Russian parliament: Stalin ordered Katyn massacre
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The World War II Katyn massacres were committed on the direct order of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, Russia's lower house of parliament said Friday a statement hailed by Polish officials.
The 1940 massacre of around 20,000 Polish officers and other prominent citizens in western Russia by Soviet secret police has long soured relations between the two countries. President Dmitry Medvedev will visit Poland in early December. The statement passed by the State Duma appears aimed as a step toward Russia definitively breaking with its Soviet legacy. (AP)
