NKVD officers shot victims individually in the back of the head, often using German-made Walther pistols to potentially deflect future blame. Discovery and the "Big Lie"
In April 1943, Nazi German forces occupying the region discovered mass graves in the Katyn forest near Smolensk. They publicized the find to drive a wedge between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. NKVD officers shot victims individually in the back
Locations of other mass burial sites discovered later. Locations of other mass burial sites discovered later
Following the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, thousands of Polish prisoners of war were held in camps in the USSR. On March 5, 1940, Joseph Stalin and other Soviet leaders signed an order to execute "nationalists and counter-revolutionaries" held in these camps. While Russia has provided many documents, it has
While Russia has provided many documents, it has resisted labeling the event as "genocide," and recent political tensions have led to renewed questioning of the official narrative within Russia. A Persistent Wound