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.
The Katyn massacre stands as one of the most chilling and consequential atrocities of the 20th century. What began as a secret execution of the Polish elite by the Soviet Union evolved into a decades-long saga of propaganda, denial, and a search for historical justice. The Execution: Spring 1940 Following the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939,
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 What began as a secret execution of the
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" Discovery and the "Big Lie" Roughly 22,000 Polish
Roughly 22,000 Polish nationals, including approximately 4,500 officers found in Katyn forest.
The primary site of discovery and a major memorial.