Archaeologists have found evidence that the Soviet Gulag in Kazakhstan may have operated longer than previously thought
Kyiv • UNN
Czech archaeologists discovered bottles dating from 1959–1960 at the site of the Steplag in Kazakhstan. This may indicate that the camp continued operating after its closure in 1956.
Czech archaeologists have found evidence that the Soviet StepLag camp in Kazakhstan may have continued operating after its official closure in 1956. Radio Prague International reports on the findings of researchers from the University of West Bohemia and the Gulag.cz organization, writes UNN.
Details
The researchers worked near the city of Zhezkazgan, where StepLag—a special camp for political prisoners—operated from 1948 to 1956. More than 20,000 people passed through it in total.
According to archival documents, the Soviet authorities closed the camp in 1956. However, a local witness told archaeologists that women continued to be held there until at least 1959.
The finds have cast doubt on the archival records.
During the excavations, the researchers discovered fragments of bottles dated to 1959 and 1960. In the archaeologists' view, the finds confirm that official Soviet archives alone cannot be relied upon when studying the history of the camps.
The site of StepLag also preserves traces of at least three rows of massive barbed-wire fences, guard towers, and solitary cells.
The Czech team is also studying other sites associated with the Gulag system. Previously, the archaeologists worked in Siberia and documented the first material evidence of the existence of Soviet camps in Uzbekistan.