Krasnogvardeyskoye | Stavropol

/ Vera V., born in 1927: “One German passed by the road to make all the people go inside the houses and stay inside. But, the children sneaked out and could see the Jews being taken by the street. I could recognize one young Jewish woman whom I knew.” © Chr Maria Ch., born in 1931[in the middle]: “all the Jews from the village were gathered and locked in in the barn which belonged to starosta. The barn was guarded by Germans.” © Christian Monterroso /Yahad-In Unum The barn, today rebuilt, where all the Jews were gathered prior to the shooting was located at this place. © Christian Monterroso /Yahad-In Unum The mass grave where 360 Jews and Soviet activists were murdered. Before it was located outside the cemetery, today it is inside the orthodox cemetery. © Christian Monterroso /Yahad-In Unum

Execution of Jews in Krasnogvardeyskaya

1 Killing site(s)

Kind of place before:
Near the cemetery
Memorials:
Yes
Period of occupation:
1942-1943
Number of victims:
Less than 360

Witness interview

Maria Ch., born in 1931: « When the Germans arrived they established their headquarters in the local school building, but they didn’t stay for long time. I remember straight after their arrival all the Jews from the village were gathered and locked in the barn which belonged to starosta. The barn was guarded by Germans and it was forbidden for locals to come close to this place. However, my grandmother went there to give food to them. She knew a spot where the Germans couldn’t see her and every day she went there to bring food and some water.” (Witness n°722, interviewed in Krasnogvardeyskaya, on May 22, 2017)

Soviet archives

“On August 12, 1942, about 5 or 6pm, the Germans brought about 70 Jews, the majority of whom were women and children aged from 6 months to 15 years old. They forced all the locals who lived nearby to stay inside the houses, and they started their horrid affair. The Jews were taken towards the pit, then, as if under the order they sat around the pit. They remained seated from ten to fifteen minutes. After, they started to jump inside the pit. A German kneeled down and started to fire at the people inside the pit. In all, there were maximum three salvos rather short; and the pit was filled in straight away. As for me, the majority of people were buried alive, because I don’t think they could have killed 70 people with only three bursts.” [Deposition of a local resident, Maria L. given to the State Extraordinary commission (ChGK), on April 23, 1943; RG.22-002M/ Fond 7021, Opis17, Delo 10 (districts B-M)]

Historical note

Krasnogvardeyskaya is located 120km north east of Stavropol. The settlement was founded in 1803 and during its history had different names, Medvezhye from 1803 to 1935, Evdokimovskoye from 1935 to 1938, and Mostovksoye from 1938 to 1957. There were no Jews in Bezopasnoye before the war. The Jewish refugees started to arrive in July-August 1941, when the Soviet Union was invaded by the Germans. Most of the Jews managed to evacuate further leaving behind those who didn’t have any means to evacuate.

Holocaust by bullets in figures

Krasnogvardeyskaya was occupied by the German forces on August 2nd, 1942. According to the archives the first execution of the Jews took place on August 12, 1942.  About 360 victims, among of who the majority were Jews were murdered in the pit located outside the village close to the cemetery. According to the medical expertise there were about 60 children corpses which didn’t have any traces of bullets. From the field research we believed that the children were poisoned and thrown into the pit. According to the local witnesses prior to be executed all the Jews were confined in the barn, located close to the starosta’s house. The barn was guarded by Germans in order to prevent any attempt to escape. 

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