Holocaust in Chernihiv Region: An Analysis of the Archival and Criminal Files from the State Archive Branch of the Security Service of Ukraine

• In Event: Legacies of WWII and the Holocaust in Ukraine: New Research, Archival Discoveries, and Local Memory

Abstract

This study examines the Holocaust in the Chernihiv region through the analysis of archival and criminal files on collaborators from the sectoral archive of the Security Service of Ukraine. These documents offer a unique insight into the mechanisms of forced detention, property expropriation, and mass murder of the Jewish population. By analyzing these materials, I reconstruct the chronology of events and illuminate the motivations and behaviors of those individuals involved in Nazi crimes.

The genocidal violence against Jewish population unleashed immediately following the region’s occupation by the Nazi Germany, starting in major cities and spreading to smaller settlements. The implementation of genocidal policies was facilitated by occupation authorities and auxiliary police, who were responsible for registering Jewish residents, organizing detentions, and carried out mass executions. This process was accompanied by systematic property theft, brutal violence, and intimidation.

The responses of local Jews to genocidal violence varied, with some appealing to the perpetrators’ humanity, while many others experienced psychological shock. Meanwhile, perpetrators exhibited extreme cruelty, often reinforced by orders from their superiors. Archival records document at least 3,265 victims of Nazi terror in the Chernihiv region; however, this figure likely underrepresents the true scale of the atrocities, as many executions in remote areas remain undocumented.

Author

• Olena Lysenko, Inst of History NASU (Ukraine)