and so on" ...

On the 20th of July 1918, Kolchak's army entered Yekaterinburg, and one of the first orders was to begin an investigation into the tragedy. Today everyone is talking about investigator Sokolov, but before him there were 2 more investigators with the names Nametkin and Sergeev. No one has officially seen their reports. Yes, and Sokolov's report was published only in 1924. According to the investigator, the entire royal family was shot. By this time (back in 1921), the Soviet leadership had voiced the same data.

The sequence of the destruction of the Romanov dynasty

In the story of the execution of the royal family, it is very important to observe the chronology, otherwise it is very easy to get confused. And the chronology here is this - the dynasty was destroyed in the order of contenders for succession to the throne.

Who was the first pretender to the throne? That's right, Mikhail Romanov. I remind you again - back in 1917, Nicholas 2 abdicated the throne for himself and for his son in favor of Mikhail. Therefore, he was the last emperor, and he was the first claimant to the throne, in the event of the restoration of the Empire. Mikhail Romanov was killed on July 13, 1918.

Who was next in line of succession? Nicholas 2 and his son, Tsarevich Alexei. The candidacy of Nicholas 2 is controversial here, in the end he renounced power on his own. Although in his attitude everyone could play the other way, because in those days almost all laws were violated. But Tsarevich Alexei was a clear contender. The father had no legal right to relinquish the throne for his son. As a result, the entire family of Nicholas 2 was shot on July 17, 1918.

Next in line were all the other princes, of whom there were quite a few. Most of them were gathered in Alapaevsk and killed on July 19, 1918. As they say, rate the speed: 13, 17, 19. If we were talking about random murders that were not related to each other, then there would simply not be such a similarity. In less than 1 week, almost all pretenders to the throne were killed, and in order of succession, but history today considers these events isolated from each other, and absolutely not paying attention to disputed places.

Alternative versions of the tragedy

A key alternative version of this historical event is set forth in Tom Mangold and Anthony Summers' book The Murder That Wasn't. It hypothesizes that there was no execution. In general terms, the situation is as follows ...

• The reasons for the events of those days should be sought in the Brest peace treaty between Russia and Germany. The argument is that despite the fact that the secrecy stamp was removed from the documents a long time ago (it was 60 years old, that is, there should have been a publication in 1978), there is not a single full version this document. An indirect confirmation of this is that the “executions” began precisely after the signing of the peace treaty.
• It is a well-known fact that the wife of Nicholas 2, Alexandra, was a relative of the German Kaiser Wilhelm 2. It is assumed that Wilhelm 2 introduced a clause into the Treaty of Brest, according to which Russia undertakes to ensure the safe departure to Germany of Alexandra and her daughters.
• As a result, the Bolsheviks extradited women to Germany, and Nicholas 2 and his son Alexei were left hostage. Subsequently, Tsarevich Alexei grew up in Alexei Kosygin.

A new round of this version was given by Stalin. It is a well-known fact that one of his favorites was Alexei Kosygin. There are no big reasons to believe this theory, but there is one detail. It is known that Stalin always called Kosygin nothing more than "tsarevich".

Canonization of the royal family

In 1981, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad canonized Nicholas 2 and his family as great martyrs. In 2000, this happened in Russia as well. To date, Nicholas 2 and his family are great martyrs and innocently killed, therefore they are saints.

A few words about the Ipatiev house

The Ipatiev House is the place where the family of Nicholas 2 was imprisoned. There is a very well-reasoned hypothesis that it was possible to escape from this house. Moreover, unlike the unfounded alternative version, there is one significant fact. So, the general version is that there was an underground passage from the basement of the Ipatiev house, which no one knew about, and which led to a factory located nearby. Proof of this has already been provided in our day. Boris Yeltsin gave the order to demolish the house and build a church in its place. This was done, but one of the bulldozers during the work fell into this same underground passage. There is no other evidence of a possible escape of the royal family, but the fact itself is curious. At the very least, it leaves room for thought.

To date, the house has been demolished, and the Church on the Blood has been erected in its place.

Summarizing

In 2008 the Supreme Court Russian Federation recognized the family of Nicholas 2 as a victim of repression. Case is closed.

A couple of interesting historical documents about the execution of the royal family. In 1963-1964, the still living participants in the execution of the royal family were interviewed, and in addition to questions about the circumstances of the execution, the question of whether there was a sanction for execution from Moscow was raised.

