Grishino Massacre: Nearly 600 German and Axis Prisoners Killed by Soviet Forces

World History: True Stories of the 20th Century · Aug 25, 2026 · 14m

The Massacre of Grishino was one of the most controversial war crimes on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. In February 1943, in eastern Ukraine, during the German retreat following the defeat at Stalingrad, Soviet forces overran the town of Grishino (today Pokrovsk). Days later, when Wehrmacht and SS units returned, they discovered a scene of devastation that would become one of the most controversial atrocities of WWII. According to German reports, nearly 600 victims—including Wehrmacht soldiers, Axis troops, nurses, and civilian personnel—had been killed after falling into…