June 1415 marks yet another anniversary of the cruel and outrageous occupation by the Soviet Union of the Baltic States. Fortytwo years have passed since the great and proud citizens of Lithuania. Latvia. and Estonia were overrun by the Communists. who inhumanly exiled. deported. tortured. and murdered thousands. The Soviets in 1940 were committed to the systematic destruction of these three proud nations. along with the elimination of the languages. literatures. cultures. and religions of their people. In order to insure the success of their intentions. the Soviets first ordered the executions of the intellectuals and those who were politically active. Then efforts were concentrated on the massive deportation of the peasants and others whose only desire was to be left alone and live in peace. About 1 year later. the Russians intensified their efforts to break the will of the people to resist communism. Men. women. and even little children of entire villages were rounded up and herded together under miserably overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. and were shipped in railroad boxcars east to the Soviet Union. Although these genocidal deportations briefly stopped when Germany invaded the Baltic States in June 1941. when the Red army regained control in 1944. the deportations began again. In fact. during the last 42 years of occupation. the Soviets have deported millions of Estonians. Lithuanians. and Latvians. from their native lands to remote parts of their slave empire. and at the same time. have introduced large number of Russians into the Baltic States "to Russify" them further. Nevertheless. the Communists have been unable to crush the spirit and the cultures of these peoples.
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deported deportations deportation