From the memoirs of M. A. Medvedev (Kudrin), a participant in the execution of the royal family

On the evening of July 16 of the New Style of 1918, in the building of the Ural Regional Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution (located in the American Hotel in the city of Yekaterinburg - now the city of Sverdlovsk), the Regional Council of the Urals met in an incomplete composition. When I, a Chekist from Yekaterinburg, was summoned there, I saw in the room the comrades I knew: Chairman of the Council of Deputies Alexander Georgievich Beloborodov, Chairman of the Regional Committee of the Bolshevik Party Georgy Safarov, Military Commissar of Yekaterinburg Filipp Goloshchekin, Council member Pyotr Lazarevich Voikov, Chairman of the Regional Cheka Fyodor Lukoyanov, my friends, members of the board of the Ural Regional Cheka Vladimir Gorin, Isai Idelevich (Ilyich) Rodzinsky (now a personal pensioner, lives in Moscow) and commandant of the House of Special Purpose (Ipatiev House) Yakov Mikhailovich Yurovsky.

When I entered, those present were deciding what to do with the former Tsar Nicholas II Romanov and his family. Philip Goloshchekin made a report about a trip to Moscow to Ya. M. Sverdlov. Goloshchekin failed to obtain sanctions from the All-Russian Central Executive Committee for the execution of the Romanov family. Sverdlov consulted with V.I. Lenin, who spoke in favor of bringing the royal family to Moscow and an open trial of Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Fedorovna, whose betrayal during the First World War cost Russia dearly.

- Precisely the All-Russian Court! - Lenin argued to Sverdlov: - with the publication in the newspapers. Calculate what human and material damage the autocrat inflicted on the country during the years of his reign. How many revolutionaries were hanged, how many died in hard labor, in a war that no one needed! To answer before all the people! Do you think that only a dark peasant believes in our good father-king. Not only, my dear Yakov Mikhailovich! Has it been a long time since your advanced worker from St. Petersburg went to the Winter Palace with banners? Just some 13 years ago! It is this incomprehensible “racial” credulity that the open trial of Nikolai the Bloody should dispel into smoke ...

Ya. M. Sverdlov tried to argue Goloshchekin about the dangers of transporting the royal family by train through Russia, where counter-revolutionary uprisings broke out in cities every now and then, about the difficult situation on the fronts near Yekaterinburg, but Lenin stood his ground:

- Well, what if the front moves away? Moscow is now deep in the rear, so evacuate them to the rear! And here we will arrange for them to judge the whole world.

At parting, Sverdlov said to Goloshchekin:

- Say so, Philip, to your comrades - the All-Russian Central Executive Committee does not give official sanction for execution.

After Goloshchekin's story, Safarov asked the military commissar how many days, in his opinion, Yekaterinburg would hold out? Goloshchekin replied that the situation was threatening - the poorly armed volunteer detachments of the Red Army were retreating, and in three days, in a maximum of five, Yekaterinburg would fall. There was a painful silence. Everyone understood that to evacuate the royal family from the city not only to Moscow, but simply to the North would mean giving the monarchists a long-desired opportunity to kidnap the tsar. Ipatiev's house was to a certain extent a fortified point: two high wooden fences around, a system of posts of external and internal guards from workers, machine guns. Of course, we could not provide such reliable protection for a moving car or crew, especially outside the city.

There was no question of leaving the tsar to the white armies of Admiral Kolchak - such a “mercy” jeopardized the existence of the young Republic of Soviets, surrounded by a ring of enemy armies. Hostile to the Bolsheviks, whom he after Brest Peace considered traitors to the interests of Russia, Nicholas II would become the banner of counter-revolutionary forces outside and inside Soviet Republic. Admiral Kolchak, using the age-old faith in the good intentions of the tsars, could win over to his side the Siberian peasantry, who had never seen landlords, did not know what serfdom was, and therefore did not support Kolchak, who imposed landowner laws on the land he captured (thanks to the uprising of Czechoslovak corps) territory. The news of the "salvation" of the tsar would have multiplied the strength of the embittered kulaks in the provinces of Soviet Russia.

