Extermination battalion
| Extermination battalion | |
|---|---|
| Active | 24 June 1941 – 1954 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Type | Paramilitary |
| Role | Internal security |
| Size | c. 328,000 (1941) |
| Part of | NKVD Soviet Armed Forces |
| Anniversaries | 24 June |
| Engagements | Eastern front |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lavrentiy Beria (general command) |
Extermination battalions or destruction battalions, colloquially istrebitels (истребители, "exterminators", "destroyers") abbreviated: istrebki (Russian), strybki (Ukrainian), stribai (Lithuanian), were collaborationist paramilitary units under the control of NKVD in the Soviet-occupied Baltic states and western Soviet Union. They were tasked with repression and internal security on the Eastern Front and after it. After the Fall of the Soviet Union the battalions were deemed by the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) to be a criminal entity.