Parliament passed resolution No. 16005 condemning the actions of NKVD and SMERSH
The Verkhovna Rada has officially recognised the Soviet administration's repression in Zakarpattia between 1944 and 1946 as crimes of the communist totalitarian regime. A total of 261 MPs voted for the resolution. This was reported by Ukrinform, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
The document adopted by parliament classifies the actions of the Soviet military administration as crimes of the communist totalitarian regime. Specifically, it addresses mass deportations, extrajudicial executions, and the persecution of civilians in the region by members of the NKVD and SMERSH.
A separate section of the resolution declares the illegality of repression against ethnic Hungarians, known as the “malenkiy robot” (little work), and the German population. The state condemns all forms of pressure on citizens based on national, religious, or social grounds that occurred in Zakarpattia during the post-war period.
Historical memory and archival work
To restore historical justice, Ukraine plans to open access to historical archives from that era and support specialised academic research. The resolution provides for the installation of memorials to victims of the regime and the introduction of educational programmes focused on highlighting the totalitarian past.
MPs emphasised that the methods employed by the Soviet authorities share characteristics with the actions of Russian occupiers in the temporarily seized territories of Ukraine. According to the parliament, the current armed aggression by Russia is accompanied by identical repressive practices against civilians.
International cooperation on investigating crimes
The Verkhovna Rada has appealed to the international community and academic institutions of democratic nations to engage in collaborative work. The goal of this cooperation is to document the crimes of Soviet totalitarianism across Ukraine to preserve the truth about these historical tragedies.
Previously, in May 2023, the Verkhovna Rada condemned Ruscism as the foundational ideology of the Russian Federation’s state policy. This new resolution continues the state’s consistent policy of condemning both past and present totalitarian practices.
Illustrative photo: Perohanych / CC BY-SA 4.0
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