Suppression of UPA Resistance and Operation "Vistula" (1944–1951)
A merciless war waged by NKVD/MGB troops against the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in western Ukraine. It was accompanied by punitive expeditions, brutal terror, mass killings of civilians, and the forced removal of insurgents' families to Siberia. Its finale was the use of collusion with a third party — an arrangement with the pro-Soviet government of Poland on the forcible resettlement of more than 140 thousand Ukrainians of Zakerzonnia (Operation "Vistula" in 1947) to deprive the UPA of its social base[1][2].
Actors
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| G0010 | USSR |
Regular military operations by the NKVD and MGB to sweep western Ukrainian villages with the aim of suppressing UPA resistance[1]. |
Techniques Used
| ID | Name | Use | |
|---|---|---|---|
| T0039 | Collusion with a Third Party |
Coordination of actions with the pro-Soviet government of Poland to destroy the Ukrainian underground (Operation "Vistula" in 1947)[2]. |
|
| T0127 | Deportation |
Forced deportation of insurgents' families to Siberia, as well as of more than 140,000 Ukrainians of the Zakerzonnia region from their historical lands, in order to deprive the UPA of its social base[2]. |
|
| T0057 | Labor Exploitation |
Use of captured resistance members as free labor in the concentration camp system (for example, dispatch to the Chernogorsk special camp in Krasnoyarsk Krai for hard labor)[1]. |
|
| T0104 | Mass Killings of Civilians |
NKVD reprisals against the inhabitants of villages suspected of supporting the UPA, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians[1]. |
|
| T0021 | Neutralization of the Opposition |
Mass arrests of UPA fighters, OUN members, and those suspected of aiding them, followed by dispatch to GULAG corrective labor camps for isolation (by 1951, Ukrainians made up more than 20% of all GULAG prisoners)[1]. |
|
| T0077 | Punitive Expeditions |
Regular military operations by the NKVD and MGB to sweep western Ukrainian villages with the aim of suppressing UPA resistance[1]. |
|
| T0022 | Terror |
Creation of an atmosphere of total fear through public demonstrative executions of insurgents and bloody provocations by NKVD special groups disguised as the UPA[1]. |
|
Instruments
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| S0009 | Diplomacy |
Coordination of actions with the pro-Soviet government of Poland to destroy the Ukrainian underground (Operation "Vistula" in 1947)[2]. |
| S0017 | Secret Police and Security Services |
Regular military operations by the NKVD and MGB to sweep western Ukrainian villages with the aim of suppressing UPA resistance[1]. |
References
- Михаил Зыгарь. (2023). Война и наказание: Как Россия уничтожала Украину.