such as Jews or Russians who had left Russia after the revolution.

Before the first mass deportation, the Soviet authorities went after important personalities of the Estonian state. On Jul. 17, 1940, General Johan Laidoner and his wife were deported to Penza in Russia. President Konstantin Päts and his wife were arrested on Jul. 30 and deported to Ufa.

On Aug. 6, 1940, Estonia was annexed by the Soviet Union. In the same year, over 1,000 were arrested, and a lot of them executed. Preparations for the first mass deportations started shortly after.

A first wave was formally ordered on May 14, 1941.

Mass deportations start on 13 June 1941

The mass deportations began on the night of Jun. 13, 1941. Armed units were given lists of whom to find and take tothe collection points. There were altogether 11,102 people listed in Estonia.

They were given one hour to get ready, and weren't allowed to take anything along beyond the absolutely necessary. This meant that they had to leave valuables, but also personal objects behind. In some cases, especially when their homes had been preselected by Soviet officials as quarters for their own use, the deportees watched on as the new occupants moved in.

The people were then loaded onto trucks and taken to collection points, mostly railway stations. 490 freight cars stood ready to take them to Russia. The men were separated from their families. Altogether more than 7,000 women, children, and elderly were deported. More than a quarter of the deportees were under 16 years old.

Along with the listed Estonians