Vasily Sharangovich

Vasily Fomich Sharangovich (Russian: Васи́лий Фоми́ч Шаранго́вич; Belarusian: Васіль Фаміч Шаранговіч, Vasil Sharanhovich; March 4, 1897 – March 15, 1938) was a Belarusian Soviet politician and the first secretary of the Communist Party of Byelorussian SSR in the Soviet Union.

[1] Sharangovich was appointed First Secretary of the Byelorussian communist party on 17 March 1937, and initiated the mass arrests of local officials who had been resisting the Great Purge, including the head of government, Nikolai Goloded, who died while under interrogation, and the Chairman of the Executive of the Supreme Soviet (i.e. 'President'), Alexander Chervyakov.

Chervvakov heard himself denounced by Sharangovich during the 16 Congress of the Byelorussian party, in June 1937, left the hall, and committed suicide.

[3] He told the Congress: We must destroy to the end the remnants of the Japanese-German and Polish spies and saboteurs, the remnants of the Trotskyist-Bukharin gang and the nationalist carrion, crush and grind them to powder, no matter how they disguise themselves, no matter what hole they hide in.

[1]Despite his zealotry, Sharangovich was removed from office in August 1937, when Yakov Yakovlev was sent from Moscow to denounce and replace him.