Hand-picked for the position by Joseph Stalin in 1926 , Blokhin led a company of executioners that performed and supervised numerous mass killings during Stalin 's reign , mostly during the Great Purge and World War II . He is recorded as having executed tens of thousands of prisoners by his own hand , including his killing of about 7,000 Polish prisoners of war during the Katyn massacre in spring 1940 , making him the most prolific official executioner and mass murderer in recorded world history . Forced into retirement following the death of Stalin , Blokhin died in 1955 , his death being officially reported as a suicide
Katyn massacre
Katyn massacre
Vasily Blokhin