Acts of genocide: 94779 Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians, labeled as enemies of the people, were deported

Some 90,000 Estonians, Latvians (almost half - 42,125) and Lithuanians, labeled as enemies of the people, were deported to inhospitable areas of the Soviet Union. It was one of the most complex deportation operations engineered by the Soviets in the Cold war era.

Idea of russification of occupied Baltic lands was not new- since Ivan IV the Terrible and Peter I  times in these lands always  was used "the burned land" tactics, and in the beginning of 20th century (after 1905 year uprising) so called Stolipin agrarian reforms included part of deportation of Latvians to Arkhangelsk region.

Since the 1930-ties (Baltic states were independent that time) Communist party paralelly with politically based purges against real and imaginary opposition, started also national genocide actions against non- russian minorities living within USSR. More than 10 different minority nations - Ukrainians, Latvians, Poles, Finns, Germans, Japanese, Koreans, Uzbeks, Kazakhs on basis of special decrees against each nation seperately were involved, killing in result up to 80% of those national minorities living within USSR.

Etnocides against non - russians were also provided after Soviet Union together with Nazi Germany startted WW2 in 1939.- hundreds of thousands thousands of people from  occuppied territories were sent to Russian Gulags -death camps in remote regions.

The next wave of stnocides- mainly in South of USSR were organised against chechens and crimean tatars (in 1944 both minorities were 100% deported from their native lands

1949.- the next wave of deportations started. While portrayed as "dekulakization", the operation was intended:

• to eliminate the support base for the occupied countries independence fighters Forest Brothers (partisans) against Soviet occupation;
• depopulation of Baltic lands and start its massive russification; due WW2, 70% of deportees were children and women
• facilitate the forced collectivisation of rural households and to

The deportation fulfilled its purposes: within a few weeks the majority of the rural households accepted collectivisation and organized themselves into kolkhozes (collective farms).