YesterNight: The Soviet Bessarabian deportations

An analysis of the historical context and effect of the Soviet deportations from Bessarabia to Siberia and Kazakhstan on today's Moldovan population, with particular attention given to the way deportations have been depicted in popular media.

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The 1949 deportation. Photo source: gazetanord-vest.ro as per trm.md/ Posted by Mazur Rodica

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An Overview

The mid-twentieth century marked a dark turn in the history of Moldova or, as it was known at the time, Bessarabia. The 1940s and 50s were to grow into half a century of repression, ideological change, and forced collectivization under the Soviet Union. An important element of repression practiced by the USSR authorities was mass deportations.

Historically, Bessarabia (current-day Moldova), was part of Dacia, one of the areas controlled by the Roman Empire. With time, the Vlach (or Romanian) identity developed, paving the way for a common history between Bessarabia and the other Romanian territories deeply rooted in the geographical location of today’s Romania.

Several occupations of Bessarabia followed, most notably the partial territorial occupation by the Kyivan Rus between the 10th and 12th centuries and the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and 18th centuries. A number of Russian occupations followed until March of 1918, when Bessarabia became part of România Mare (literally Great Romania). Following the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact of 1939, Bessarabia was ceded to the Soviet Union. As such, in 1940, Bessarabia joined part of the previously-formed Moldovan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR), a small territory of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) to form the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR). Starting with 1940 until the fall of the Soviet Union, this new socialist republic was subjected to Soviet repression.

The shared history, culture and language between Bessarabia and Romania denotes the deep connection between these two countries and the now disputed presence or absence of a true Moldovan identity.

The Romanian territories subjected to soviet repressions were Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina and the Hertsa region, with the greatest number of citizens having been deported in 1941, 1949 and 1951.

Due to the way deportations were used as a means of repression, it is important to note their main characteristics. Said deportations always took place during the night. The accused family would be denounced by the Soviet occupiers, branded an "enemy of the state,” and exiled to a village in, most often, the distant territories of Siberia or Kazakhstan. More often than not, victims were kulaks (Romanian: chiaburi), richer peasants owning land, domestic animals, and some form of agricultural business. After deporting said kulaks, other citizens of the USSR, mainly ethnically Russian and Ukrainian citizens, would be invited to or forced to relocate in the now-emptied houses. This practice would ensure an easier assimilation of Bessarabia into the Soviet Union as a socialist republic. The deported Bessarabians were allowed to bring up to 60kg of personal belongings per family member. Women and children were not spared.

Bessarabia, Bukovina and the Hertsa Region. Image source: romani.md

According to The Numbers:

80.000

At least 80 thousand Bessarabians were deported between 1941 and 1951. The aproximate numbers range between 80 and 120 thousand

Kg of objects allowed per person upon deportation

July 6th, the national day to commemorate the victims of Soviet repression

The Silent Watch

The 1941 Deportation. Photo by publika.md

Bessarabians were deported to distant Soviet regions, like the Kazakh SSR, Komi ASSR, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Omsk Oblast, Novosibirsk Oblast, and others. The main target group of said measures of repression were the kulaks, the peasants owning land and farms that would soon be listed under the Soviet state as collective units.

The Journey

The length of the journey to Siberia varied, but usually took around two to four weeks by train. Bessarabians were deported in train cars meant for the transport of cattle. A hole in one of the train car's corners served as the bathroom. People ate what they brought with them from home or the salty fish provided by the authorities, and water was very scarce. Some deportees cite the occasional summer rain as a life saver.

According to most memoirs, the train would make a sudden stop along the way. That is when the heads of family, almost always the men, would be removed from the train car and separated from their families. These men would then be taken to a work camp, a gulag, while their families would be taken to a different village.

The places people were deported to varied significantly depending on the year and location of deportation. Some were dropped in the freezing and empty lands of Siberia with no houses and no food. Some improvised small barracks and received indirect help from local villagers, as seen in particular cases in Kazakhstan. Most often, the deported Bessarabians lived outside the local villages and reported to the local authority on a daily basis. This system would prevent people from escaping.

Significant Years

While the deportations started after the occupation of Bessarabia in 1940 and lasted till the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, most significant were the deportations of 1941, 1949 and 1951.

