Maslenki

The Maslenki incident, was an attack by Soviet NKVD troops on 15 June 1940 against the Latvian border posts in district of Abrene at the then USSR/Latvian Republic border on the eve of Soviet occupation of Latvia.

The incident, though mainly known by the name of "Maslenki" ("Masļenki" in Latvian) border post, in fact consisted of three separate nearly simultaneously launched attacks on Latvian border posts by Soviet forces at the early dawn of June 15, 1940. Two border posts were actually attacked and another commenced attack was canceled. As a result 3 border guards and 2 civilians (incl. one child) were killed, 37 were kidnapped and brought to USSR as hostages.

(Here and further on references to the book of Andrejs Edvīns Feldmanis^[1])

List of Soviet attacks on Latvian border guards on 15 June 1940:

1. The most notorious attack on Maslenki border post at 02:30, which resulted in death of 3 border guards and 2 civilians and facilities burnt down, as well as several persons being kidnapped. Several persons who were either kidnapped or left behind were wounded.
2. Another attack on border post Smaili (Šmaiļi) at 3:00, which resulted in kidnapping of border guards and civilians, including inhabitants of near-by homes. Children as young as 1 year were kidnapped.
3. Third attack on border post Zuguri (Žuguri) was called off when NKVD attackers realized, that they were noticed.

Killed by NKVD troops in Maslenki:

• Border guards:
  • Jānis Macītis (killed by gunfire and by a planted grenade which tore off his left foot)
  • Pēteris Cimoška (torn to pieces by a planted cluster of grenades)
  • Kārlis Beizaks (killed by gunfire and grenades)

• Civilians:
  • Hermīne Puriņa (née. Kalniņa) (wife of a border guard, killed by gunfire)
  • Voldemārs Puriņš (14 years old son of a border guard, lethally wounded by gunfire, died on the next day in hospital in Rezekne)

In both Maslenki and Smaili in total 37 persons were kidnapped by attacking Soviet troops and brought away to USSR as hostages. 10 of those were border guards, the rest were civilians, including women and small children (as young as 1 and 2 years old). 36 of the kidnapped were returned by Soviets on 7 July 1940.

References

1. ^ Feldmanis, Andrejs Edvīns (2002) (in Latvian and English (extended summary)). Masļenku traģēdija - Latvijas traģēdija : Tragedy of Masļenki - Latvia's tragedy (2nd supplemented ed.). Riga, Latvia: Latvijas 50 gadu okupācijas muzeja fonds. pp. 355. ISBN 9984933296. 

Further reading

• Feldmanis, Andrejs Edvīns (2002) (in Latvian and English (extended summary)). Masļenku traģēdija - Latvijas traģēdija : Tragedy of Masļenki - Latvia's tragedy (2nd supplemented ed.). Riga, Latvia: Latvijas 50 gadu okupācijas muzeja fonds. pp. 355. ISBN 9984933296.