In the Leningrad region, the remains of 732 individuals were solemnly reburied at the site of the former Nazi concentration camp “Dulag-140” in the village of Vyra, Gatchina district.
The ceremony was attended by search teams, representatives of local and regional authorities, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation and the Prosecutor’s Office, veteran organizations, youth groups, cadets from institutions under the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and law enforcement, as well as local residents.
The remains included those of men, women, and a child. The identities of only four Red Army soldiers were confirmed.
The “Dulag-140” camp operated on the outskirts of Vyra from 1941 to 1943. The Nazis confined male civilians from the Leningrad region, as well as prisoners of war. In September 1941, the camp held about 7,000 prisoners, but by December 12, 1941, only 3,400 remained, according to German records.
S.K. Bernev, senior researcher at the Institute of History of the Defense and Siege of Leningrad, part of the State Memorial Museum of the Defense and Siege of Leningrad, stated:
“One witness reported post-war that by the winter of 1942, the field near the camp was entirely covered with graves of deceased prisoners. Up to 200 people were buried in each pit. The security police conducted regular screenings, separating Jews, communists, and Soviet employees first. After interrogations, many were executed. Soviet POWs were forced into hard labor—loading, construction, and logging. Food was minimal, consisting of bread and thin soup. The regime was harsh: camp police beat prisoners with sticks for any violation, and at the camp entrance, two ‘pillars of shame’ were used to tie prisoners with barbed wire as punishment.”
Today, the Leningrad region hosts 25 cultural heritage sites dedicated to the memory of civilians killed by fascist occupiers.