Soviet raid on Stołpce
Encyclopedia
Soviet raid on Stołpce refers to the events of the night of August 3/4, 1924, when a group of 150 Soviet agents, commanded by Lieutnant Boryshkevich, raided
the town of Stołpce (now: Stoubcy, Belarus
), which back then was a railroad border crossing between Second Polish Republic
, and Soviet Union
. The raid ended in temporary capture of the town, and destruction of a police station, railroad station, and several houses.
, the border between the two countries was established roughly along the 1400-kilometer line going from the Daugava in the north, to the Dniester
in the south - east of the line marked by the towns of Lida
- Baranowicze - Luniniec
- Sarny
- Rowne
- Brody
. The town of Stołpce therefore became part of the Second Polish Republic
, and was a border rail station along the main European rail line Paris
- Berlin
- Warsaw
- Minsk
- Moscow
.
Newly established Polish - Soviet border from the beginning was marred by violence. The Soviets regarded it as temporary, and, hoping to ignite a revolution in Poland, carried out a guerilla war against Polish authorities. At the same time, the Poles supported for a time Belorussian partisan movement, and Polish Army teams also penetrated into the Soviet area. In one of the most famous incidents of this kind, Soviet agents captured a passenger train from Pinsk
to Luniniec. This event took place on September 24, 1924, near the village of Lowcza, and the Soviets were commanded by Trofim Kalinienko. Among passengers of the train, there were local personalities - Voivode of Polesie Voivodeship
Stanislaw Downarowicz, Roman Catholic bishop Zygmunt Lozinski of Minsk and Pinsk, and well-known Senator of the Second Polish Republic
, Boleslaw Wyslouch. After robbing all valuables, the attackers escaped into Soviet territory. Before escaping, Kalinienko handed a “receipt” to train conductor. It stated: “Ataman
Trofim Kalinienko, Headquarters Timkowicze”
Originally, the border was guarded by units of the Polish Police, but the situation was getting out of control, and the government in Warsaw knew it had to find a solution. Altogether, in the year 1924, along the Polish - Soviet border there were some 200 raids, in which around 1000 Soviet agents participated, and at least 54 people died. Year 1924 was by far the worst, especially summer and autumn. In the night of July 18/19, 1924, some 30 armed Soviet agents attacked the village of Wiszniew, located in Wolozyn county of Nowogródek Voivodeship. During the raid, the perpetrators stole the valuables, and a skirmish ensued, during which commandant of Polish Police station was killed. Raids also took place in Polish part of Volhynia
, where manor houses and villages were robbed, and horses were stolen.
Polish authorities knew well who stood behind these raids, and what was their real purpose. In 1925, Colonel Juliusz Ulrych of freshly created Border Protection Corps
(Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza, KOP) wrote: “The Soviets have undertaken the plan to capture eastern lands of Poland
, even though there is no official war. They want to use these provinces as a foreground of their struggle, in which the sphere of influence of Russian statehood would dominate over the sphere of influence of Poland. Therefore we witness immense activities of diversionary nature, with widespread Communist groups, willingly supporting banditry”.
The purpose of the raid was to free two imprisoned Communist activists. According to some Polish sources, the raid, as well as other incidents of this kind along the border, was organized by Zakordonnyj Otdiel (Zakordot), a Soviet agency created in Moscow
in 1920, whose purpose was to set eastern Poland on fire. These sources claim that agents of Zakordot carried out the raid, during which they destroyed Stołpce's Police Station, rail station, post office and kidnapped a number of Polish citizens.
After the raid, the invaders got back to the Soviet Union, but due to diplomatic consequences of that action, Moscow decided to quit its program of peacetime attacks on its neighbors, preferring to start preparations for wartime sabotage and diversion under the authority of the Red Army's Intelligence Directorate.
Raid (military)
Raid, also known as depredation, is a military tactic or operational warfare mission which has a specific purpose and is not normally intended to capture and hold terrain, but instead finish with the raiding force quickly retreating to a previous defended position prior to the enemy forces being...
the town of Stołpce (now: Stoubcy, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
), which back then was a railroad border crossing between Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, and 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....
. The raid ended in temporary capture of the town, and destruction of a police station, railroad station, and several houses.
Background
After Polish-Soviet WarPolish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
, the border between the two countries was established roughly along the 1400-kilometer line going from the Daugava in the north, to the Dniester
Dniester
The Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe. It runs through Ukraine and Moldova and separates most of Moldova's territory from the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria.-Names:...
in the south - east of the line marked by the towns of Lida
Lida
Lida is a city in western Belarus in Hrodna Voblast, situated 160 km west of Minsk. It is the fourteenth largest city in Belarus.- Etymology :...
- Baranowicze - Luniniec
Luniniec
Luninets is a town and administrative centre for the Luninets district in Brest Province, Belarus, before which it was in Poland and Russia and the Soviet Union . It has a population of some 24,000, and is immediately east of the Pinsk district within Brest...
