Crimes against children and adolescents in the occupied territories of the RSFSR during the Great Patriotic War (1941–1944). A review of Russian historiography

Abstract

Studies of crimes against the civilian Soviet population during the Great Patriotic War are one of the main areas in studying that period. However, a comprehensive research in crimes against children and adolescents has not yet been carried out – the topic of crimes against children and adolescents in most works is reflected superficially in the general context of crimes against civilians in the occupied territories of the RSFSR. Aspects of the analyzed topic are reflected in some works of Russian authors – articles and monographs. The present article is a review of Russian historiography, which reflects the problematic of the crimes of the Nazi invaders against children and adolescents. The review of the literature is systematized according to the typology of criminal acts against children and adolescents – from the use of child labor to executions and murders. In the surveyed studies, historians consider both the all-Russian and regional aspects in the problematic of the occupiers’ attitude towards the civilian population in the regions of Russia occupied by the Nazis. Despite the fact that a sufficient number of studies dealt with the topic of the occupiers’ repressive policy in relation to the civilian population, the problematic of children and adolescents is reflected in fragments and needs further research.