A special “troika” of Ukrainian officials, including Kosior, received the authority to order executions. They were also under instructions to report their decisions to Moscow every ten days.17 They moved quickly. Within four days the OGPU discovered not only widespread dissatisfaction but evidence of a “kulak-Petliurite” conspiracy in 243 Ukrainian districts.18 The secret police arrested 14,230 people in November 1932 alone; the total number of arrests for that year was 27,000, enough to eviscerate the party at the grassroots level.19 Even young people who were not yet members of the party
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