2: Vasily Blokhin and the Katyn Massacre
Manage episode 404988628 series 3553229
This week's episode is crammed with enough villains to last several lifetimes, but Vasily Blokhin gets the title spot, because he still reigns as the current Guinness World Record holder for most prolific executioner/mass murderer, with more than 7000 killings to his name. And that's only for the Katyn Massacre. As Joseph Stalin's chief executioner, Blokhin's total death count likely ranks in the tens of thousands.
Learn how the early days of the Soviet Union and the dueling pressure cookers of two world wars allowed a monster like Blokhin to grow and thrive. You'll also hear how Soviet allies in the west (including the United States) helped cover up his horrific deeds for nearly half a century, and how the tragedy of nearly 25,000 murdered Polish citizens continues to fuel political unrest between Russia and Poland to this very day.
RESOURCE LINKS:
https://allthatsinteresting.com/vasily-blokhin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyn_massacre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Terror
Credits:
Main Theme Music -- Ken Dickson
Main Graphics -- Nathaniel Dickson
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