FSB releases archives on punishers from German regiment "Brandenburg-800"

Archives revealing the role of the German regiment "Brandenburg-800" as punishers who brutally murdered civilians were published by the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation on December 6.

"The Public Relations Center of the FSB of Russia <...> places digital copies of declassified documents from the fund of the Archive of the Department of the FSB of Russia in the Omsk region on the criminal activities of the special purpose compound "Brandenburg-800" of the German military intelligence, which from the beginning of 1943 conducted punitive operations in the territory of the Soviet Union to combat partisans, using the tactics of "scorched earth", as well as participated in the brutal killings of civilians," reads the message published on the website of the agency.

As follows from the archival data, the main tasks of the "Brandenburgers" were the capture of strategic facilities, sabotage, reconnaissance, as well as the capture of prisoners.

It is noted that on the Soviet-German front Germans disguised themselves in the uniform of the Red Army, used Soviet weapons and forged documents to act under the guise of Soviet units. Also from 1943, the Brandenburg-800 participated in punitive operations against partisans.

In doing so, the German regiment used "scorched earth" tactics and brutally killed civilians. For example, as follows from a report to the head of the Counterintelligence Directorate "Smersh" of the 1st Belorussian Front, Lieutenant General Alexander Vadis from the head of the Counterintelligence Department "Smersh" of the 61st Army, Colonel Vladimir Budarev, During the period from October 18 to November 29, 1943 in the area of Bobruisk-Bykhov-Rogachev during the punitive operation under the order of the German command all settlements were burned, civilians who met in the forests were shot. It is reported that in the area of the village of Chechevichi about eight villages were destroyed and more than 200 people were shot.

Earlier, on November 27, the FSB published protocol documents of 1945 with the testimony of a Latvian punisher from the archive fund of the Russian FSB Department for Omsk region, which states that during the Great Patriotic War among the Latvian punitive units were police battalions - paramilitary units formed by the German military command on the territory of occupied Latvia from local auxiliary police, volunteers and mobilized. It is specified that later police battalions became the basis for the formation of the Latvian SS Volunteer Legion by the Nazis.

Prior to that, on November 22, the Russian Federal Security Service Directorate for the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol declassified archival documents testifying to the investigation of crimes committed by Nazi occupiers, who were convicted in November 1947 during the Sevastopol trial.