They were usually called executioners, those who carried out death sentences. But in the USSR, these were ordinary people who received salaries for their work, quarterly bonuses and even went on business trips.
In the USSR, several people were needed to do this work. One of them was an executioner, and in his team there was a doctor who had to establish the death, an employee of the prosecutor’s office and an operative from the Ministry of Interior. These people were called “shooting squads” and had to be present during the death penalty.
Sometimes the brigades increased, but only if mass executions were necessary – for example during the years of repression or to liquidate an entire gang.
In the large republics more workers were required, and in the smaller ones the executioners were sometimes unemployed, so they were sent on business trips. For example, executioners from Azerbaijan often traveled to the Baltic states because their republic was small and had little work to do.
The executioner had the highest salary – about 200 rubles a month. The other participants in the 4th received from 100 to 150 rubles. For “enforcement” relied on additional bonuses, 150-170 rubles for each team member. And after the execution, the “workers of death” went on vacation. But before that, they had to sign something like a “certificate of completion.”
The firing squads also had quarterly bonuses. And, of course, those who worked in other regions received travel allowances.
Imagine how people, after killing a person, sign documents and go to accounting, of course, is scary. But remember that we are talking about the execution of criminals who sometimes took dozens of lives. Therefore, the work of an executioner in the USSR was an ordinary job and at the same time generously encouraged financially.
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