We, the Chekists, were fresh in our memory of the attempts of the Tobolsk clergy, headed by Bishop Hermogenes, to release the royal family from arrest. Only the resourcefulness of my friend, sailor Pavel Khokhryakov, who arrested Germogen in time and transported the Romanovs to Yekaterinburg under the protection of the Bolshevik Soviet, saved the situation. With the deep religiosity of the people in the province, it was impossible to allow the enemy to leave even the remains of the royal dynasty, from which the clergy would immediately fabricate “holy miraculous relics” - also a good flag for the armies of Admiral Kolchak.

But there was another reason that decided the fate of the Romanovs not in the way that Vladimir Ilyich wanted.

The relatively free life of the Romanovs (the mansion of the merchant Ipatiev did not even remotely resemble a prison) at such a disturbing time, when the enemy was literally at the gates of the city, caused understandable indignation among the workers of Yekaterinburg and its environs. At meetings and rallies at the factories of Verkh-Isetsk, the workers said bluntly:
- Why are you, Bolsheviks, babysitting Nikolai? It's time to finish! Otherwise, we will smash your Council to pieces!

Such sentiments seriously hampered the formation of units of the Red Army, and the very threat of reprisals was serious - the workers were armed, and their word and deed did not differ. Other parties also demanded the immediate execution of the Romanovs. As early as the end of June 1918, members of the Yekaterinburg Soviet, the Socialist-Revolutionary Sakovich and the Left Socialist-Revolutionary Khotimsky (later a Bolshevik, Chekist, died during the years of the Stalin personality cult, posthumously rehabilitated) at a meeting insisted on the speedy liquidation of the Romanovs and accused the Bolsheviks of inconsistency. The leader of the anarchists, Zhebenev, shouted to us in the Soviet:
- If you do not destroy Nicholas the Bloody, then we will do it ourselves!

Without the sanction of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee for execution, we could not say anything in response, and the position of delaying without explaining the reasons embittered the workers even more. Further postponing the decision about the fate of the Romanovs in a military situation meant further undermining the confidence of the people in our party. Therefore, it was the Bolshevik part of the regional Soviet of the Urals that gathered to finally decide the fate of the royal family in Yekaterinburg, Perm and Alapaevsk (the tsar's brothers lived there). It practically depended on our decision whether we would lead the workers to the defense of the city of Yekaterinburg or whether the anarchists and the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries would lead them. There was no third way.

For the last month or two, some “curious” people have been constantly climbing to the fence of the Special Purpose House - mostly dark personalities, who, as a rule, came from St. Petersburg and Moscow. They tried to pass notes, products, sent letters by mail, which we intercepted: in all assurances of loyalty and offer of services. We, the Chekists, had the impression that there was some kind of White Guard organization in the city, stubbornly trying to get in touch with the tsar and tsarina. We stopped the admission to the house even of priests and nuns who carried food from the nearest monastery.

But not only the monarchists who secretly came in large numbers to Yekaterinburg hoped to release the captive tsar on occasion - the family itself was ready for abduction at any moment and did not miss a single opportunity to contact the will. Yekaterinburg Chekists found out this readiness quite in a simple way. Beloborodov, Voikov and Chekist Rodzinsky wrote a letter on behalf of the Russian officer organization, which reported on the imminent fall of Yekaterinburg and suggested preparing for an escape at night of a certain day. A note translated into French Voikov and rewritten in white red ink in the beautiful handwriting of Isai Rodzinsky, through one of the soldiers of the guard, they handed it over to the queen. The answer was not long in coming. Compose and send a second letter. Observation of the rooms showed that the Romanov family spent two or three nights dressed - the readiness for escape was complete. Yurovsky reported this to the regional Soviet of the Urals.

After discussing all the circumstances, we make a decision: on the same night to strike two blows: to liquidate two monarchist underground officer organizations that can strike in the back of the units defending the city (Chekist Isai Rodzinsky is allocated for this operation), and to destroy the royal Romanov family.

Yakov Yurovsky offers to make indulgence for the boy.
— What? heir? I'm against! I object.
- No, Mikhail, the kitchen boy Lenya Sednev needs to be taken away. A cook for something ... He played with Alexei.
What about the rest of the servants?
“From the very beginning, we suggested that they leave the Romanovs. Some left, and those who remained declared that they wanted to share the fate of the monarch. Let them share...

Decided: to save the life of only Lena Sedneva. Then they began to think about who to allocate for the liquidation of the Romanovs from the Ural Regional Extraordinary Commission. Beloborodov asks me:

- Will you take part?
- By decree of Nicholas II, I sued and was in prison. I definitely will!

