By Lugansk Communists
On March 22, 1943, the Belarusian village of Khatyn was destroyed.
The atrocity was committed by the 118th Ukrainian police battalion, which was formed in Kiev by members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, who later formed the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). In 1943, they burned Khatyn to the ground, along with the civilian population.
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| Khatyn Memorial sculpture depicts Yuzif Kaminsky, the only adult survivor, holding his murdered son. |
Here’s how it happened: After the whole population of the village was herded into a barn, the Nazi collaborators locked the doors, covered it with straw, doused it with gasoline and set it on fire.
The wooden structure quickly caught fire. Under the pressure of tens of human bodies, the door collapsed. With burning clothes, in terror, the choking people fled, but the Nazi criminals shot down those who tried to escape from the flames with rifles and machine guns.
The fire burned 147 villagers, including 75 children, the youngest of whom was 7 weeks old.
Translated by Greg Butterfield
Red Star News + Translations 