BB-024 / War Crimes
Katyn Massacre
The Act
The Soviet NKVD executed approximately 22,000 Polish prisoners of war and civilians, primarily reserve officers and intellectuals, in the Katyn Forest and other locations. The victims were shot in the back of the head and buried in mass graves.
The Response
The Soviet Union denied responsibility for decades, blaming Nazi Germany. In 1990, the Soviet government admitted the crime. Poland and Russia have issued formal statements of acknowledgment, though disputes over memory and compensation continue.