On June 22, 1941 with the onset of Nazi Germany's offensive, there was great panic in Bialystok, which was then part of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Red Army began to flee and shops were looted, and prisoners, including Jews, escaped from prisons. David Klementinowski, a Jewish man who lived in the city, wrote: "Everyone who can, escapes with the Russians. The streets are full of tragic sights. Families who have lived together for decades must separate. The Soviet army's warehouses are looted by people for food and the Poles attack the Jews. We are afraid to leave the house because no one In an environment that will maintain law and order".