This is What it's like to work as an executioner

This is What it's like to work as an executioner

We are in luck. The history saved quite a bit of stories about Stalin’s executioners. Who were these people?

The chief executioner of the Lubyanka, Vasily Blokhin,

personally shot more than ten thousand people. (by other sources 50,000) The name of the chief executioner of the Stalin era is widely known today. His signature affixed a huge number of acts stored in the archives of the Lubyanka on the execution of death sentences.

People who were not privy to the intricacies of Blokhin's butcher's craft had to experience shock and awe when they happened to see him in action. One of the rare testimonies was left by the head of the UNKVD for the Kalinin region, Dmitry Tokarev. He spoke about the arrival in Kalinin in the spring of 1940 of a group of high-ranking NKVD officers, led by Blokhin to execute the Polish (interned) officers, held in the Ostashkov camp. When everything was ready for the first execution, Blokhin, as Tokarev said, went after him: “Well, let's go ...” We went, and then I saw all this horror ... Blokhin pulled on his special clothes: a brown leather cap, a long brown leather apron , leather brown gloves with leggings above the elbows. It made a huge impression on me - I saw the executioner! On the very first night, a team led by Blokhin shot 343 people. In the following days, Blokhin ordered that no more than 250 people be delivered to him for execution of the party. In the spring of 1940, under the leadership and with the direct participation of Blokhin, 6,311 Polish prisoners of war were shot in Kalinin. It can be assumed that with such a "shock" action, he doubled his previous personal account of the executed.

The fate of the executioners was not easy. They were rarely seen in families, and when they came after a nightly "work", they were most often drunk. And how not to drink with such a villainous occupation. It is not surprising that the performers died early, before the deadline, or went crazy. Grigory Khrustalev died a natural death - in October 1930; Ivan Yusis - in 1931; Peter Mago - in 1941; Vasily Shigalev - in 1942, and his brother Ivan Shigalev - in 1945. Many retired, having received disability due to schizophrenia, like Alexander Emelyanov, or neuropsychiatric illness, like Ernst Mach.

The repressions did not bypass the executioners themselves. Some of them fell into the hands of Blokhin - they were taken to the execution room already as victims. So in 1937, Grigory Golov, Petr Pakaln, Ferdinand Sotnikov were shot. I wonder what Blokhin and Mago felt when they shot their former comrades?

In the Moscow NKVD, a “gas chamber” machine was created, in which the condemned were killed by exhaust gas. In part, this saved the nerves of the Moscow executioners. They loaded the living in the Taganskaya or Butyrka prisons - in Butovo they unloaded the dead, and that was all the work. And no praises to Stalin. Berg himself explained to the investigation that without such an improvement "it was impossible to carry out such a large number of executions."

The management appreciated Blokhin. He quickly rose in ranks: in 1935 he was a captain of the State Security Service, in 1940 he was a major of the State Security Service, in 1943 he was a colonel of the State Security Service, in 1944 he was a commissar of the State Security Service, and in July 1945 he received the rank of major general. He was also generously showered with state awards: the Order of Lenin (1945), three Orders of the Red Banner (1940, 1944, 1949), Orders of the Patriotic War, I degree (1945), Red Banner of Labor (1943), Red Star (1936), "Badge of Honor "(1937), as well as two badges of the "Honorary Chekist" and a gold watch. He was also awarded an honorary weapon - a Mauser,

In 1953, Blokhin was solemnly escorted to a well-deserved rest. After the death of the dictator, the need for his services disappeared. No, of course, the new commandant who replaced him, Colonel D.V. Brovkin did not risk being left without “night work” at all, it was just that its scale immediately became not the same. Although the former victims were replaced by those who had previously repaired the court and reprisals themselves: under the new post-Stalinist leadership, they began to execute the former henchmen of Beria and Abakumov. Their cases were actively investigated, and it turned out that in retirement Blokhin also has no peace. He frequented for interrogations at the Prosecutor General's Office. During the investigation of the case of Beria and his closest henchmen, truly invaluable knowledge of the former commandant was needed. After all, he was the executor of all the most important executions. And yet Blokhin was not included as an accused, although he was the perpetrator of criminal acts. Probably, they decided: after all, this is just an executioner, he was following orders. This is his job and nothing personal.

In 1954, he was deprived of all titles and awards, at the same time taking away his pension. A year later, the once chief executioner of the NKVD himself left this world. What caused the death is not known for certain. He was buried at the Donskoy cemetery, where many of those whom he put a bullet in the back of the head lie.

Peotr Maggo

Peotr began working in the Cheka in 1918. Soon he was appointed warden of the internal prison of the Cheka. And then her boss. In parallel, he was the commandant of the house at number 11 on Bolshaya Lubyanka. Peter became a full-time executioner. He was sent to such a job because of a suitable character. At that time, the party had already declared a policy of terror, determined to destroy as many White Guards and all other opponents of the Bolshevik regime as possible. Maggo, known to his colleagues as Mag, set to work with zeal. And, I must say, it was enough. The authorities were delighted. Peter always carried out orders, did not ask unnecessary questions and was distinguished by his taciturnity. This is exactly what the “ideal employee” of the firing squad should have been.

Maggo's "workplace" was in the internal prison of the Cheka, located at Bolshaya Lubyanka. Numerous "enemies of the people" were waiting for their inevitable death at the very bottom. There, in the basement, where a spiral staircase led, many suicide bombers had to sit right on the floor, since there were not enough bunks for everyone. Occupying the position of head of the inner prison, Maggo could no longer participate in executions. But no, he liked it. And when in 1924 Peotr was removed from executions, he was very worried about this.

Maggo asked to come back. And his request was granted. Full-time executioners were then needed. Colleagues recalled that Peotr Ivanovich was not ideological. He was completely indifferent to both the party and its enemies. He just liked to kill. A maniac who turned his favorite pastime into an official job. At the same time, the executioner did not care who needed to put a bullet in the back of the head. He was almost the only executioner who did not refuse to kill women. Maggo liked being begged for mercy.

Peotr worked without days off and holidays. When a day fell without executions, the Magician could not find a place for himself. He wandered aimlessly around the prison, looking wistfully at his feet, then at the ceiling. And the expression on his face at that time spoke of torment. But before the executions, Peter revived. He walked past the cells, examining the suicide bombers - those who were soon to go to the next world.

On a typical "working" day, he personally killed from 3 to 10 people. But “on holidays” this figure increased. And after the "change" he became insane. The executioner literally went crazy. He could point a weapon at one of his colleagues, believing that he was sentenced to death. And only alcohol could calm Maggo. He drank so heavily that he could not stand on his feet. And he was taken home by car. Like all the other executioners of the NKVD, he washed himself with cologne. It was the only way to somehow kill the smells of gunpowder and blood that had eaten into the body.

Under Beria, the situation changed. Maggo, 61, was retired. Beria's decision was not subject to appeal.

And Maggo broke down. In a matter of months, he drank himself, and cirrhosis of the liver put an end to the life of the former full-time executioner of the NKVD.

I think I should stop here. The rest of them were not that different, The punishing hands of the party