Comenius Parthnership

Report Yourself - Young European Journalists

Katyń

On 17 September 1939, two weeks after Poland was invaded by Nazi Army from the west, the Soviet army attacked Poland from the east.

Weak and poorly equipped Polish army tried to defend our territory, however facing the power of two aggressors we had to give in. Among the prisoners of war take by the Russians there were several thousands of officers, doctors, politicians and other representatives of Polish upper class.

In April and May 1940, in the forest near Katyń NKWD (Russian political police) murdered about 4200 Polish officers. They had been arrested by NKWD before 17 September 1939 and kept in special prisoners' camps. They were executed like ordinary villains or even worse as no trial was prepared for them. Russian soldiers tied their hands at the back and shoot at the back of their heads - it was a slaughter house like nothing in the history of Europe.