The Soviet deportations from Estonia were a series of mass deportations carried out by the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1953, targeting ethnic Estonians and other groups such as Germans, Ingrian Finns, and Jehovah's Witnesses. The deportations occurred during two major waves in June 1941 and March 1949, alongside continuous smaller-scale removals. These deportations were part of broader Soviet efforts to suppress resistance and enforce collectivization policies in the Baltic states, including Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
June 1941 Deportations
The first large wave occurred in June 1941, targeting Estonia’s political and military elite as well as ordinary civilians. Over 9,000 people, including women and children, were forcibly deported to remote regions of the Soviet Union, primarily Siberia and Kazakhstan. This deportation was interrupted by the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union shortly after.
March 1949 Deportations (Operation Priboi)
The second major wave in 1949 aimed to break resistance to Soviet collectivization efforts. More than 20,000 Estonians were deported in this operation, accounting for over 2.5% of Estonia’s population. Most deportees were women and children, sent to Siberia in appalling conditions.
Throughout the deportations, individuals were taken without trial and subjected to forced labor or harsh living conditions, leading to the deaths of many deportees. After Stalin's death, surviving deportees were allowed to return during the Khrushchev Thaw, but many never made it back. The Estonian government and international bodies, including the European Court of Human Rights, have declared the deportations to be crimes against humanity.