THE PARTICIPATION OF THE UKRAINIAN AUXILIARY POLICE IN THE MASS MURDER OF JEWS IN THE REICHSKOMMISSARIAT UKRAINE

Keywords: Ukrainian auxiliary police, Holocaust, mass murders.

Abstract

The aim of the research to the participation of representatives of the Ukrainian auxiliary police in the mass killings of Jews, study of their motivation to participate in these crimes, highlighting the main stages of mass killings in which local police officers took part. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, system-formation, scientific character, verification, the author’s objectivity, moderated narrative constructivism, and the use of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization) and specially-historical (historical-genetic, historical-typological, historical-systemic, etc.) methods. Scientific novelty on the basis of criminal cases from the Yad Vashem archive, as well as regional archives of the Security Service of Ukraine, the forms and methods of participation of representatives of the Ukrainian auxiliary police in the mass killings of the Jewish population were analyzed. Eyewitness accounts from the archives of Yahad-in-Unum and Yad Vashem were used to more fully reveal of the crimes.

Сonclusions. In the mass murders of the Jews were participate members of the Ukrainian auxiliary police. Most local police officers were involved in the preparation and conduct of the mass shooting. They were actively involved in identifying and arresting Jews, escorting them to the place of execution, and guarding the place of execution. Sometimes police officers took part in the shootings. For the most part, these were, before the occupation, ordinary Soviet citizens who did not stand out from the general mass of the Soviet people. However, during the Nazi occupation, they joined the Ukrainian auxiliary police, usually voluntarily, and were involved in the criminal activities of this occupation structure.

Published
2021-12-30