Gorbaçov, Yeltsin ve Putin/Medvedev Yönetimlerinin Bir Dış Politika Aracı Olarak Katın Katliamı Söylemi
Katyn Massacre Discourse as a Foreign Policy Tool of Gorbachev, Yeltsin and Putin/Medvedev Administrations

Summary/Abstract: There is a tremendous volume of literature dealing with the Katyn Massacre of the Second World War on different dimensions. However, the reasons behind the Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin/Medvedev administrations’ acceptance of the Soviet responsibility in the Katyn Massacre have not been systematically analyzed. This article focuses on the political, economic and strategic reasons behind the acceptance of Soviet responsibility by the Gorbachev, Yeltsin and Putin/Medvedev administrations in the massacre. It is argued that, Katyn initiatives were designed as a foreign policy tool by those administrations. There were also periods under Gorbachev’s, Yeltsin’s and Putin/Medvedev’s leadership in which the Katyn initiatives were abandoned. This article also aims to reveal the reasons for the abandonment of the Katyn initiatives. According to the article, the main reason for the Gorbachev’s Katyn initiative was the fear of losing Poland, and the main reason for Yeltsin’s Katyn initiative was his pro-Western foreign policy. Lastly, Putin/Medvedev administration’s Katyn initiative was associated with the aim of proving the needlessness of a missile defense system to be deployed in Poland. It has been observed that since 2003, the Russian Federation has returned towards a traditional policy of denial of its responsibility in the Katyn massacre.

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