Civilian captives in the Olonets province during the First World War

The First World War led to the formation of a special social group in the Olonets Province - civilian captives who were the citizens of the hostile states living in Russia at the outbreak of the war. Unlike war prisoners, the civilian captives in the Olonets Province have not been studied by historians so far. There is a number of cases related to the civilian captives in the funds of the National Archives of the Republic of Karelia related to them applying for Russian citizenship. The analysis of the database created on the basis of these documents made it possible to form a general idea about the civilian captives sent to the Olonets Province. The article also pays considerable attention to the study of the everyday life of the civilian captives, their relationships with the authorities and local residents. It was found that despite significant ethno-cultural differences the local population did not express aggression towards the members of the new social group who temporarily lived in Karelia and left this territory after the end of the war