“We still need a representative from the Red Army,” says Philip Goloshchekin: “I propose Pyotr Zakharovich Ermakov, military commissar of Verkh-Isetsk.
- Accepted. And from you, Jacob, who will participate?
“Me and my assistant Grigory Petrovich Nikulin,” Yurovsky replies. - So, four: Medvedev, Ermakov, Nikulin and me.

They chose a room on the ground floor next to the pantry, just one barred window towards Voznesensky Lane (second from the corner of the house), ordinary striped wallpaper, a vaulted ceiling, a dim electric light bulb under the ceiling. We decide to put a truck in the yard outside the house (the yard is formed by an additional external fence from the side of the avenue and lane) and start the engine before the execution in order to muffle the shots in the room with noise. Yurovsky had already warned the outside guards not to worry if they heard shots inside the house; then we handed out revolvers to the Latvians of the internal guard - we considered it reasonable to involve them in the operation so as not to shoot some members of the Romanov family in front of others. Three Latvians refused to participate in the execution. The head of security, Pavel Spiridonovich Medvedev, returned their revolvers to the commandant's room. There were seven Latvians left in the detachment.

Yakov Yurovsky (died a natural death in 1938)

Long after midnight, Yakov Mikhailovich goes into the rooms of Dr. Botkin and the Tsar, asks to get dressed, wash and be ready to go down to the basement shelter. For about an hour the Romanovs put themselves in order after sleep, finally - at about three in the morning - they are ready. Yurovsky suggests that we take the remaining five revolvers. Pyotr Ermakov takes two revolvers and puts them in his belt, Grigory Nikulin and Pavel Medvedev take each revolver. I refuse, as I already have two pistols: an American Colt on my belt in a holster, and a Belgian Browning behind my belt (both historical pistols are Browning No. 389965 and a Colt, caliber 45, government model “C” No. 78517 - I have kept until today). The remaining revolver is taken first by Yurovsky (he has a ten-shot Mauser in his holster), but then he gives it to Yermakov, who tucks the third revolver into his belt. We all involuntarily smile, looking at his warlike appearance.

. . Yurovsky enters swiftly and stands next to me. The king looks at him questioningly. I hear the sonorous voice of Yakov Mikhailovich:

- I'll ask everyone to stand up!

Easily, in a military way, Nicholas II stood up; flashing her eyes angrily, Alexandra Fyodorovna rose reluctantly from her chair. A detachment of Latvians entered the room and lined up just opposite her and her daughters: five people in the first row, and two - with rifles - in the second. The queen crossed herself. It became so quiet that from the courtyard through the window you can hear the rumble of a truck engine. Yurovsky steps forward half a step and addresses the tsar:

- Nikolai Alexandrovich! Attempts by your like-minded people to save you were unsuccessful! And so, in a difficult time for the Soviet Republic... - Yakov Mikhailovich raises his voice and cuts the air with his hand: - ... we have been entrusted with the mission to put an end to the house of the Romanovs!

Women's cries: “My God! Oh! Oh!" Nicholas II quickly mutters:
- Oh my God! Oh my God! What is this?!
— And that's what it is! - says Yurovsky, taking out a Mauser from his holster.
"Then they won't take us anywhere?" Botkin asks in a dull voice.

Yurovsky wants to answer him something, but I'm already pulling the trigger of my "Browning" and putting the first bullet into the tsar. Simultaneously with my second shot, the first salvo of the Latvians and my comrades is heard from the right and left. Yurovsky and Yermakov also shoot Nicholas II in the chest almost in the ear. On my fifth shot, Nicholas II falls in a sheaf on his back.

Women's squeals and groans; I see how Botkin falls, the footman settles against the wall and the cook falls to his knees. The white cushion moved from the door to the right corner of the room. In the powder smoke from the screaming women's group, a female figure rushed to the closed door and immediately fell, struck down by the shots of Yermakov, who was already firing from the second revolver. You can hear how bullets ricochet from stone pillars, lime dust flies. Nothing is visible in the room because of the smoke - the shooting is already on the barely visible falling silhouettes in the right corner. The screams subsided, but the shots still rumble - Yermakov fires from the third revolver. Yurovsky's voice is heard:

- Stop! Stop shooting!

