In 1939, after USSR and Germany "divided" and invaded Poland, Stalin deported 1.7-2 million Poles to slave labour camps in Siberia and Kazakhstan. Only one third of them survived. Among so called "Poles", many were of other nations- second largest- up to 7% were Jews, also were Belarussians, Russians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Ukrainians etc. nations, who lived in these lands through centuries of existance of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The date for the first deportation was February 10, 1940. It hit "legionaries" (former warriors of Piłsudski's legions, who had afterwards received allotments) and State employees with their families, among them many forestry workers, but also a huge number of ordinary farmers, Poles as well as Ukrainians.

Parts of this stream, which came to our region in March of 1940, were widely scattered. After having arrived in Krasnoyarsk, they literally dispersed deportees from one transport to all ends of the region. Parts of them were taken to the district of Yartsevo, some to the Mana River (Vilistoye), others to the timber factory in Maklakovo, to the gold mines in the Udereysk and North-Yenissey districts (Yelenka, Ayakhta and others) or to the Snamensk glassworks near Krasnoyarsk, etc., etc.

According to the data available to us this stream of exiles came to our region exclusively from the southern voivodships (Lvov, Stanislavsk and Tarnopol). We do not have of any information concerning deportees from other regions in Poland.

The second rank, in terms of figures, is taken by the deportation of fugitives (mainly Jews) in April 1940. A particularly great number of fugitives had accumulated in Lvov at that time. Among them were not only fugitives from the western areas of Poland but also from Czechoslovakia and Austria. At first the Soviet members of the occupation forces suggested the fugitives "voluntarily" go to Siberia or Kazakhstan, but when only very few accepted, all of them were taken there under escort.

We have mostly indirect information from various sources about deportees that came to our region with this stream. There were such exiles in Khakassia and in Tasseyevo. On the lists issued on the occasion of the repatriation transports from Abakan and Minusinsk, Jewish families represent 20% to 25% of those named.

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