Dalstroy
Encyclopedia
Dalstroy also known as Far North Construction Trust, was an organization set up in 1931 by the Soviet NKVD
(the predecessor of the KGB
) in order to manage road construction and the mining of gold in the Chukotka
region of the Russian Far East
, now known as Kolyma
. Initially it was established as State Trust for Road and Industrial Construction in the Upper Kolyma Area. After the 1952 reorganization it was known as Main Directorate of Camps and Construction of the Far North
.
Dalstroy oversaw the development and mining of the area using forced labor. Over the years, Dalstroy created some 80 Gulag
camps across the Kolyma region. As a result of a number of decisions, the total area covered by Dalstroy grew to three million square kilometers by 1951. The town of Magadan
was the base for these activities.
The Dalstroy region is often referred to as Kolyma
as it was centered largely on gold-mining in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River
.
Dalstroy administered basically all aspects of the region: territorial administration, economic activities, and labor camps.
The administration of Dalstroy grew increasingly complex over the years, not only as a result of various geographical centers but also as units were created to manage geological surveying, motorized transport, management of secondary economies, road administration, steamship navigation on the River Kolma, and port and terminal management.
In his book Red Arctic, John McCannon explains how Dalstroy initially relied on Glavsevmorput
or GUSMP, Russian acronym for Main Administration of the Northern Sea Route
, a Soviet agency for exploiting resources across the far north, for coordination of supplies and transport. Glavsevmorput managed railway traffic to Vladivostok
and shipping from there to Magadan. Over the years, however, as Dalstroy grew more powerful, its director Eduard Berzin
obtained ships of his own so as to have more freedom of action. By 1938, when Glavsevmorput lost much of its political support, Dalstroy was firmly in control.
to Magadan
as well as to the Arctic port of Ambarchik
is given by Martin Bollinger in his book Stalin's Slave Ships. Among the Dalstroy fleet were the following ships:
In addition, several ships of the Far East State Sea Shipping Company
were used at times to transport prisoners to various locations operated by Dalstroy. Examples include SS Nevastroi, SS Dneprostroi, SS Shaturstroi, SS Syasstroi, SS KIM, and SS Kiev.
The officials in charge of Dalstroy were:
. The administration of the territory and local Communist Party apparatus were subordinated to the newly created Magadan Oblast
and other adjacent territorial subdivisions. Dalstroy remained a purely economic enterprise.
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
(the predecessor of the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
) in order to manage road construction and the mining of gold in the Chukotka
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , or Chukotka , is a federal subject of Russia located in the Russian Far East.Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census, and a surface area of . The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr...
region of the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
, now known as Kolyma
Kolyma
The Kolyma region is located in the far north-eastern area of Russia in what is commonly known as Siberia but is actually part of the Russian Far East. It is bounded by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Sea of Okhotsk to the south...
. Initially it was established as State Trust for Road and Industrial Construction in the Upper Kolyma Area. After the 1952 reorganization it was known as Main Directorate of Camps and Construction of the Far North
Extreme North (Russia)
The Extreme North or Far North is a large part of Russia located mainly north of the Arctic Circle and boasting enormous mineral and natural resources....
.
Dalstroy oversaw the development and mining of the area using forced labor. Over the years, Dalstroy created some 80 Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
camps across the Kolyma region. As a result of a number of decisions, the total area covered by Dalstroy grew to three million square kilometers by 1951. The town of Magadan
Magadan
Magadan is a port town on the Sea of Okhotsk and gateway to the Kolyma region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast , in the Russian Far East. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939...
was the base for these activities.
Scope of activities
| Prisoners at the Dalstroy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Number | Year | Number |
| 1932 | 11,100 | 1944 | 84,716 |
| 1934 | 29,659 | 1945 | 93,542 |
| 1935 | 36,313 | 1946 | 73,060 |
| 1936 | 48,740 | 1947 | 93,322 |
| 1937 | 70,414 | 1948 | 106,893 |
| 1938 | 90,741 | 1949 | 108,685 |
| 1939 | 138,170 | 1950 | 153,317 |
| 1940 | 190,309 | 1951 | 182,958 |
| 1941 | 187,976 | 1952 | 199,726 |
| 1942 | 177,775 | 1953 | 175,078 |
| 1943 | 107,775 | ||
| Figures for 1 January for each year. Figure for 1932 for December |
|||
The Dalstroy region is often referred to as Kolyma
Kolyma
The Kolyma region is located in the far north-eastern area of Russia in what is commonly known as Siberia but is actually part of the Russian Far East. It is bounded by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Sea of Okhotsk to the south...
as it was centered largely on gold-mining in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River
Kolyma River
The Kolyma River is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. Itrises in the mountains north of Okhotsk and Magadan, in the area of and...