Silence. Ringing in the ears. One of the Red Army soldiers was wounded in the finger of the hand and in the neck - either by a ricochet, or in a powder fog, Latvians from the second row of rifles burned them with bullets. The veil of smoke and dust thins. Yakov Mikhailovich invites me and Ermakov, as representatives of the Red Army, to witness the death of every member of the royal family. Suddenly, from the right corner of the room, where the pillow moved, a woman's joyful cry:
- Thank God! God saved me!

Staggering, the surviving maid rises - she covered herself with pillows, in the fluff of which bullets got stuck. The Latvians had already shot all the cartridges, then two with rifles approached her through the lying bodies and pinned the maid with bayonets. From her death cry, the slightly wounded Alexei woke up and often groaned - he was lying on a chair. Yurovsky approaches him and fires the last three bullets from his Mauser. The guy calmed down and slowly slides to the floor at the feet of his father. Yermakov and I feel Nikolai's pulse - he is riddled with bullets, dead. We inspect the rest and shoot from the “colt” and the Yermakov revolver still alive Tatiana and Anastasia. Now everyone is breathless.

Head of security Pavel Spiridonovich Medvedev approaches Yurovsky and reports that shots were heard in the courtyard of the house. He brought the Red Army internal guards to carry the corpses and blankets that could be worn up to the car. Yakov Mikhailovich instructs me to oversee the transfer of corpses and loading into the car. The first is laid on a blanket, lying in a pool of blood, Nicholas II. The Red Army soldiers carry the remains of the emperor into the courtyard. I follow them. In the passage room I see Pavel Medvedev - he is deathly pale and vomits, I ask if he is injured, but Pavel is silent and waves his hand.
Near the truck I meet Philip Goloshchekin.

Filipp Goloshchekin (shot in 1941, rehabilitated in 1961)

- Where have you been? I ask him.
- Walked around the square. Heard shots. It was heard. — Bent over the king.
“The end, you say, of the Romanov dynasty?” Yes ... A Red Army soldier brought Anastasia's lap dog on a bayonet - when we walked past the door (to the stairs to the second floor), a long, plaintive howl was heard from behind the wings - the last salute to the Emperor of All Russia. The dog's corpse was thrown next to the royal one.
- Dogs - dog death! Goloshchekin said contemptuously.

I asked Philip and the driver to stand by the car while the corpses were being carried. Someone dragged a roll of soldier's cloth, one end spread it on sawdust in the back of a truck - they began to lay the executed on the cloth.

I accompany each corpse: now they have already figured out from two thick sticks and blankets to tie some kind of stretcher. I notice that in the room during packing, the Red Army soldiers remove rings and brooches from the corpses and hide them in their pockets. After everyone is packed into the back, I advise Yurovsky to search the porters.

“Let's make it easier,” he says, and orders everyone to go up to the second floor to the commandant's room. He lines up the Red Army men and says: - He suggested laying out on the table from his pockets all the jewelry taken from the Romanovs. Thinking for half a minute. Then I'll search every one I can find - execution on the spot! I will not allow looting. Got it all?
- Yes, we just like that - took the event as a keepsake, - the Red Army soldiers make an embarrassed noise. - Not to be lost.
A pile of gold things grows on the table in a minute: diamond brooches, pearl necklaces, wedding rings, diamond pins, gold pocket watches of Nicholas II and Dr. Botkin and other items.

The soldiers left to wash the floors in the lower room and adjacent to it. I go down to the truck, once again I count the corpses - all eleven are in place - I cover them with the free end of the cloth. Yermakov sits down next to the driver, several guards with rifles climb into the back. The car moves off, drives out of the wooden gates of the outer fence, turns right and along Voznesensky Lane through the sleeping city carries the remains of the Romanovs out of town.

Beyond Verkh-Isetsk, a few versts from the village of Koptyaki, the car stopped in a large clearing, in which some kind of overgrown pits loomed. They made a fire to warm themselves - those who were riding in the back of the truck were cold. Then they began to take turns carrying the corpses to an abandoned mine, tearing off their clothes. Ermakov sent the Red Army soldiers to the road so that no one would be let through from the nearby village. On ropes, they lowered the executed into the shaft of the mine - first the Romanovs, then the servants. The sun was already out when they began to throw bloody clothes into the fire. ...Suddenly, a diamond trickle splashed from one of the ladies' bras. They trampled down the fire, began to choose jewelry from the ashes and from the ground. In two more bras in the lining, sewn-in diamonds, pearls, some colored precious stones were found.

