When WWII broke out, the Ukrainian Insurrection Army (UPA) was an organized and efficient popular army. Soon after the end of the war, Stalin decided to bring a definitive conclusion to the rebellious tendencies of the region’s citizenry. Fearing ‘political contamination’, the Bolsheviks engaged special NKVD brigades under the authority of the Minister of Internal Affairs, and on Stalin’s personal demand, supported by independent heavy tank regiments.
