The anatomy of betrayal
I remember when I was a small boy, I used to ride my bike with my grandfather. In one village near Babruisk, my grandfather would start a conversation with a local resident. The villager would ask, “Are you interested in the history of the war?” “Do you see the house on the left? A policeman lived there. So there was a lot of blood on the hands of this policeman. He shot Jews and Soviet POWs. He didn’t run away with the Germans; he was hiding here. Caught, and tried. Got a quarter, 25 years. No one else had seen him here.”
September 11, 2023 -
Ihar Melnikau
-
History and MemoryIssue 5 2023Magazine

An image from Barysau during the Second World War. Photo: Public Domain (CC) https://garystockbridge617.getarchive.net/amp/media/barysa-rynak-barysa-rynak-1941-44-3-07e6a7