Novocherkassk massacre

The Novocherkassk massacre took place on 2 June 1962 in Novocherkassk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, when Soviet Army soldiers and MVD Internal Troops, supported by KGB units, fired on unarmed demonstrators protesting economic conditions. The massacre took place during a strike that began the previous day at the Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Works after the government under Nikita Khrushchev announced nationwide price increases for meat and butter, which coincided with pay cuts at the factory.

The strike spread rapidly after initial attempts by authorities to suppress it failed and police arrested several workers. On 2 June, thousands of protesters marched from the factory district to the Communist Party headquarters in the city center, overwhelming military barricades.