Participation of French legionnaires in war crimes in the occupied territory of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War

Relevance . For the past few years, the judicial authorities of Russia and Belarus have been conducting investigations into the "timeless" crimes committed by the Nazis in the occupied territories of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War, which are classified as genocide against the Soviet people. The study of the genocidal and scorchedearth policies implemented by the occupiers is currently an important area of research in Russian and Belarusian historiography. The lack of coverage of the involvement of French soldiers and officers in these policies makes this research particularly relevant. The purpose of the article – based on the analysis of archival documents, some of which have been introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, to determine the circumstances of the participation of members of the Legion of French Volunteers against Bolshevism in war crimes on the territory of the Byelorussian SSR during the Great Patriotic War. Objectives : to identify the historical conditions of the participation of French legionnaires in the genocide of the Belarusian people during the war; to determine the types of war crimes committed by the French in the occupied territory of Belarus. Methodology . The research is based on the principles of historicism and objectivity. General scientific (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, classification method) and special historical methods are used: historical-genetic and historical-comparative. Results . The study established the circumstances of the participation of French Legionnaires in the implementation of the Nazi policy of genocide in the occupied territory of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War. It identified the types of war crimes committed by French soldiers and officers against civilians in 1942-1944. Conclusions . French legionnaires, as part of the Wehrmacht's security divisions, were directly involved in the implementation of the Nazi policy of genocide against the civilian population in Belarus, both during large-scale antipartisan operations and during independent raids and "cleansings." In addition to their involvement in the burning of villages, murders, rapes, and the forced deportation of local residents to forced labor in Germany, French soldiers were also known for their systematic looting and plundering.