Jan Piłsudski

Jan Piłsudski NKVD mug shot

Jan Piłsudski (1876–1950), was a Polish politician and younger brother of Józef Piłsudski.

Like his famous brother, Piłsudski was born in Zalavas (Polish: Zułów), in Lithuania, in what was then the Russian Empire.

He served in the Sejm of the Republic of Central Lithuania, and after its annexation to Poland in 1922, in various positions in the Polish government. As a result of the defeat of Poland following the Invasion of Poland in 1939, Piłsudski was forced to flee, but was arrested by the Soviet NKVD in Vilnius. He was freed as a result of a prisoner exchange in 1941, and went to the United Kingdom where he died in exile.