Agency under German Occupation: Children in the Vitebsk Region (1941–1944)
Journal: Eastern European Holocaust Studies
Year: 2026

Abstract This study examines the experiences and roles of children and teenagers during the German occupation of north-eastern Belarus (1941–1944), with a particular focus on the Vitebsk Oblast. Drawing on nearly 50 oral history interviews and a wide range of archival sources, the paper explores how children were affected by violence, persecution, and forced labor, while also considering their limited scope for agency. The analysis is situated within the broader context of Soviet childhood polic