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Vasily Mikhailovich Blokhin (Russian: Васи́лий Миха́йлович Блохи́н; 19 January [O.S. 7 January] 1895 – 3 February 1955) was a Soviet secret police official who served as the chief executioner of the NKVD under the administrations of Genrikh Yagoda, Nikolay Yezhov and Lavrentiy Beria.
- Vasily Blokhin’S Murky Beginnings
- Blokhin’S Role in Cheka, The Secret Police
- The Massacre at Katyn
- Is Vasily Blokhin The Most Prolific Killer in History?
Little is known about Vasily Blokhin’s early years. Born in 1895 to peasants in the countryside near the city of Vladimir, he went to work as a shepherd at the age of ten before moving to Moscow to become a bricklayer. By June 1915, the Russian Empire was deeply entangled in World War I. Blokhin joined the Imperial Russian Army and likely saw comba...
Chekists were entrusted with ensuring discipline in the new Red Army, protecting shipments of food and supplies, and disrupting opposing political groups through violence and infiltration. Blokhin took an active part in the Cheka mission, quickly gaining the attention of his superiors. He steadily climbedthe ranks and in 1926 was appointed “Commiss...
The capture of eastern Poland delivered thousands of Polish soldiers, officers, officials, and intellectuals to the Red Army — all of whom were distrusted by Lavrentiy Beria, the new head of the NKVD. Beria had come to power after toppling his predecessor Nikolai Yezhov, who may have been personally shot by Vasily Blokhin. To Beria, every Polish of...
Even among the notoriously violent NKVD members of Stalin’s day, Blokhin stands out, with as many as 20,000 deaths creditedto him. Over the course of a quarter of a century, he’d personally shot notable army generals, artists, and old revolutionaries. Because of the secrecy of most Soviet executions, his true death toll may never be known — but Blo...
- Morgan Dunn
Vasily Blokhin was the official executioner of the NKVD. He became infamous for his role in one event in particular: the Katyn Massacre. In April 1940, he orchestrated the shooting execution of approximately 7,000 Polish officers and prisoners held in the Ostashkov camp. Blokhin’s involvement in the mass killings was undeniable.
Nov 23, 2021 · Vasily Blokhin is recorded as having executed tens of thousands of prisoners by his own hand, including his killing of about 7,000 Polish prisoners of war during the Katyn massacre in spring 1940, making him the most prolific official executioner in recorded world history.
Feb 3, 2023 · Stalin himself appointed Blokhin the chief of Kommandatura, an execution facility in Moscow where hundreds of thousands would meet their grisly ends. Blokhin was reputed to be a vivacious and effective killer, so he naturally drew the personal appeal of Stalin.
Feb 24, 2021 · As Stalin’s favorite executioner, Vasily Blokhin holds the Guinness World Record for being the most prolific official executioner. Blokhin personally killed over 20,000 people.
Vasily Blokhin not only headed a firing squad (the so-called “special group”) that executed “enemies of the people” en masse, but personally dispatched 15,000 individuals to the next world.
