This date might mean nothing to you or sound like a Eurovision song, but for many Ukrainians, it was their "annus horribilis". But no. I am not referring to the song, but to the mass deportation of the Crimean Tatars carried out by the regime of Joseph Stalin in May of that same year. For the population of Crimea and much of Ukraine, 1944 did not mean only the advance of the Soviet front against the Nazi occupation, but the beginning of a human tragedy:
The Sürgünlik (May 18-20, 1944): In a matter of three days, more than 190,000 Crimean Tatars (mostly the elderly, women, and children, since the men were fighting at the front) were expelled from their homes at dawn, collectively accused of collaboration with the Axis.
The conditions of the transfer: They were crammed into cattle cars bound for Uzbekistan, Siberia, and the Urals. Close to 46% of the deportees died during the journey or in the early years due to hunger, disease, and forced labor.
Impact on Ukrainian territory: In addition to the deportation in Crimea, 1944 marked the return of Stalinist control to Ukraine after the German withdrawal, triggering harsh purges, forced mobilizations, and repression against the insurgency in the west of the country.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario