Organization of Stationary Camps for Prisoners of War in The Kyiv Region in 1943-1945

Abstract

Purpose of the Article. Based on the analysis of difficult-to-access documents from the State Archives of Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs, the article examines and analyzes the activities of the NKVD of the USSR in the creation and development of campsites for foreign prisoners of war (hereinafter referred to as SТV) in Kyiv and the Kyiv region during the initial stage of organizing Soviet military captivity from the autumn of 1943 to the end of 1945. This study examines the dynamics, structural characteristics, and specific features of the establishment, expansion, and reorganization of the network of stationary production camps and associated camp units for prisoners of war in the region. Particular attention is paid to changes in the regulated population quotas of these high-security industrial institutions. The research methodology is determined by the principles of scientific rigor, historicism, and objectivity. To analyze the current state of research on the issue, historiographical and historical hermeneutic methods were employed, along with techniques of analysis and synthesis of historiographical sources. In order to search for, identify, classify, and utilize archival data, methods of archival heuristics, source criticism, as well as analysis and synthesis of documentary sources were applied. The systematic method enabled to characterize the goals and tasks of the authorities in organizing camps for prisoners of war in Kyiv region. The contextual analysis method of legal acts enabled the highlighting and analysis of the content of departmental normative documents of the NKVD of the USSR on this issue. The novelty of the research is defined by the formulation and development of a topic that has not yet been detailed in works dedicated to the regional aspects of the history of Soviet military captivity during World War II. Conclusions. The decision made by the NKVD of the USSR to organize  campsites for prisoners of war in the Kyiv region was part of the broader process of preparing the camp network of the Military Department for the anticipated reception of new contingents of German and allied prisoners of war, which unfolded after the liberation of the Left Bank and significant parts of the Right Bank of Ukraine at the end of 1943 and throughout 1944. The main goal was to use the labor of foreign captives to restore the war-damaged industry, infrastructure, and communal services of Kyiv and the capital region. As of January 1, 1946, three stationary production camps for prisoners of war were located in the territory of Kyiv Oblast, comprising a total of 35 subordinate camp units, with a combined quota capacity of 45,000 inmates. The creation and expansion of the network of camps for prisoners of war in Kyiv region in 1943–1945 had some peculiarities, as it initially occurred under conditions of active hostilities that continued in the Right Bank during the winter and spring of 1944. At the same time, the liberated capital region, especially Kyiv, was heavily damaged and required substantial resource investments for reconstruction. Despite the existing need for labor, significant destruction, and a lack of suitable facilities and material resources for maintaining prisoners of war created challenges in establishing the camps. From September 1943 to May 1944, the organization of campsites for prisoners of war took place near areas of intense combat. In these conditions, Kyiv region, while being a transit zone for evacuating prisoners of war from the frontline, simultaneously required significant contingents to cover the labor shortage in the reconstruction of war-damaged industrial enterprises, communal services, energy, and transport infrastructure. From May 1944 until the end of 1945, the development of the network of camps and camp departments for prisoners of war in the region was based on the frontline's ability to meet the growing needs of economic authorities and enterprises for the labor of prisoners of war for reconstruction work. Judging by the content of the normative and administrative documents of the NKVD of the USSR, the authorities began to massively employ the labor of war captives in the region, primarily in the capital of the Ukrainian SSR and in the suburbs of Kyiv.to practice precisely in the spring of 1944. For this purpose, the Military Department and its local structures launched intensive activities to organize new stationary production camps and camp departments.