The " Märtsipommitamine" bombings in Tallinn during World War 2, are well-known to the general public. On March 9-10, 1944, over a thousand incendiary bombs were dropped on Tallinn by Soviet forces, killing over 700 people and leaving over 20,000 people without shelter. However, what is rarely mentioned is the fact that several weeks later, heavy air bombing was also carried out by Soviet forces in Rēzekne, Latvia (this time during Easter, April 9, 1944). Two-thirds of Rēzekne's buildings were destroyed, and less than half the population remained by the end of the war.
Since I have done some research on the 1944 Rēzekne bombing, it is timely to point out how similar they are to what Colonel Patrick Sullivan has described in the Economist, April 8, 2022 for Ukraine (ref: Why Russia’s Army Commits Atrocities,
https://www.economist.com/by-i... is to “..." clear" - as in Grozny and Aleppo, cities destroyed by Russian bombardment".
And now today (on Easter weekend, April 16, 2022) the New York Times headlines state: "Explosions Rock Kyiv Even as Russia Prepares for Eastern Offensive".
Rēzekne, Easter 1944: Some facts.....
1. Massive destruction of buildings.
2. Residents were left homeless with very few options to stay or time to pack luggage. Basically you were lucky to leave and often the only clothes you had, were the clothes you wore. Everything else had been destroyed.
3. Civilians trying to leave the area by train after the bombing of the city, also encountered Soviet forces attacking the train station, even though they were clearly civilian evacuations (personal communication). A typical example: For one of the families trying to leave by train, only one of three in the group was able to escape by train. The second family member was severely wounded when Soviet forces attacked the train station, and the third had to stay behind to care for his severely wounded sibling (personal communication).
Looking back to the years both preceding and after 1944, the Soviets organized large scale deportations of civilians......usually because (1) they were high profile anti-Communists, (2) sometimes because they were "kulaks", business owners who had one or two employees, and (3) thirdly, because there were quotas for deportations, meaning that you had to deport a certain number of people from each district, even if they did not fulfill criteria (1) and (2) above.
What does such "clearing" of cities do in the long run? According to recent scientific research, it produces what Professor James Fallon (University of California, Irvine) calls "the Psychopath Inside". It is hard to see what the advantage for Russia would be in producing a refugee population, likely to include people intent on revenge and atrocities after being "cleared" from their homes. Are there economic advantages for Russia after "clearing" Ukrainian cities of their populations? Ukraine is considered to be one of the top three exporters of grain in the world. Like East Germany, Ukraine has huge uranium reserves. Eastern Europe produced about two-thirds of the total Soviet uranium inventory historically; East Germany (SDAG Wismut) routinely mined and shipped, 1947-1990, huge quantities of uranium to the Soviet Union to build nuclear weapons and so on (personal communication).
Analysis to be continued as more becomes known about Russia’s intentions for Ukraine.
D.M. Helmeste, Ph.D.
