Three Mass Graves Discovered In Russia

A group of history buffs found three mass graves where more than 9,000 people are believed to have been executed in Stalinist purges 60 years ago, a news report said Thursday.

The graves were found recently near the town of Medvezhyegorsk, about 250 miles northeast of St. Petersburg, the ITAR-Tass news agency said.

The history buffs said they had a list of 9,111 victims of the executions, which they believe were carried out in 1937 by the NKVD, the security agency used by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to carry out a reign of terror in the 1930s.

Many of the victims were intellectuals from Moscow and St. Petersburg, ITAR-Tass reported. A memorial service was held at the site Wednesday.