On the night of 1 December 1937, the 56 year-old farmer Stepan Karagodin was arrested by NKVD agents in Tomsk region. He was convicted of espionage, organising sabotage operations and aiding Japanese military intelligence, for which he was sentenced to death. Image courtesy of Denis Karagodin.
The phenomenal investigation of Denis Karagodin has become one of the hottest news stories of past weeks. The Tomsk resident established the names and ranks of the NKVD agents responsible for the execution of his great-grandfather Stepan Karagodin in January 1938. Moreover, Karagodin intends to hold to account all those responsible for and party to his ancestor’s murder.
Karagodin achieved clear results — but his initiative was unique for another reason. Namely, he demonstrated what one ambitious person can achieve alone, as a private individual, motivated by private interests. Karagodin doesn’t speak about “Stalinist repressions” in a broad sense; he dives into his own family’s history and demands justice for his great-grandfather. Importantly, this turned out to be the most effective way not only to reveal the truth, but to cast doubt on the omnipotence of those who conceal it.
Casting the first stone
Much has been written about the investigation. Its author’s obvious indignation provoked much discussion on social networks, which then spilt over into mass media. The granddaughter of one of the firing squad even began a correspondence with Karagodin. The grandchildren of a victim and executioner reconciled with one another. But others were not so forgiving. Karagodin, they said, “undermines the foundation of the state and of its law enforcement”. He was merely “looking for ways to punish the dead” (link in Russian), all the better to “cast judgement on the living” (link in Russian).
