Question

What reason did Yurovsky give Nicholas II for his pending execution?

Answer 1

Yurovsky, the executioner of the Russian Imperial Family, left a detailed account of the events that transcurred on the night of July 16th, 1918, when the Romanov family was assassinated. In it, he describes the scene with the tsar Nicholas II in the following way:

"...so far as I can remember, I said to Nicholas approximately this: His royal and close relatives inside the country and abroad were trying to save him, but the Soviet of Workers' Deputies resolved to shoot them. He asked "What?" and turned toward Alexei. At that moment I shot him and killed him outright. He did not get time to face us to get an answer."