Murder story of Kharkov Jews in the Grigorovka Coniferous Forest

…The eyewitness Aleksander Grigoryevich Botsman testified that he had discovered seven pits in the Grigorovskiy coniferous forest, containing the bodies of Soviet citizens….

…In the winter of 1941-1942 – I do not remember the exact date, but I think it was on New Year's Eve – I saw a German vehicle-booth [van] transport Soviet people to the Grigorovskiy coniferous forest. That was toward evening, and I was on a hill near the coniferous forest, carrying a fir tree from the forest. I saw people being taken out of the vehicle. I could not determine how many there were, nor see what they were wearing, since I was about 200 meters away from them. I heard the cry: “Oh, what for?” followed by a single submachine gun volley. I recognized them as Soviet citizens, because they spoke our language, whereas the shooters were Germans…. On multiple occasions in the winter of 1941-1942, Soviet citizens were brought to the Grigorovskiy coniferous forest in German vehicles, and shot with submachine guns. They would always be brought in toward evening. I could observe it, since I lived near the forest. I would always watch the scene from afar, fearing to get close – I knew that, if the Germans were to notice me, they would kill me.