1940 Katyń massacre

The 1940 Katyn Massacre was a tragic event during World War II when Soviet forces executed around 22,000 Polish military officers, police, and intellectuals in the Katyn Forest and other locations. Carried out by the Soviet NKVD (secret police), it aimed to eliminate Poland's leadership and intelligentsia to weaken the nation's independence. For decades, the Soviet Union denied responsibility, blaming Nazi Germany, but evidence confirmed Soviet involvement. The massacre remains a sensitive historical issue, symbolizing the brutal repression Poland endured under Soviet rule.