Estonia commemorates Soviet forced removals
In a chilling echo of the past, the Soviet Union forcibly deported over 10,000 souls from Estonia to Siberia on June 14, 1941 – with 7,000 being women, children, and the elderly. This dark day is commemorated as a day of mourning.
The summer of '40 saw the Soviet Union occupy Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania following the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in August '39, when Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to divvy up Central and Eastern Europe. The Second World War caused Estonia to lose about 17.5% of its population.
This Soviet occupation brought devastation in the form of mass deportations that targeted individuals of all nationalities residing in Estonia. Notable dates of sorrow include June '41 and March '49, where these events are remembered as days of mourning.
The seeds of this sordid era were sown before the occupation itself. The goal of the communist terror was to quash any potential resistance and strike fear into the population to prevent organized resistance in the future.
In Estonia, the planned elimination of prominent and active individuals, along with the expulsion of large groups of people, aimed to destroy Estonian society and economy. The Soviet security organs started collecting data on individuals fitting these categories as early as the 1930s.
As the Soviet Union expanded its control over Eastern Europe in '40, they set up shop in Estonia, forcing the signing of a mutual military assistance pact, establishing Soviet military bases within its borders. Finland, unwilling to sign such an agreement, faced Soviet aggression in the Winter War, leading to the USSR's expulsion from the League of Nations.
Armed with false parliamentary elections, the Soviet authorities instilled a reign of terror, targeting Estonia's ethnic minorities, such as Jews and Russians, and focusing on the elimination of the nation's cultural, economic, political, and military elite. The Nazi invasion of a portion of the Soviet Union and the subsequent occupation of Estonia from July '41 to September '44 temporarily halted the Soviet Union's repressive activities but did not stop them.
As the Soviet Union prepared for repressions, they began their work even before Estonia's formal annexation during the occupation. In June '40, individuals were arrested for political reasons, with the number of arrests increasing rapidly thereafter. The first commander-in-chief of the Estonian Defence Forces, Johan Laidoner, and the President of the Republic of Estonia, Konstantin Paëts, were among the early casualties, exiled to their graves in Soviet captivity.
The preparations for mass deportations started in '40, largely targeting areas occupied by the Soviet Union in '39 and '40. The first trainloads of deportees arrived at their destinations as the second wave of deportations were being prepared by the Soviet authorities in Estonia – but the sudden German invasion of the Soviet Union halted this second wave.
Despite these setbacks, nearly 95,000 people from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Bessarabia were deported to Russia in one week. The harsh reality of these deportations quickly revealed itself through death, disease, and emotional chaos. Homes were destroyed, families torn apart, and many communities forever changed.
In the days following the mass deportations, witnesses shared harrowing accounts of their experiences, from the brutality shown in the packing of pregnant women and elderly people into overcrowded cattle cars to the resilience displayed by children like Rein Vare, who chronicled his experiences in a diary that serves as a potent reminder of this dark chapter in history.
Nearly a decade later, Rein and his sister were allowed to return home, but their family was irreparably changed, with one of the parents never making it back. The tragedy continued for many families, with some never seeing their loved ones again.
*Did You Know?: Estonia lost approximately 17.5% of its population due to the Soviet occupations and subsequent deportations.
Share this story if you believe that seeking justice and honoring history is essential.Tweet about it if you want to speak up and remember those who suffered in silence.Link this on LinkedIn if you are passionate about human rights and hope for a future without similar atrocities.
- The Estonian government commemorates the day of June 14, 1941, as a day of mourning, marking the time when the Soviet Union forcibly deported over 10,000 souls from Estonia to Siberia.
- The economy, culture, and political landscape of Estonia were significantly impacted during the Soviet occupation, with the Soviet security organs starting data collection on individuals to be eliminated or expelled as early as the 1930s.
- The Soviet Union's occupation of Estonia in 1940, following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, resulted in devastation through mass deportations that targeted individuals of all nationalities residing in Estonia.
- Despite being unwilling to sign a mutual military assistance pact, Finland faced Soviet aggression in the Winter War, leading to the USSR's expulsion from the League of Nations.
- In a dark echo of the past, the Estonian government upholds justice and honors history by sharing stories like Rein Vare's, who chronicled his experiences during the mass deportations in a diary.
- As people strive for future generations to learn from the atrocities of the past, it is essential to remember the over 95,000 people from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Bessarabia who were deported to Russia in one week, facing death, disease, and emotional chaos.
- Connected to Estonian politics, general news, and crime-and-justice sectors, the Estonian government is dedicated to maintaining a strong policy to prevent such human rights abuses from taking place again.