.
Dalstroy administered basically all aspects of the region: territorial administration, economic activities, and labor camps.
The administration of Dalstroy grew increasingly complex over the years, not only as a result of various geographical centers but also as units were created to manage geological surveying, motorized transport, management of secondary economies, road administration, steamship navigation on the River Kolma, and port and terminal management.
In his book Red Arctic, John McCannon explains how Dalstroy initially relied on Glavsevmorput
Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route
The Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route , also known as Glavsevmorput, was a Soviet government organization in charge of the naval Northern Sea Route, established in January 1932 and dissolved in 1964.-History:The organization traces its roots to AO Komseveroput, a shipping company...
or GUSMP, Russian acronym for Main Administration of the Northern Sea Route
Northern Sea Route
The Northern Sea Route is a shipping lane officially defined by Russian legislation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean specifically running along the Russian Arctic coast from Murmansk on the Barents Sea, along Siberia, to the Bering Strait and Far East. The entire route lies in Arctic...
, a Soviet agency for exploiting resources across the far north, for coordination of supplies and transport. Glavsevmorput managed railway traffic to Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
and shipping from there to Magadan. Over the years, however, as Dalstroy grew more powerful, its director Eduard Berzin
Eduard Berzin
Eduard Petrovich Berzin , born in Latvia, was a soldier and Chekist, but is remembered primarily for setting up Dalstroy, which instituted a system of forced-labour camps in Kolyma, North-Eastern Siberia, where hundreds of thousands of prisoners died...
obtained ships of his own so as to have more freedom of action. By 1938, when Glavsevmorput lost much of its political support, Dalstroy was firmly in control.
Ships of the Dalstroy
An account of the many ships used over the years to transport prisoners across the Sea of OkhotskSea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
to Magadan
Magadan
Magadan is a port town on the Sea of Okhotsk and gateway to the Kolyma region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast , in the Russian Far East. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939...
as well as to the Arctic port of Ambarchik
Ambarchik
Ambarchik is a rural locality and a port in Nizhnekolymsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located from Chersky, the administrative center of the district. It is located on the shores of Ambarchik Bay, part of the East Siberian Sea in the Arctic Ocean...
is given by Martin Bollinger in his book Stalin's Slave Ships. Among the Dalstroy fleet were the following ships:
In addition, several ships of the Far East State Sea Shipping Company
Far East Shipping Company
The Far East Shipping Company is a Russian ship-owning company and the base company of FESCO Group. Founded in the 19th century in Vladivostok, the company now owns a fleet of 50 vessels, totaling 880 thsd DWT.- Share capital and management :...
were used at times to transport prisoners to various locations operated by Dalstroy. Examples include SS Nevastroi, SS Dneprostroi, SS Shaturstroi, SS Syasstroi, SS KIM, and SS Kiev.
Dalstroy leaders
In the words of prisoner Ayyub Baghirov, "The entire administration of the Dalstroy - economic, administrative, physical and political - was in the hands of one person who was invested with many rights and privileges."The officials in charge of Dalstroy were:
- Eduard Petrovich BerzinEduard BerzinEduard Petrovich Berzin , born in Latvia, was a soldier and Chekist, but is remembered primarily for setting up Dalstroy, which instituted a system of forced-labour camps in Kolyma, North-Eastern Siberia, where hundreds of thousands of prisoners died...
, 1932-1937. - Karp Aleksandrovich Pavlov, 1937-1939.
- Ivan Fedorovich NikishovIvan Fedorovich NikishovIvan Fedorovich Nikishov was a Russian general of the NKVD and director of Dalstroy.-Biography:Nikishov was born in 1894 the son of a peasant and joined the Communist Party in 1919...
, 1940-1948. - Ivan Grigorevich Petrenko, 1948-1950.
- I.L. Mitrakov, 1951-1956.
- Iu. V. Chuguev, 1956-1957.
Disbanding
After Stalin's death in 1953, the reorganization of the Dalstroy basically split its functions into three parts. The administration of labor camps was reorganized into USVITL (North-East Corrective Labor-Force Administration) of GULAGGulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
. The administration of the territory and local Communist Party apparatus were subordinated to the newly created Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Magadan....
and other adjacent territorial subdivisions. Dalstroy remained a purely economic enterprise.