Archaeologists begin research on Soviet Gulag in Kazakhstan

Archaeologists from Pilsen and the organization Gulag.cz have launched the first archaeological research of a former Soviet labor camp, known as Stepalag, located in the village of Terekty near Zhezqazgan, Kazakhstan.

Between 1948 and 1956, the camp held over 20,000 prisoners, primarily political detainees from Ukraine, the Baltic states, and other nations, including at least 20 Czechoslovak citizens. Findings suggest the camp operated longer than official records indicate; researchers discovered artifacts dated between 1959 and 1961, despite archives stating it closed in 1956.

The site contains remains of both male and female camps, a guard town, a command center, and an economic zone where prisoners performed forced labor in local mines and industrial facilities. Excavations have also uncovered a forgotten cemetery for victims.