Places of forced detention in Crimea during the Nazi occupation

The article explores the system of forced detention facilities in occupied Crimea and its role within the Nazi regime from 1941 to 1944. Drawing on a wide range of literature and sources, it highlights that this subject has not yet received significant scholarly attention. The research identifies approximately 100 distinct institutions serving as places of forced detention in Crimea, which can be categorized into five main types: prisoner of war camps, prisons and concentration camps of the police apparatus, collection centers for Jewish and Romani populations, labor camps, and transit camps for civilians. Notably, prisoner of war camps constituted the largest category. Within these camps, as well as in prisons and concentration camps of the police apparatus, the occupiers executed the majority of those who fell victim to Nazi repressive policies in Crimea. Most of these forced detention sites operated under extremely harsh conditions, effectively rendering them “death camps” (as exemplified by the concentration camp at the Krasny state-owned farm). This research ultimately reveals that the Nazi system of forced detention facilities served a dual purpose in Crimea: the exploitation of Soviet citizens and prisoners of war, as well as their extermination, all part of Nazi Germany’s colonial policy.