Soviet Peoples Militia Squad

Popular regimentation’ or the ‘people’s militia’ (Narodnoe Opolcheniye or Opolchenie) is a Russian tradition dating back to the 16th century and a powerful part of the national heritage. In times of emergency, a militia was selected from volunteers to serve alongside the regular army and defend their homes.

In the dark days of 1941-42, workers and citizens in Leningrad, Moscow, Rostov, Stalingrad and other major Soviet cities organized into militias and quickly found themselves on the front lines as the fascist invaders swept east. People’s militia squads were even more poorly trained and equipped than the average Red Army squad, but they fought on with tragic bravery.