MOSCOW, November 27. /TASS/. After the investigation into the Russian Tsarist family’s murder was resumed, more than 30 forensic tests have been commissioned, Colonel of Justice Marina Molodtsova said addressing a conference in Moscow’s Sretensky Monastery, dubbed The Tsarist Family's Murder Case: New Examinations and Files. A Debate.
"After the criminal investigation was resumed, a total of 34 forensic tests have been commissioned in order to identify the remains," she said.
"The remains found in two gravesites in the Porosenkov ravine are being carefully examined. Experts are expected to clarify the reasons for their death, their gender and relations between them, as well as their injuries," the colonel said.
In order to receive answers to these questions, a number of molecular-genetic tests have been commissioned, which are still underway. Besides, "since the investigation was resumed, more than 20 witnesses have been questioned, and the places where the remains were found have been examined. In addition, a psychological and historical test will be conducted to find out if it could have been a ritual killing," Molodtsove added.
Nicholas II and his family members were shot in the city Yekaterinburg in 1918. White Army investigator Nikolay Sokolov, who conducted a probe in 1919-1922, came to the conclusion that all the bodies had been incinerated.
In the early 1990s, a group of researchers found some remains suspected of belonging to the royal family members. In 1998, the remains were buried in the Romanov tomb at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg. The Russian Orthodox Church posed a number of questions to investigators and the state commission probing into the case, which have remained unanswered. Therefore, the Church has adhered to the opinion that the probe had been insufficient and the remains found in Yekaterinburg could not have been those of the Romanov family members. In September 2015, the Russian Investigative Committee resumed the investigation into the Romanov family’s murder.