The true nature of Russian imperialism

The true nature of Russian imperialism

Between 1940 and 1953, more than 40,000 Estonians were deported to Siberia. Many were executed, tortured, or died because of the brutal labor and inhumane conditions.

The death of Stalin meant a chance to return home for many Estonians… but no one returns from russian camps the same person. And the homeland they left behind no longer existed either. Estonia had been occupied, and for Estonians the suffering and persecution did not end there.

The scars of the Siberian camps do not heal even generations later. Millions of broken lives, destroyed families, people killed or maimed for life - physically and mentally.

On the day of Stalin’s death, it is important to remind ourselves that the subject of Soviet labor camps still receives criminally little attention. We all know names like Auschwitz, Dachau, and Treblinka, but far fewer people have heard of Dalstroy, Vorkutlag, Norillag, or the Karaganda Corrective Labor Camp.

The scale of Soviet repression and crimes is only now beginning to return to the broader public discussion, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine - because the russian repressive system today is not very different from the one that existed under Stalin.