Who of the surviving Romanov relatives would donate blood for genetic analysis? [Given the extensive bank of genetic information existing on the Romanovs, the authors do not believe this is necessary.] Their appeals to the government commission have yet to receive a reply; hence their logical decision to seek independent experts. Russian, American, and British specialists were already taking part in the investigation, so they decided to seek additional assistance from forensic medical experts in Germany and Finland, who offered to conduct genetic research to prove or disprove the genetic kinship between the Filatov`s and the Romanovs. Clearly, only comparative genetic research on the biological tissues of their father and the Romanov remains from Ekaterinburg, or the blood of surviving Romanov descendants, could provide scientific proof.

The German scientists suggested that the Filatov`s donate blood for genetic research. But what could a comparison of the blood of the children of the purported heir (a male heir, not a female!) with the results of the British analysis yield? Success was doubtful, since hereditary genetic information is transmitted along the female line. Therefore, it became necessary to conduct a genetic study of the remains of their father, Vasily Filatov”.

My sister Olga Vasilyevna suggested that the scientists work in cooperation with the German scientists from the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Heine University of Düsseldorf, since there has been an agreement with the German scientists on the anthropological and genetic studies. Professor Popov and Assistant professor Kovalev A.V. agreed and wrote a letter on behalf of the Faculty of Forensic Medicine of the Military Medical Academy. That same day the letter was sent to Germany. The reply was positive, and in November 1994 our family left for Germany. The Russian scientists were not allowed to leave Russia on the pretext of inexpediency.

Before our trip our Mother donated her blood. The investigation was aimed at extracting Father’s DNA from our blood without studies of his biological material. This had to be done because the Prosecutor General’s Office in the person of prosecutor-criminalist Solovyev, V.N. refused to accept our attempt to identify Filatov, Vasily Ksenofontovich as Alexei Nikolayevich Romanov, the son of Nikolas II, the last Russian Emperor. On making an agreement with Mr. W. Bonte, Director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Heine University of Düsseldorf, Germany, also President of the International association of forensic medical experts, our family invited the Russian geneticist Ivanov, Pavel. The prosecutor-criminalist of the Prosecutor General’s Office Mr. Solovyev, V.N. had been informed about this.

However, the geneticist P. Ivanov did not come to the meeting, though the German side had paid for his ticket and insurance. Mr. Ivanov sent a fax to Professor Bonte saying that he could not come because his passport did not pass the customs examination. Everybody was bewildered by this fact.

Professor Bonte, the anthropologist Dr. Alt, the geneticist Wolfgang Huckenbeck took part in the meeting. Having examined the family’s photographs Mr. Alt decided to begin investigations. My sisters Olga, Irina, Nadezhda and I donated blood and put the documents in order.

We decided not to announce any information till the examinations were completed. At the same time the stomatological status was examined at the Military Medical Academy and X-rays of the skulls of our family were compared with the results of studies of the remains found near Ekaterinburg.

It should be mentioned that Professor Balin, V.N. (MMA), Professor Cheremisin (MMA), Professor Popov, V.L., Candidate of Medicine Kovalev, A.V. (MMA), Professor Trezubov, (of the St.-Petersburg Medical University) have been drawn into X-ray investigations of the stomatological status, of the skulls and jugular vertebrae.

The scientists began working together, and three families of Filatov`s (the families of Oleg, Olga, and Irina) underwent clinical examination of their teeth and the mucous membrane of the mouth. Plaster casts were taken to determine their stomatological status, X – rays were taken of their jaws, skulls, rib cages, and spines, and samples were obtained for genetic and fingerprint testing.

The scientists, based on the research that was completed, were able to reach the following conclusion:

In studying the frontal and lateral X – rays of the cervical section of the spines of Oleg, Olga, and Irina, which was carried out within the framework of the expert forensic medical analysis into the death of members of the House of Romanov in 1918 – 1920, fourteen similar individual structural features were discovered that indicate, in our opinion, genetic kinship between the individuals studied Independent research conducted at the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Heinrich Heine University using DNA analysis also confirmed the results we obtained. Thus, the results of the research show that blood relatives display a similarity of anatomical structure in the cervical section of the spine.

These results have major practical significance, since they allow us to establish, either independently or combined with the methods of genetic analysis, genetic kinship between the individuals investigated

Perfectly clear, that genetic research is only a part, albeit a substantial one, of identification studies. A comprehensive proposal to establish the identity between Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov and Vasily Ksenofontovich Filatov was drawn up in 1996 by Professor Vadim Petrovich Petrov, who holds a doctorate in medicine too. He began work on the project, and his son – Vadim Vadimirovich Petrov, who also holds an advanced degree in medicine and is continuing his studies at the Legal Scientific Research Center of the St. Petersburg University Law School – continued it after his death. The scientific research was conducted by Leonard Nikolayevich Gavrilov, a legal scholar, and Vadim Petrov. Some results of analyses are set forth here.

