The Zonal State Archive in Rechitsa presents documents on the destruction of the village of Kobylevo by the Nazis

Published: April 08, 2025

On May 14, 1943, the Nazi invaders burned the village of Kobylevo in the Vasilevichi District (currently the village of Pervomaysk in the Rechitsa District) along with its inhabitants. On January 28, 1943, a detachment of Germans and policemen arrived there, and for two weeks they committed robberies and murders, which forced the remaining residents of Kobylevo to flee into the woods. On May 13, 1943, the occupiers announced that the lives of those who returned to the village would be spared, otherwise everyone would be killed. Most of the residents believed the promises of the Nazis and returned to their homes, where the next day they were mercilessly shot, pelted with grenades, and burned alive by the SS and police, killing 1,050 people. In total, during the occupation, 1,118 people fell victim to the Nazis in Kobylevo, including more than 600 children, and 276 houses were burned. The village was nicknamed «Rechitsa Khatyn» by the people, and a memorial at the mass grave reminds of the murdered residents.

Among the documents of the Rechitsa State Archives that testify to this tragedy is the act of destruction of the village of Kobylevo by the occupiers (F. 864. Op. 1. D. 5. L. 2-4), lists of murdered residents (F. 864. Op. 1. D. 12. L. 85-92ob), photographs of the burned village (F. 864. Op. 1. D. 6. L. 6-9) from the archival collection of digital copies as originals of documents of the Extraordinary State Commission of the USSR for the Investigation of the Crimes of Fascism. In particular, the photographs show the ashes left behind by destroyed houses, the bodies of murdered people removed from burial grounds and identified by relatives. There are photographs of surviving villagers, in particular children who managed to escape from the burning houses.