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Mykola Zakorko

Head of the Stalinska Railway (since 1961 — Prydniprovska Railway) in 1944, Director-General of Traffic of the 2nd rank. He personally supervised the preparation and loading of the echelons carrying deported Crimean Tatars.

Overview

Mykola Zakorko headed the Stalinska Railway during the preparation and execution of the deportation of the Crimean Tatars in May 1944. He sent coded telegrams with operational reports on the progress of providing the special transports of the Investigation Committee (IC) of the NKVD directly to the People's Commissar of Railways Lazar Kaganovich. According to the reports, Zakorko personally traveled to Crimea on 18.05.1944 at 8:00 a.m. to supervise the loading of the echelons on-site.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Position (1944): Head of the Stalinska Railway, Director-General of Traffic of the 2nd rank.
  • Role in the deportation: organization of the accumulation of rolling stock (up to 6,100 railcars) and personal supervision of the loading of the IC's echelons.
  • Reporting: daily coded telegrams to the People's Commissar of Railways Lazar Kaganovich (13–21 May 1944).
  • Archival evidence: State Archive of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, F. R-2151, Inv. 12, Case 18 (Fol. 41, 51, 57, 60, 61, 68, 69, 73).