Zayachy Island is an island in the Neva River

Neva River

The Neva is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length , it is the third largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge .The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake...

 in St. Petersburg, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. It is separated by the Kronverksky Strait from Petrogradsky Island

Petrogradsky Island

Petrogradsky Island is the third largest island in the Neva River deltain Saint Petersburg, Russia.Along with Zayachy Island, Aptekarsky Island, and Petrovsky Island,it constitutes the Petrogradskaya Side...

 to the north, to which it is connected by the Kronverksky and Ioannovsky bridges.

History

Zayachy Island was for the most part swampy, unpopulated, and unremarkable until 1703,
when Peter the Great began construction of the Peter and Paul fortress

Peter and Paul Fortress

The Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of St. Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706-1740.-History:...

 there,
himself laying the foundation stones.

Until the late 19th century, there were three canals inside the fortress, dividing the island into four parts. The canals were filled up by the late 19th century..
The island is described as offering picturesque views of the city historical center and the Neva River

Neva River

The Neva is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length , it is the third largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge .The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake...

.

Massacres

During the Red Terror

Red Terror

The Red Terror in Soviet Russia was the campaign of mass arrests and executions conducted by the Bolshevik government. In Soviet historiography, the Red Terror is described as having been officially announced on September 2, 1918 by Yakov Sverdlov and ended about October 1918...

, the island was the site of massacres of enemies of the state. Bodies were discovered during the recent building of a road linking a car park. Some estimates put the number of buried in the hundreds and potentially in the thousands. Human rights charity Memorial

Memorial (society)

Memorial is an international historical and civil rights society that operates in a number of post-Soviet states. It focuses on recording and publicising the Soviet Union's totalitarian past, but also monitors human rights in post-Soviet states....

is currently trying to convince the authorities to investigate the graves properly.