Originally Posted by
fast.git
5 March 1940
Two days after Joseph Stalin and the five Politburo members approved the execution of captured Polish officers and land owners, Polish officers in captivity were declared to be “hardened and uncompromising enemies of Soviet authority.” As it was feared the officers would organize resistance movements against Soviet occupation if released back into the population, Stalin issued their death warrant: an NKVD order condemning more that 21,000 prisoners to "the supreme penalty: shooting."
Note:
During April & May 1940, Polish prisoners were moved from their internment camps and taken to several execution sites. The killings probably continued after May 1940, and the total number of victims may have exceeded 27,000. As of 2008, ongoing excavations in Ukraine and Russia continued to turn up more Polish corpses, so this number may increase.
Bookmarks