In 1977, the village of Dubrovka was removed from the records by the decision of the Penza regional executive committee, as it had effectively ceased to exist. However, it left a significant mark in the history not only of the Penza province but of the entire country. The story goes...

In the winter of 1911, the famous Moscow journalist Vladimir Korolenko came to the village of Dubrovka in the Kolysheisky district to visit his relatives. In the village's silence, he also worked on a story titled "The Custom Has Died," which, however, he never managed to finish. Rumors of the famous journalist's visit spread quickly, and soon peasants gathered in Dubrovka. They told him that two chests had been stolen from the pantry of the landowner Shesterinin at night. The disgruntled nobleman invited the constable Ivanov and the guards for an investigation. To ensure the success of the investigation, Shesterinin put a box of vodka and snacks on the table. "The peasants were called into the house and brutally beaten to obtain confessions," Korolenko wrote. "They were beaten with whips, iron rods, their lips torn, choked with hands. There was so much blood on the walls and floor that dogs had to be let into the house to lick up the blood."

Korolenko published this case, and it received wide resonance. For the police, the case ended sadly; they were convicted of exceeding their official powers.