Deportation of the Balkars (1944)

All the more monstrous are those acts whose initiator was Stalin and which were rude violations of the basic Leninist principles [behind our] Soviet state’s nationalities policies.

In April, 1944, all Balkars were deported from the territory of the Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Republic to faraway places and their Republic itself was renamed the Autonomous Kabardian Republic.

many of whom had previously participated in operations to resettle the Karachai and Kalmyks, and in addition will participate in the forthcoming operation to resettle Balkarians

The operation to gather all ethnic Balkars for deportation was implemented by Lavrenti Beria of the NKVD (present-day FSB). Joseph Stalin approved it. Beria arrived in Nalchik on 2 March 1944, and the deportation began six days later.

The entire Balkar ethnic group, a total of 37,713 individuals, were rounded up and loaded into 14 cattle wagons headed for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Over 500 died during the transport to Central Asia, but far more died in the harsh conditions upon arrival. Soviet figures indicate that almost 20% of the entire ethnic group perished in exile.

Out of the initial 37,713 people who were deported to Central Asia, it is estimated that 7600 died.

My father’s uncle died on the way, and so did his cousin. The family were not allowed to bury them.

In 1957, the Balkars were allowed to return home.

In fulfillment of the decree of the State Defense Committee, the NKVD moved 602,193 residents of the Northern Caucasus, among them 496,460 Chechens and Ingushetians, 68,327 Karachaevs, and 37.406 Balkirs to permanent residence in the Kazakh and Kirghiz SSRs from February through March 1944.

101,036 Chechens, Ingush, Balkardians, and Karachaevtsy died in this period (23.3 percent of the deportees), 485 Kalmycks (20.7 percent), 443 Crimean Tatars (10.1 percent), and 19,501 Germans, representing 8.9 percent of the German exiles.