‘Polish Operation’ of the NKVD: new findings with regard to the genocidal repression of the Polish national minority in the USSR 1937-1938

• Authors: Maciej Wyrwa , Paweł Libera , Łukasz Adamski
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This article examines the Polish Operation of the NKVD (1937–1938), a lesser-known yet significant chapter of the Great Terror in the USSR. Drawing on newly accessed archival materials, the research reveals the operational mechanisms and bureaucratic procedures employed by Soviet authorities to conduct mass repression against the Polish minority. Special emphasis is placed on the genocidal nature of the operation, executed under NKVD Order No. 00485, which resulted in the arrests, executions and deportations of tens of thousands of Poles, primarily in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. The study traces the decision-making process from Stalin and Yezhov’s directives to its execution by NKVD field units, highlighting the legal nihilism of extrajudicial bodies. Furthermore, the article situates the operation within the broader context of Soviet nationality policies and examines Poland’s limited response, constrained by scarce information and diplomatic realities. Finally, it evaluates the operation through the lens of international law, arguing for its classification as genocide under the UN Genocide Convention.

Keywords

EN

Polish Operation; Great Terror; Soviet national minorities; genocide studies; Stalinist repression

Discipline

• HISTORY: HISTORY

• Publisher: Institute of History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Slovanský přehled: historická revue pro dějiny střední, východní a jihovýchodní Evropy (Slavonic Review: Review for Central, Eastern and Southeastern European history)
• Year: 2025
• Volume: 111
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 7-35
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Maciej Wyrwa

• Slovanský přehled, redakce, Historický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i., Prosecká 76, 190 00 Praha 9, Czech Republic

author

Paweł Libera

• Slovanský přehled, redakce, Historický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i., Prosecká 76, 190 00 Praha 9, Czech Republic

author

Łukasz Adamski

• Slovanský přehled, redakce, Historický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i., Prosecká 76, 190 00 Praha 9, Czech Republic