Main Administration for Affairs of Prisoners of War and Internees
Encyclopedia
The Main Administration for Affairs of Prisoners of War and Internees was a department of NKVD
(later MVD) in charge of handling of foreign civilian internees and POW in the Soviet Union
during and in the aftermath of the World War II
(1939–1953).
It was established within NKVD under the name "Administration for Affairs of Prisoners of War and Internees (UPVI) in September 1939 after the Soviet invasion of Poland
. The qualifier "main" was added in January 1945.
The legal foundation was the Sovnarkom Decree of July 1, 1941 "Regulations about Prisoners of War" ("Положение о военнопленных"), which was updated by the September 29, 1945 "Regulations about the Labor Use of Prisoners of War" (Положение о трудовом использовании военнопленных).
In many ways the GUPVI system was similar to GULAG
. Its major function was the organization of foreign forced labor in the Soviet Union
. The top management of GUPVI came from GULAG system. The major noted distinction from GULAG was the absence of convicted criminals in the GUPVI camps. Otherwise the conditions in both camp systems were similar: hard labor, poor nutrition and living conditions, high mortality rate.
Another noted distinction was that GUPVI was a major source of recruitment of future communist activists for communist state
s, such as GDR and People's Republic of Poland
, as well as various "democratic committees" of Japanese, Austrians, etc. Significant efforts were channelled into " ideological reforging" (идеологическая перековка) of the laborers, and numerous clubs, libraries, local radiostations were created.
In total, during the whole period of the existence of GUPVI there were over 500 POW camps(within the Soviet Union and abroad) which imprisoned over 4,000,000 POW.
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
(later MVD) in charge of handling of foreign civilian internees and POW in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during and in the aftermath of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(1939–1953).
It was established within NKVD under the name "Administration for Affairs of Prisoners of War and Internees (UPVI) in September 1939 after the Soviet invasion of Poland
Soviet invasion of Poland (1939)
The 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland was a Soviet military operation that started without a formal declaration of war on 17 September 1939, during the early stages of World War II. Sixteen days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, the Soviet Union did so from the east...
. The qualifier "main" was added in January 1945.
The legal foundation was the Sovnarkom Decree of July 1, 1941 "Regulations about Prisoners of War" ("Положение о военнопленных"), which was updated by the September 29, 1945 "Regulations about the Labor Use of Prisoners of War" (Положение о трудовом использовании военнопленных).
In many ways the GUPVI system was similar to GULAG
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
. Its major function was the organization of foreign forced labor in the Soviet Union
Foreign forced labor in the Soviet Union
Foreign forced labor was used by the Soviet Union during and in the aftermath of the World War II, which continued up to 1950s.There have been two categories of foreigners amassed for forced labor: prisoners of war and civilians...
. The top management of GUPVI came from GULAG system. The major noted distinction from GULAG was the absence of convicted criminals in the GUPVI camps. Otherwise the conditions in both camp systems were similar: hard labor, poor nutrition and living conditions, high mortality rate.
Another noted distinction was that GUPVI was a major source of recruitment of future communist activists for communist state
Communist state
A communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule or dominant-party rule of a communist party and a professed allegiance to a Leninist or Marxist-Leninist communist ideology as the guiding principle of the state...
s, such as GDR and People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
, as well as various "democratic committees" of Japanese, Austrians, etc. Significant efforts were channelled into " ideological reforging" (идеологическая перековка) of the laborers, and numerous clubs, libraries, local radiostations were created.
In total, during the whole period of the existence of GUPVI there were over 500 POW camps(within the Soviet Union and abroad) which imprisoned over 4,000,000 POW.
Chiefs
- 1939-1943: Pyotr Soprunenko, major of state security
- 1943-1945: I.A. Petrov, lieutenant generalLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
- 1945-1947: Mikhail Krivenko (Krivenko Mikhail Spiridonovich, 1904–1954)
- 1947-1949: Taras Filippov, lieutenant general
- 1949-1950: I.A. Petrov, lieutenant general (deputy chief, until his discharge by health reasons on November 21, 1950)
- 1950-1953: Amayak Kobulov, lieutenant general (1950-1951: NKVD GUPVI, 1951-1953: MVD UPVI)