On 25 March 1949, the Soviet deportation operation “Priboi” began in Latvia—one of the largest postwar repressions in the Baltic region. Over several days, 42,125 people were deported from Latvia, about 2.2% of the population, including nearly 11,000 children. Families were torn from their homes, transported by train to the Amur, Omsk, and Tomsk regions, and settled “for life” in an effort to break resistance to Sovietization, collectivization, and support for the national partisans.

After the Second World War, the USSR sought to complete the Sovietization of the Baltic states—collectivizing farms, destroying so-called “kulaks,” and isolating armed resistance. In Latvia, 25 March became the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Communist Genocide; on this date the national flag is flown in mourning display.