After the incorporation of Kresy into the Soviet Union, the term "osadnik" became one of the categories of crimes in a Soviet penal system. Initially branded as "kulaks", from the first days, they became a target of Soviet propaganda as "enemies of the people". Their property was often taken by the new authorities in violation of Soviet law and there were numerous cases of government-inspired violence against the them. That led approximately 10% of the settlers to abandon their homes and to escape through the so-called Border of Peace to German-held General Government.