In the summer of 1940 the Soviet Union occupied Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as a result of the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union on 23 August 1939. In the aftermath of the Second World War, Estonia lost approximately 17.5% of its population.
Soviet Union executed series of mass deportations in Estonia in 1941 and 1945-1951. Approximately 33.000 Estonian citizens were deported.
The two deportations that affected Estonia as well as Latvia and Lithuania most were executed in June 1941 and March 1949. In Estonia 14 June 1941 and 25 March 1949, are annually observed as days of mourning. The March 1949 deportation was the largest of these when over 20,000 people, mostly women and children, were deported from Estonia.
People were deported to remote areas of the Soviet Union, mainly to Kazakhstan and Siberia. Entire families, including children and the elderly, were deported without trial or prior announcement. Of March 1949 deportees, over 70% of people were women and children under the age of 16.
Source: Estonian World and Wikipedia
Photo: Estonian World