- Sarny
Sarny
Sarny translated as Deer, is a small city in the Rivne Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Sarny Raion , and is a major railway node on the Sluch River.The current estimated population is 27,700....
- Rowne
Równe
Równe may refer to:*Polish name for Rivne in Ukraine*Równe, Masovian Voivodeship *Równe, Opole Voivodeship *Równe, Pomeranian Voivodeship *Równe, Subcarpathian Voivodeship...
- Brody
Brody
Brody is a city in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Brody Raion , and is located in the valley of the upper Styr River, approximately 90 kilometres northeast of the oblast capital, Lviv...
. The town of Stołpce therefore became part of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, and was a border rail station along the main European rail line Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
- Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
- Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
- Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
- Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Newly established Polish - Soviet border from the beginning was marred by violence. The Soviets regarded it as temporary, and, hoping to ignite a revolution in Poland, carried out a guerilla war against Polish authorities. At the same time, the Poles supported for a time Belorussian partisan movement, and Polish Army teams also penetrated into the Soviet area. In one of the most famous incidents of this kind, Soviet agents captured a passenger train from Pinsk
Pinsk
Pinsk , a town in Belarus, in the Polesia region, traversed by the river Pripyat, at the confluence of the Strumen and Pina rivers. The region was known as the Marsh of Pinsk. It is a fertile agricultural center. It lies south-west of Minsk. The population is about 130,000...
to Luniniec. This event took place on September 24, 1924, near the village of Lowcza, and the Soviets were commanded by Trofim Kalinienko. Among passengers of the train, there were local personalities - Voivode of Polesie Voivodeship
Polesie Voivodeship
Polesie Voivodeship was an administrative unit of interwar Poland . It ceased to exist in September 1939, following German and Soviet aggression on Poland .-Population:...
Stanislaw Downarowicz, Roman Catholic bishop Zygmunt Lozinski of Minsk and Pinsk, and well-known Senator of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, Boleslaw Wyslouch. After robbing all valuables, the attackers escaped into Soviet territory. Before escaping, Kalinienko handed a “receipt” to train conductor. It stated: “Ataman
Ataman
Ataman was a commander title of the Ukrainian People's Army, Cossack, and haidamak leaders, who were in essence the Cossacks...
Trofim Kalinienko, Headquarters Timkowicze”
Originally, the border was guarded by units of the Polish Police, but the situation was getting out of control, and the government in Warsaw knew it had to find a solution. Altogether, in the year 1924, along the Polish - Soviet border there were some 200 raids, in which around 1000 Soviet agents participated, and at least 54 people died. Year 1924 was by far the worst, especially summer and autumn. In the night of July 18/19, 1924, some 30 armed Soviet agents attacked the village of Wiszniew, located in Wolozyn county of Nowogródek Voivodeship. During the raid, the perpetrators stole the valuables, and a skirmish ensued, during which commandant of Polish Police station was killed. Raids also took place in Polish part of Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
, where manor houses and villages were robbed, and horses were stolen.
Polish authorities knew well who stood behind these raids, and what was their real purpose. In 1925, Colonel Juliusz Ulrych of freshly created Border Protection Corps
Border Protection Corps
The Border Protection Corps was a Polish military formation that was created in 1924 to defend the country's eastern borders against armed Soviet incursions and local bandits....
(Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza, KOP) wrote: “The Soviets have undertaken the plan to capture eastern lands of Poland
Kresy
The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...
, even though there is no official war. They want to use these provinces as a foreground of their struggle, in which the sphere of influence of Russian statehood would dominate over the sphere of influence of Poland. Therefore we witness immense activities of diversionary nature, with widespread Communist groups, willingly supporting banditry”.
Raid on Stołpce
The raid on Stołpce, which was described as “uniquely brazen” took place in the night of August 3/4, 1924. It was a well-organized, meticulously planned action, carried out by a group of 150 Soviet agents, divided into four platoons. Apart from handguns and grenades, the perpetrators had three machine guns. Those who were captured by Polish police officers, stated that they had been trained for the mission by Soviet officers in Minsk, the capital of Soviet Belarus.The purpose of the raid was to free two imprisoned Communist activists. According to some Polish sources, the raid, as well as other incidents of this kind along the border, was organized by Zakordonnyj Otdiel (Zakordot), a Soviet agency created in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1920, whose purpose was to set eastern Poland on fire. These sources claim that agents of Zakordot carried out the raid, during which they destroyed Stołpce's Police Station, rail station, post office and kidnapped a number of Polish citizens.
After the raid, the invaders got back to the Soviet Union, but due to diplomatic consequences of that action, Moscow decided to quit its program of peacetime attacks on its neighbors, preferring to start preparations for wartime sabotage and diversion under the authority of the Red Army's Intelligence Directorate.