It was during the Red Terror that the Cheka , hoping to avoid the bloody aftermath of having half-dead victims writhing on the floor , developed a technique for execution known later by the German words " '' Nackenschuss '' or " '' Genickschuss '' , a shot to the nape of the neck , which caused minimal blood loss and instant death . The victim 's head was bent forward , and the executioner fired slightly downward at point blank range . This had become the standard method used later by the NKVD to liquidate Joseph Stalin 's purge victims and others
purge
Great Purge
Cheka