Operation Vesna

Operation Vesna (transl. Operation Spring; Russian: Опера́ция «Весна́») was a mass deportation of the armed opposition to the Soviet power in the occupied Lithuania carried out by the forces of the Ministry of State Security (MGB) on May 22–24, 1948.

According to the February 21, 1948 decree № 417—160сс of the USSR Council of Ministers, deportations were to target the "forest brothers" (Lithuanian: miško broliai), members of their families, and "various helpers of anti-Soviet partisans, including kulaks." The official tally of the deported was 49,331 (other sources give the number 39,766[1] and 47,534[2]). In addition to ethnic Lithuanians, Poles and Belarusians were deported as well. The exact numbers by ethnicity are unknown. Their official status was "special settlers" (severely restricted in movement, but otherwise officially not deprived of other citizen's rights).[3][2][4] It was the largest Soviet deportation from Lithuania.[5]

  1. ^ Иосиф Сталин — Лаврентию Берии: «Их надо депортировать...»: Документы, факты, комментарии (Joseph Stalin to Laventy Beria: "They Have to be Deproted..." - Documents, Facts, Commentary), Moscow, Дружба народов, 1992 ISBN 5-285-00049-1, p. 205
  2. ^ a b Grzegorz Motyka,"Operacja "Wiosna": wysiedlenie 50 tys. Litwinów zajęło Sowietom 48 godzin", Gazeta Wyborcza, May 21, 2918
  3. ^ "Этот день в истории: 1948 год — в Литве началась операция «Весна» МГБ СССР", Eurasia Daily, May 23, 2018
  4. ^ "Soviet genocide. Operation "Vesna". 40,002 lithuanian farmers deported in 48 hours", Time Note
  5. ^ "Operation ‘Spring’, biggest Soviet deportation of 40,000 Lithuanians", LRT.lt (Lithuanian National Radio and Television), May 23, 2019

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