The state of Polish prisoners of war in Siberia in the early 1920s

The article is devoted to the Polish prisoners of war who took part in the Civil War at the side of Kolchak in the Fifth Polish Rifle Division. The Division was formed in the spring of 1919 and was a member of the Army of the Entente states in Eastern Russia and in Western Siberia. During the evacuation of foreign troops to the East at the end of 1919, the Division was surrounded by the "Reds" near Krasnoyarsk and capitulated on January 10, 1920. About 11000 people were imprisoned by the Bolsheviks. These prisoners were expecting repatriation to Poland in the South of the Yenisei Province. The Soviet Government had to solve the following problems: formation of loyalty to the Soviet regime to export the revolution to the West; identification and elimination of the opponents of the Bolsheviks. They needed to consider the contradictions within the division that arose prior to the surrender. There were prisoners of the Austro-Hungarian and German armies and the former lieges of the Russian Empire in the division. After the restoration of the independence of Poland the "Austrians" and "Germans" lost their interest in the events in Russia and wanted to return to their homeland. There was also no unity among the "Russians". Some associated their life with independent Poland, and were supporters of neutrality in the Civil War. Others, especially the officers of the former Tsar's army, identified themselves with Russia and hated the Bolsheviks. The fight against ideological enemies was carried out by the Cheka. Under particular control were former officers and intellectuals. The arrested prisoners were charged with voluntary service for Kolchak, recruiting people for the Polish Legion, counter-revolutionary propaganda. The repression continued even after the conclusion of the Riga peace treaty between Poland and Soviet Russia. The prisoners of war were part of labour brigades in the Yenisei Province that were sent for logging and working at industrial enterprises. There were people among the captives who had secondary and higher education and were in demand in the condition of the economic collapse, those were specialists - agronomists, doctors and so on. They worked in Soviet institutions and enterprises, regardless even of there noble origin. After signing the Riga peace treaty the repatriation of Poles to their homeland started. About 5572 prisoners of war could go to Poland (the total of 7779 persons together with their family members).

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