The article discusses a little-studied issue related to repression, i.e. militia troika’s activity in the period of 1937–1938. On the basis of the records made at the troika meetings, kept in the main Information center of the AltaiTerritory Ministry of internal affairs, we were able to examine in detail the range and characteristics of repressions carried out by militia troika. The punitive measures of the given repressive body were mainly directed against «socially harmful» or «dropout» groups of population. Such definitions facilitated flexible implementation of political repression and allowed to consider ‘criminals’ various groups of people. However, the general ruck of those convicted by militia troika comprised petty offenders, hooligans, moochers, vagrants, prostitutes and other social outcasts. The study makes a substantial contribution to the traditional understanding how the victims of political repressions were chosen. The author has concluded that the activities of militia troika in the Altai Territory represented a «social engineering policy», pursued by the repressive bodies of the country and aimed at isolating or destroying political undesirables and potential political undesirables.