A car rumbled on the road. Yurovsky drove up with Goloshchekin in a car. We looked into the mine. At first they wanted to fill the corpses with sand, but then Yurovsky said that they should drown in the water at the bottom - anyway, no one would look for them here, since this is an area of ​​​​abandoned mines, and there are a lot of trunks. Just in case, we decided to bring down upper part cages (Yurovsky brought a box of grenades), but then they thought: explosions would be heard in the village, and fresh destruction was noticeable. They just threw old branches, branches, rotten boards found nearby. Ermakov's truck and Yurovsky's car started back. It was a hot day, everyone was exhausted to the limit, they struggled with sleep, for almost a day no one ate anything.

The next day - July 18, 1918 - the Ural Regional Cheka received information that the whole of Verkh-Isetsk was only talking about the execution of Nicholas II and that the corpses were thrown into abandoned mines near the village of Koptyaki. Here is the conspiracy! Not otherwise, as one of the participants in the burial told his wife in secret, she told the gossip, and it went all over the county.
Yurovsky was summoned to the collegium of the Cheka. Decided: that same night, send a car with Yurovsky and Ermakov to the mine, pull out all the corpses and burn them. From the Ural Regional Cheka, my friend Isai Idelevich Rodzinsky, a member of the collegium, was appointed for the operation.

So, the night came from July 18 to 19, 1918. At midnight, a truck with Chekists Rodzinsky, Yurovsky, Ermakov, sailor Vaganov, sailors and Red Army soldiers (a total of six or seven people) drove into the area of ​​abandoned mines. In the back were barrels of gasoline and boxes of concentrated sulfuric acid in bottles for disfiguring corpses.

Everything that I will tell you about the reburial operation, I speak from the words of my friends: the late Yakov Yurovsky and the now living Isai Rodzinsky, whose detailed memoirs must certainly be recorded for history, since Isai is the only survivor of the participants in this operation, who today can identify the place where the remains of the Romanovs are buried. It is also necessary to record the memoirs of my friend Grigory Petrovich Nikulin, who knows the details of the liquidation of the Grand Dukes in Alapaevsk and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich Romanov in Perm.

We drove up to the mine, lowered two sailors on ropes - Vaganov and another one - to the bottom of the mine shaft, where there was a small platform-ledge. When all the executed were dragged out of the water by the ropes to the surface and laid in a row on the grass, and the Chekists sat down to rest, it became clear how frivolous the first burial was. Ready-made “miraculous relics” lay in front of them: the icy water of the mine not only completely washed away the blood, but also froze the bodies so much that they looked as if they were alive - a blush even appeared on the faces of the king, girls and women. Undoubtedly, the Romanovs could have been preserved in such excellent condition in a mine refrigerator for more than one month, and before the fall of Yekaterinburg, I remind you, there were only a few days left.

It started to get light. On the road from the village of Koptyaki, the first carts were pulled to the Upper Iset Bazaar. Outposts expelled from the Red Army blocked the road from both ends, explaining to the peasants that the passage was temporarily closed, as criminals had escaped from the prison, this area was cordoned off by troops and the forest was being combed. The leads were turned back.

The guys didn’t have a ready-made plan for the burial, where to take the corpses, no one knew where to hide them either. Therefore, they decided to try to burn at least some of the executed, so that their number would be less than eleven. They took away the bodies of Nicholas II, Alexei, the queen, Dr. Botkin, doused them with gasoline and set them on fire. The frozen corpses smoked, stank, hissed, but did not burn at all. Then they decided to bury the remains of the Romanovs somewhere. They piled all eleven bodies (of which four were charred) into the back of a truck, drove onto the Koptyakovskaya road and turned towards Verkh-Isetsk. Not far from the crossing (apparently through the Gorno-Uralskaya railway, - check the place on the map with I. I. Rodzinsky) in a swampy lowland, the car stalled in the mud - neither forward nor backward. No matter how much they fought - not from a place. Boards were brought from the railway watchman's house at the crossing and with difficulty they pushed the truck out of the marshy pit that had formed. And suddenly someone (Ya. M. Yurovsky told me in 1933 that he was Rodzinsky) came up with the idea: this pit on the very road is an ideal secret mass grave for the last Romanovs!

They deepened the hole with shovels to black peat water. There - in marshy bog they lowered the corpses, filled them with sulfuric acid, and covered them with earth. A truck from the crossing brought a dozen old impregnated railway sleepers - they made a flooring over the pit from them, drove over it several times by car. The sleepers were slightly pressed into the ground, dirty, as if they had always been there.

