Katyn May 2026

In April 1943, Nazi German forces occupying the region discovered mass graves in the Katyn forest near Smolensk. They publicized the find to drive a wedge between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union.

Following the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, thousands of Polish prisoners of war were held in camps in the USSR. On March 5, 1940, Joseph Stalin and other Soviet leaders signed an order to execute "nationalists and counter-revolutionaries" held in these camps. In April 1943, Nazi German forces occupying the

Roughly 22,000 Polish nationals, including approximately 4,500 officers found in Katyn forest. In April 1943

The primary site of discovery and a major memorial. 000 Polish nationals

Home to the Katyń Museum , which preserves the memory of those lost.