Difference between revisions of "Katyn Massacre"
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| − | The '''Katyń Massacre''' | + | The '''Katyń Massacre''' was the mass execution of 21,768 [[Polish]] army officers and civilians in Russia's Katyn Forest during the Second World War. The killings were directly ordered by [[Stalin]], on the suggestion of his secret police chief [[Lavrenty Beria]], following the Soviet annexation of eastern Poland in 1939. The crime was discovered and announced to the world by the invading [[German]] forces in 1943, and led to the breaking-off of diplomatic relations between the [[London]]-based Polish Government-in-exile and the Soviet Government. The Soviet Union denied responsibility for the murders until 1990. |
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 05:51, February 17, 2010
The Katyń Massacre was the mass execution of 21,768 Polish army officers and civilians in Russia's Katyn Forest during the Second World War. The killings were directly ordered by Stalin, on the suggestion of his secret police chief Lavrenty Beria, following the Soviet annexation of eastern Poland in 1939. The crime was discovered and announced to the world by the invading German forces in 1943, and led to the breaking-off of diplomatic relations between the London-based Polish Government-in-exile and the Soviet Government. The Soviet Union denied responsibility for the murders until 1990.