Thus, in a random swampy pit, the last members of the royal Romanov dynasty, a dynasty that tyrannized Russia for three hundred and five years, found a worthy rest! The new revolutionary government did not make an exception for the crowned robbers of the Russian land: they were buried in the same way as from ancient times they buried robbers in Russia with high road- without a cross and a tombstone, so as not to stop the gaze of those walking along this road to a new life.

On the same day, Ya. M. Yurovsky and G. P. Nikulin left for Moscow through Perm to visit V. I. Lenin and Ya. M. Sverdlov with a report on the liquidation of the Romanovs. In addition to a bag of diamonds and other valuables, they carried all the diaries and correspondence of the royal family found in the Ipatiev house, photo albums of the royal family’s stay in Tobolsk (the king was a passionate amateur photographer), as well as those two letters in red ink that were compiled by Beloborodov and Voikov to clarify the mood royal family. According to Beloborodov, now these two documents were supposed to prove to the All-Russian Central Executive Committee the existence of an officer organization that set the goal of kidnapping the royal family. Alexander was afraid that V. I. Lenin would bring him to justice for arbitrariness with the execution of the Romanovs without the sanction of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. In addition, Yurovsky and Nikulin had to personally tell Ya. M. Sverdlov the situation in Yekaterinburg and the circumstances that forced the Ural Regional Council to decide on the liquidation of the Romanovs.
At the same time, Beloborodov, Safarov and Goloshchekin decided to announce the execution of only one Nicholas II, adding that the family was taken away and hidden in a safe place.

On the evening of July 20, 1918, I saw Beloborodov, and he told me that he had received a telegram from Ya. M. Sverdlov. The All-Russian Central Executive Committee at a meeting on July 18 decided: to consider the decision of the Ural Regional Council on the liquidation of the Romanovs correct. Alexander and I hugged and congratulated each other, which means that in Moscow they understood the complexity of the situation, therefore, Lenin approved our actions. On the same evening, Philip Goloshchekin for the first time publicly announced at a meeting of the regional Council of the Urals about the execution of Nicholas II. There was no end to the jubilation of the listeners, the mood of the workers rose.

A day or two later, a report appeared in the Yekaterinburg newspapers that Nicholas II was shot by the people, and the royal family was taken out of the city and hidden in a safe place. I do not know the true goals of such a maneuver by Beloborodov, but I assume that the regional Soviet of the Urals did not want to inform the population of the city about the execution of women and children. Perhaps there were some other considerations, but neither I nor Yurovsky (whom I often met in Moscow in the early 1930s, and we talked a lot about the Romanov story) were not aware of them. One way or another, this deliberately false report in the press gave rise to rumors that live to this day about the salvation of the royal children, the flight of the daughter of the king Anastasia abroad and other legends.

So ended covert operation to rid Russia of the Romanov dynasty. It was so successful that neither the secret of the Ipatiev house nor the burial place of the royal family has been revealed to this day.
Medvedev (recorded December 1963)

RTSKHIDNI. F. 588. Op 3. D. 12. L. 43 - 58

From the decoded recording of a conversation with G.P. Nikulin at the Radio Committee about the execution of the royal family

... Our condition was very difficult. Yurovsky and I were waiting for some kind of end. We understood, of course, that some end must come. And at one fine time ... yes, on the morning of July 16, Yurovsky said to me: “Well, son, they call me there, to the presidium of the executive committee to Beloborodov, I will go, you stay here.” And so, after three or four hours, he returns and says: “Well, it's decided. Tonight at night... Now the city is declared under a state of siege, already now. On this night, we must liquidate ... we must liquidate everyone.

The question is how? There was a directive: do it without noise, do not advertise it, calmly. How? Well, we had several options. Or approach each by the number of members and just shoot in the bed.

- Sleeping, huh?