1941

During the night from July 12 to 13th 1941, 5479 people were arrested and 24360 deported from Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina.

1949

The July 5th to 6th 1949 operation, titled “South,” led to the deportation of 35786 people.

1951

April 1st to 2nd 1951 - Operation “North” - 2617 people were deported.

The Fate of the Deportees

The fate of deported Bessarabians similarly was conditional to each individual family. Some managed to return to Bessarabia after 1941, only to be deported again in 1949. Others returned home to remaining relatives after the death of Stalin in 1953. A few revisited home just to return to Siberia and continue their lives there. Cemeteries housing Bessarabian citizens can be found in the forests of Siberia and Kazakhstan today.

I saw dad in the Chisinau train station. They let brother George come with us. They put us on different trains. Dad was crying. He managed to shout to our mom to take care of us. That was the last time I ever saw my father (...) We spent another night in the train station. The next day, our train also started towards an unknown destination. The children were crying. Some were overcome by fear, while others were begging for water. They put us on another extremely cramped train car. My face and hands were black. We spent two weeks on the road, with virtually no water and food.

Vladimir Bodareu (1941 deportee), as reported by Igor Cașu in Dușmanul de Clasă

Commemorating the victims of Soviet repression. Chișinău, 2023

Photo Source: ziarulnational.md

July 6th - A Day to commemorate the victims of Soviet Repression

July 6th has been chosen as the day to commemorate the victims of Soviet repression. In 2023, the exhibition Bessarabians in the Gulag took place in the Chișinău city center (capital of Moldova). Part of the exhibition were two train cars modeled to match the cattle wagons used to transport the deportees. Moldovan authorities “assumed the responsibility to open museums commemorating that dark day in Bessarabian history in every village (Ziarul Național 2023).”

Sources

1. Introductory Photo: Unsplash.com/ Wix Database

2. Hitchins, K. A., & Buckmaster, B. (2023, July 13). History of Moldova. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Moldova

3. TRM. “Biggest Wave of Deportations in Bessarabia, 70 Years Ago,” July 5, 2019. https://trm.md/en/social/70-de-ani-de-la-cel-mai-mare-val-de-deportari-in-basarabia.

4. “Today Marks 77 Years since the First Soviet Mass Deportation from Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina | PUBLIKA .MD - AICI SUNT ȘTIRILE.” Accessed August 17, 2023. https://en.publika.md/today-marks-77-years-since-the-first-soviet-mass-deportation-from-bessarabia-and-northern-bukovina_2651241.html.

5. dokumen.tips. “(PDF) Moldovenii sub teroarea bolşevică.” Accessed August 17, 2023. https://dokumen.tips/documents/moldovenii-sub-teroarea-bolsevica.html.

6. Romani.md June 6, 2018. https://www.romani.md/granitele-romaniei-a-fost-romania-mare-sau-romania-mica/

7. Cașu, I. Dușmanul de Clasă. Cartier, 2014. ISBN 978-9975-79-828-0.

8. Țâcu, Octavian. Homo Moldovanus Sovietic. Editura ARC, 2019. ISBN 978-9975-0-0324-7

9. “VIDEO // Expoziția „Basarabenii În Gulag”, Dedicată Victimelor Deportărilor Regimului Stalinist, Inaugurată În Două VAGOANE Instalate În PMAN. Ministrul Culturii Și-a Luat Angajamentul Să Deschidă În Fiecare Localitate Câte Un MUZEU al Memoriei.” Accessed August 17, 2023. https://www.ziarulnational.md/video-expozitia-basarabenii-in-gulag-dedicata-victimelor-deportarilor-regimului-stalinist-inaugurata-in-doua-vagoane-instalate-in-pman-ministrul-culturii-si-a-luat-angajamentul-sa-deschida-in-fiecare-localitate-cate-un-muzeu-al-memoriei/.

10. The overview and historical context sections have been summarized based on the following sources: Homo Moldovanus Sovietic by Octavian Țâcu, Dușmanul de Clasă by Igor Cașu, Istoria Tragică a Bucovinei, Basarabiei și Ținutului Herța by Ion Gherman, Moldova De Peste Nistru-Vechi Pământ Srămoșesc by Nicolae Dabija, and from personal previous knowledge.

*All the translations from the Romanian are mine, unless otherwise specified.