Deportations and political repression Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina

70 years since first mass deportation of bessarabians, 1941-2011. post of moldova 2011.

deportations of locals on grounds of belonging intelligentsia or kulak classes, or of having anti-soviet nationalist ideas occurred daily throughout 1940-41 , 1944–1950, , less frequency in 1950-1956. these deportations touched local ethnic groups: romanians, ukrainians, russians, jews, bulgarians, gagauz. significant deportations happened on 3 separate occasions: according alexandru usatiuc-bulgăr, 29,839 people deported siberia on 13 june 1941. in total, in first year of soviet occupation, no fewer 86,604 people bessarabia, northern bukovina, , hertsa region suffered political repression. number close 1 calculated russian historians following documents in moscow archives, of ca. 90,000 people repressed, arrested or deported in first year of soviet occupation. greater part of figure (53,356) represented forced conscription labour across soviet union. classification of such labourers victims of political repression disputed, poverty of locals , soviet propaganda considered important factors leading emigration of local work force. arrests continued after 22 june 1941.

based on post-war statistics, historian igor cașu has shown moldovans/romanians comprised 50 percent of deportees, rest being jews, russians, ukrainians, gagauzes, bulgarians , roma people. considering ethnic make-up of region, concludes pre- , post-war repression not directed @ specific ethnic or national group, characterised genocide or crime against humanity . 1941 deportation targeted anti-soviet elements , comprised former representatives of romanian interwar administration (policemen, gendarmes, prison guards, clerks), large land-owners, tradesmen, former officers of romanian, polish , tsarist armies, , people had defected soviet union before 1940. kulaks become main targets of repression in post-war period. before soviet archives made accessible, r. j. rummel had estimated between 1940 , 1941, 200,000 300,000 romanian bessarabians persecuted, conscripted forced labor camps, or deported entire family, of whom 18,000 57,000 supposedly killed.