This work is an investigation into the brutal murders of the Russian royal family, the Romanovs.
Officially, the Tsar, Tsarina, and their five children were brutally murdered, executed in the basement of their prison in the city of Yekaterinburg.
Un...
Looking at the lives of the Romanovs and their close friends and servants, it is understandable why so many people would want to believe that they survived. Relatives of the Romanovs, devoted Royalists, even hopeful romantics all cling to the idea that somewhere out there a direct descendent of Tsar Nicholas II is living, breathing, secure in the knowledge that his family had escaped.
I believe that, in order to examine the likelihood of their survival, it is important to treat this as any murder investigation. We have the victims' profiles. Now I'm going to take you to the crime scene.
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The image above is the basement in which the victims were reportedly murdered by firing squad. The photo was taken in July, shortly after the execution.
My immediate thought when examining this room is that there is a distinct lack of blood for a room that held such a messy execution. Where are the blood splatters? It's evident that there has been a significant amount of shooting done in this room, but the lack of blood stains, pools and splatters is completely baffling. Now, considering there were supposedly 11 people killed in this room, all of whom suffered multiple injuries from the rain of bullets, would there not be more blood?
Even the smallest of head wounds bleed tremendously. So, where's the blood? Where are the splatters? There was reportedly at least one short-range bullet to the head in this room – it should show on the wall.
Anastasia and Maria were said to have died in that corner, on the right-hand side, by the door. According to Ermakov, the man who killed the girls, he shot Maria in the head. So, once more – where's the blood? Where's the mark from a short-range shot? Before he shot her in the head, someone had shot her in the thigh, but there's no trail of blood from where she would have dragged herself to the door.
And pardon my scepticism, but I don't believe the Bolsheviks were renowned for their cleanliness. I don't think they would have shifted the bodies and decided to start mopping the place. It's all a tad...strange.
So let's take a look at the outside of the house.
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It's interesting to note just how much land Ipatiev House covers, but also, just how close the nearby houses are. Alexei had a friend who lived nearby and used to visit regularly. Before the execution, the boy was sent away, but it's likely that he lived close by for the sake of convenience.
The execution took place around 2AM – would someone nearby not have heard something? Not have been woken up by the sudden mass movement of soldiers and vans loaded up with suspiciously large items?
It's possible that people were too afraid to mention anything. The Bolsheviks were ruthless, after all.
But people gossip. And the stark lack of gossip from this night is disturbing.
*Hi all! Lately my research has been pushing me in a certain direction, one that I haven't felt completely comfortable with. But, in order to find out the truth in greater detail, it seems I'm going to have to check the Russian State Archives. Here's hoping it doesn't get me on a list...
Also, I'm not satisfied with how this chapter has turned out. The writing muse is definitely lacking here. I'll come back to it again, but for now, this is what I have. I'll update it in the near future!
