The labour settlement (trudposiołek) of Siouzma in the Piniegoles district of the Arkhangelsk region existed from 1934 to 1969. In the second half of the 1930s, most of the inhabitants were so-called trudposielents, i.e. expropriated ('disenfranchised') peasants from various regions of the country. They all worked in the "Piniegoles" enterprise. In 1940, Polish special resettlers (exiles) appeared in Siouzma. Poles also worked in logging and timber floating. When the special settlement regime was abolished after the amnesty announced in August 1941, Polish families mostly left by 1942.
The cemetery was located near the settlement. The dead of different nationalities were buried next to each other. Since the 1960s, when the settlement was almost completely deserted, it was left unattended.
The cemetery was inventoried in June 2013 by a Polish-Russian group comprising representatives of the World War II Museum in Gdansk and the "Polonia" Association in Arkhangelsk. A cross with a commemorative plaque was placed on the grave of Polish exile Maria Tipeltova: "To the holy memory of Maria Tipeltowa. 1856-1942". The work was carried out thanks to the efforts of the Museum and "Polonia" and the General Consulate of the Republic of Poland in St Petersburg.

Compiled by T. Zachara / MKiDN, VI 2025

Teresa Zachara (MKiDN)