The FSB of Russia has released archival documents detailing the Nazis’ persecution of residents in Artemovsk, the city known in Ukrainian as Bakhmut, during the Great Patriotic War. These materials, published from area archives, shed light on how local civilians endured oppression under occupation and how records have been preserved for historical memory.
Investigations within the archives reveal that the German forces established five detention camps in Artemovsk for people deemed untrustworthy. In total, as many as 3,000 residents were held in these camps, a stark reminder of the scale of civilian suffering during the occupation and the regime of control imposed on the city and surrounding areas.
Testimonies from residents who worked within the German gendarmerie’s warehouses describe how town residents were detained for minor infractions and then handed over to the Sicherheitsdienst for further persecution. These notes illustrate the pervasive reach of occupation authorities and the peril faced by ordinary people in daily life under occupation, where even small violations could trigger severe penalties.
Alongside detention, the occupying forces orchestrated forced labor deportations. Young men and women aged 16 to 29 were sent to Germany to perform hard labor, with roughly 1,300 Artemovsk and Chasov Yar residents displaced to distant towns and factories for work that linked them to a broader wartime economy and its demands.
The Artemovsk occupation record also notes that, as the Red Army neared the city in 1943, German authorities intensified expulsions and burned homes. The devastations accompanying these expulsions left many families homeless and underscored the chaotic final phase of the occupation as Soviet forces advanced and the front lines shifted.
Another noteworthy entry in the unclassified archival material references the position of the chief physician of Teberda during the war. The document mentions involvement in actions against children, a stark reminder of the brutal patterns that affected vulnerable populations under totalitarian rule. While the exact circumstances require careful examination, the record contributes to a broader understanding of how wartime orders translated into on-the-ground harm for civilians in various regions, including Artemovsk.
Taken together, these archival releases illuminate the experiences of Artemovsk’s residents under occupation. They offer a window into the mechanisms of control, including camp confinement, surveillance, deportation, and property destruction, as well as the personal stories of those who survived and recorded what happened. As researchers and the public study these documents, the emphasis remains on accurate interpretation and respectful remembrance of the civilians who endured these events during one of Europe’s darkest chapters.