That is the documented total: the real figure is almost certainly higher. In preparation for mass murder on such a scale the NKVD People's Commissar Yezhov instructed his subordinates throughout the Soviet Union to identify areas not far from the major urban centres where thousands of bodies could be quickly concealed.
This is the officially reported total; however, it is likely that the actual figure was significantly higher. In preparation for a large-scale killing, NKVD People's Commissar Yezhov instructed his subordinates to identify areas near major cities where thousands of bodies could be quickly concealed.