The primary site of discovery and a major memorial.
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. The primary site of discovery and a major memorial
NKVD officers shot victims individually in the back of the head, often using German-made Walther pistols to potentially deflect future blame. Discovery and the "Big Lie" The primary site of discovery and a major memorial
The USSR immediately blamed the Nazis for the killings, claiming the Poles were executed during the German advance in 1941. The primary site of discovery and a major memorial
The "Katyn Lie" finally began to crumble during the era of glasnost under Mikhail Gorbachev.