Sleeping, yes. Either invite them in order to check into one of the rooms, throw bombs there. And the last option arose, the most, so to speak, successful in my opinion - this is under the guise of defending this house (an attack on the house is supposed) to invite them to go down to the basement for their own safety. So, it was about like this at 11 pm when we ... Yurovsky went to Botkin, prompted him, they went to bed at eleven, maybe at the beginning of the twelfth. They went to bed, of course, early. I roused him and told him that this is how it is. We will, of course, defend ourselves. Kindly inform the family to come down. Before proceeding directly to the execution, they came to help us, here, Mikhail Alexandrovich Medvedev, he worked then in the Cheka. It seems that he was a member of the presidium, I don't remember exactly now. And here is this comrade Ermakov, who behaved rather indecently, appropriating himself after the leading role, that he did it all, so to speak, on his own, without any help. And when they asked him the question: “Well, how did you do it?” - "Well, just, he says, he took it, he shot - that's all." In fact, there were 8 performers of us: Yurovsky, Nikulin, Mikhail Medvedev, Pavel Medvedev - four, Petr Ermakov - five, so I'm not sure that Ivan Kabanov - six. And two more I don't remember their names.

When we went down to the basement, at first we didn’t even think of putting chairs there to sit down, because this one was ... he didn’t go, you know, Alexei, we had to put him down. Well, then immediately, so they brought it. It’s like when they went down to the basement, they began to look at each other in bewilderment, immediately brought in, which means chairs, sat down, which means Alexandra Fedorovna, they planted the heir, and Comrade Yurovsky uttered such a phrase that: “Your friends are advancing on Yekaterinburg and therefore you are sentenced to death.” It didn’t even dawn on them what was the matter, because Nikolai said only immediately: “Ah!”, And at that time our volley was immediately already - one, second, third. Well, there is someone else, so to speak, well, or something, was not quite completely killed yet. Well, then I had to shoot someone else ...

"Remember who wasn't completely dead yet?"

- Well, there was this one ... Anastasia and this one ... covered herself with a pillow - Demidova. Demidova covered herself with a pillow, so she had to pull the pillow off and shoot her.

— And the boy?

- And the boy was right there right away ... Well, it’s true, he tossed and turned for a long time, in any case, he and the boy were finished. Fast.

For example, I think that humanity was shown on our part. Later, when, you know, I fought, as part of the third army, the 29th rifle division, I thought that if I was captured by the whites and they treated me in this way, then I would only be happy.

Because, in general, our brother was treated brutally there.

How long did this whole operation take?

- Well, you see, firstly, they were going for a very long time. Why? I'll say it later. It lasted for two hours. Yes, an hour and a half, apparently, they were going. Then, when they went down, everything was completed there within half an hour. There was a truck in the yard, ready. By the way, it was introduced in order to create, so to speak, conditions of inaudibility. We carried these corpses on blankets to the truck.

“So, all the inhabitants of this .. entered there?”

- Absolutely everything, all eleven people, with the exception, therefore, of the little boy Sednev.

— A cook?

- The cook, whom we, approximately, on the morning of the 16th, seized and moved him to the security building, and then he was eventually released to the village. All eleven people were shot. So when I often, sometimes I spoke with such memories, this usually happened in sanatoriums. Resting. “Well, listen,” they approach me, “let’s tell.” Well, I agreed, on condition that if you gather a reliable circle of comrades, members of the Party, I will tell you. They asked this question: “Why everyone? What for?" Well, I explained why: so that there were, firstly, no applicants for anything.

- Well, yes, any of the members of the family could become a contender.

“Well, yes, even if a corpse were discovered, then, obviously, some kind of relics were created from it, you understand, around which some kind of counter-revolution would be grouped ...
The question often arises: “Was, well, let’s say, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Yakov Mikhailovich Sverdlov or other leading our central workers previously known about the execution of the royal family?” Well, it’s hard for me to say whether they knew beforehand, but I think that since Beloborodoy, that is, Goloshchekin, went to Moscow twice to negotiate the fate of the Romanovs, then, of course, it should be concluded that this was exactly what was discussed . And here is Bykov, and I know this, that it was supposed to organize such a trial of the Romanovs, first, then, in such a broad, or something, order, like such a nationwide trial, and then, when all kinds of counter-revolutionary elements were already grouping around Yekaterinburg, the question arose of organizing such a narrow, revolutionary court. But this was not done either. The trial as such did not take place, and, in essence, the execution of the Romanovs was carried out by decision of the Ural Executive Committee of the Ural Regional Council ...

PS, There is an opinion that it is on similar documents relied on the current Prosecutor's Office, which refused the modern Romanovs, who tried to prove that Lenin personally gave the order, pointing out that Nicholas II and his family were shot by decision of the Ural Council, and Lenin and Sverdlov approved this decision retroactively.