Thousands of Poles participated in the Bolshevik revolution with unusual fanaticism, persistently consolidating Stalin’s imperial power in the Soviet Union and the communist authorities in Poland. Who were these rank-and-file communists and their leaders? What drew them into the whirlwind of building this new form of totalitarianism, and how did they differ from the Soviet Bolsheviks? Did they have their dilemmas? They long ago ceased to be “legends of the revolutionary movement” and “heroes of the Soviet Union.” But do they all undoubtedly deserve the titles of “traitors” and “lackeys of Moscow”?

These are the questions to which we will get an answer during the meeting with Professor Nikolai Ivanov, the author of the book „Ludzie Kremla nad Wisłą. Ideowcy czy zdrajcy?” which will take place on July 11 at 3:00 p.m. at the Sybir Memorial Museum, ul. Węglowa 1 (1 Węglowa Street), Białystok.

Professor Nikolai Ivanov is an eminent expert on the subject, the discoverer of the unknown genocide of Poles in the USSR, the so-called Polish operation carried out by the NKVD in 1937-1938; over the periot 1981-1989, he was the only Soviet citizen actively involved in the underground Solidarity movement; a former employee of Radio Free Europe. In his book, he juxtaposes the biographies, choices, and dramas of Polish Communists, writing about figures such as Feliks Dzerzhinsky — the father of the “Red Terror”, Julian Marchlewski — a symbol of Polish Communist autonomy, Józef Unszlicht — a Bolshevik hero of the Russian Civil War, Stanisław Kosior — the butcher of Ukraine, and Konstanty Rokossowski — Stalin’s first Pole. He does not overlook two other dictators — Bierut and Władysław Gomułka.

July 11, 2024

Time: 3:00 p.m.

ul. Węglowa 1, Białystok

Free admittance!