Path to Russia: some features of polish migration to the USSR in 1939-1940

Based on the materials of Chelyabinsk Region and considering mainly investigative cases and memoirs, the article analyzes the factors of voluntary migration of former Polish citizens deep into the Soviet Union to work in various enterprises in 1939-1940. A connection between the refugee issue in the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus and the organized recruitment of workforce at the enterprises of the Soviet Union was traced. The identified reasons for relocation were correlated with the social, ethnic and geographical origin of migrants. In addition, the procedure for recruiting workers and the conditions for their transportation to the place of work were considered. It was concluded that for former Polish citizens, migration was often seen as a chance to change their lives for the better, which was especially important for refugees from the German occupation zone of Poland. For certain categories of recruits, other reasons such as fears of military action or reprisals were also identified.