The Economic Aspect of the Organization and Activities of Prisoners of War Camps in the Volga Region (1943-1949)

The article is devoted to the organizational and economic aspects of the history of prisoners of war camps in the Volga region in 1943-1949. An analysis of the Russian historiography of military captivity has shown that the Volga region, as a region for the placement of captured soldiers of enemy armies, is of interest for research. The study is based on both published and archival documents, which made it possible to reveal the genesis of the prisoner-of-war camp system in the Volga region. The need to use the labour of prisoners of war at the facilities of the Soviet economy in this region is considered as a key factor in the organization and functioning of camp structures. The process of repatriation and the reduction in the number of prisoners of war in the Volga region led to the closure of camps that could no longer perform economic tasks.