The scientific identification of an individual requires comparative materials from the same time for each of the people whose identity is being established. These materials can be photographs of the face (head), stomatological diagrams, X – rays of various parts of the body, molds of the jaws and teeth, handwriting samples, genetic – fingerprinting descriptions, and so on.

The researchers have analyzed the photographs of Vasily Filatov and Alexei Romanov as well as handwriting samples from each of them. In conducting the handwriting analysis, we used the following materials:

Six letters and five diary pages from Tsarevich Alexei Seven documents and six personal letters from Vasily Filatov (provided by his son Oleg) and two more photocopies of manuscript documents (provided by the Tyumen Provincial State Archive)

The handwriting analysis was conducted using traditional criminological methods. We quote the conclusion here:

EVALUATION OF RESULTS

Evaluating the results of this comparative investigation allows us to arrive at the following opinion: The small number of differences discovered in the general and specific features of the records studied can be explained by the large interval of time that elapsed between the six letters and diary pages that were written in 1916 – 1918 and the letters and manuscripts written later [between the years 1939 and 1985] by Vasily Filatov. The differences that were discovered in a few general features, and in a small number of specific features, in the handwriting samples are not sufficient grounds for concluding that the writing samples studied were executed by different people. In the process of an individual’s personal development, the level of ones writing changes, the general features of one’s handwriting change, and improve, and the specific features of one’s handwriting can change as well. No inexplicable differences were discovered in the investigation between the executor of the diary and the six letters of 1916 – 1918 and Vasily Filatov`s handwriting samples taken later. The differences in the general features and in a small number of specific features that were found during the course of the research can be fully attributed to the development of his writing (written speech) over the course of time.

The research has revealed similarities in the general and specific features of the handwriting. Each of the coinciding general and specific features taken alone is not unusual or rare. However, the discovery of such a large number of specific features coinciding in the handwriting samples studied as compared to the very small number of differences allows us to arrive at a very high degree of confidence in our conclusion that the writing samples studied (the six letters of 1916 – 1918, the five diary pages, and the handwriting samples from Vasily Filatov) were written by one and the same person.

CONCLUSION

Our research allows us to conclude that the writing samples we studied (the six letters of 1916 – 1918, the five diary pages, and the handwriting samples from Vasily Filatov) were written by one and the same person.

Specialists: L. N. Gavrilov (signature), V V Petrov (signature).

For the scientific portrait analysis, using photo registering, and sectoral coincidence, we studied seventeen black – and – white photographs of the Tsarevich Alexei (both alone and in groups), twelve black – and – white photographs of Vasily Filatov (both alone and in groups), and eleven photocopies and computer printouts of photographs. As is usual in identification research, the work began with a separate study of each subject. In the photographs of both Alexei Romanov and Vasily Filatov we studied the general structural features of the faces as a whole and their separate parts applicable to the elements of a “verbal portrait.” Then, in these same photographs, we studied specific features in the structure of the same parts of the faces. We summarized the results in tables and compared. In the comparative research we juxtaposed the same features and drew conclusions about their correspondence or lack thereof.

Utilizing television technology in pairs of depictions of Alexei Romanov and Vasily Filatov, we created various combined portraits that contained elements of the depictions of both of these individuals. After this, on each combined portrait, we studied the degree of correspondence between elements of Alexei Romanov s face and Vasily Filatov’s face. Here we quote the entire conclusion:

EVALUATION OF RESULTS

Evaluating the results of the comparative investigation allows us to arrive at the following opinion: An investigation of the portraits presented in the photographs revealed a large number of coinciding general and specific features in the structure of the heads and faces of the adolescent and the man. Also, despite the long interval between the time the photographs of the adolescent and the man were taken, we discovered no significant differences. The discovery of such a large number of coinciding general and specific characteristics in the absence of significant differences allows us to conclude, with a high degree of certainty, that the photographs and printouts portray the same person at different times in his life.

CONCLUSION

Our research permits us to conclude, with a high degree of certainty, that the photographs and printouts portray the same person at different times in his life.

Specialists: L. N. Gavrilov (signature), V V Petrov (signature).

Given the absence of negative results from the initial genetic testing and given the similarity of the anatomical structure of the cervical sections of the spine that is applicable to close relatives (as stated earlier, these two studies have not yet been completed), the positive results of the handwriting and portrait research allow us to draw the preliminary conclusion that Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov and Vasily Ksenofontovich Filatov were one and the same person. Nor is this conclusion contradicted by many other observations.