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DNA analysis
confirms Yekaterinburg remains are young Romanovs - Investigative Committee
The results of a DNA analysis have confirmed the hypothesis
that remains found near Yekaterinburg a year ago are those of Prince Alexey and
Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna, the Investigative Committee within the Russian
prosecution system said in an official statement on Wednesday.
"The scientific results based on a DNA analysis of
three genetic systems correlate with the hypothesis that remains of Grand
Duchess Maria and Crown Prince Alexey were found in the 'second' burial
site," it said.
Nevertheless, Russian scientists will continue their work to
complete the analysis and make a final conclusion on the identification of the
remains, it said.
The Investigative Committee's main investigations department
has completed the principal part of the analyses to identify the remains. It
was presumed from the very start that the remains could have been those of last
Russian Emperor Nicholas II's relatives or members of his retinue, who were
executed in Yekaterinburg early on July 17, 1918.
A burial site containing remains of nine people was
uncovered near Yekaterinburg in July 1991. The remains were "later
identified as those of members of the family of the last Russian emperor and
people from his retinue." However, the remains of Prince Alexey
Nikolayevich Romanov and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna Romanova were not
among those discovered.
On July 29, 2007, pieces of bones and teeth were found 60
centimeters underground during excavations 70 kilometers to the south of the
first burial site, the Investigative Committee said. The remains could not be
identified during the excavations, but the location of the burial site and its
specifics gave reason to presume that they could have been those of Prince
Alexey and Grand Duchess Maria, his sister.
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