The Holocaust in Transnistria, a region between the Dniester and Bug rivers in present-day Ukraine, was a tragic event during World War II. After the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Romanian and German forces occupied this area, creating the Transnistria Governorate. The Romanian dictator Ion Antonescu and the Nazi regime used this territory as a buffer zone against the Soviets and as a place to deport and exterminate Jews and Roma. Tens of thousands of Jews, mainly from Bessarabia and Bukovina, were deported to Transnistria, where many were executed upon arrival by Romanian and German troops, local collaborators, or perished due to the harsh conditions, including lack of food, shelter, and medical care. Survivors of the initial massacres were then placed in ghettos and concentration camps, such as Pechora, Bogdanovka, Domanivka, and Vertujeni. These camps were characterized by extreme brutality, disease, and starvation. The Romanian administration played a significant role in these atrocities, with the Romanian army, gendarmerie, and police directly involved in the mass killings and the administration of the camps and ghettos. Despite these horrific circumstances, there were instances of resistance and efforts to save lives. Some residents, risking their safety, provided food and hiding places for Jews, while Jewish survivors formed mutual aid networks to support each other. The Odessa massacre, a horrific event that occurred during this period, stands as a stark reminder of the scale of the atrocities committed in Transnistria.

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