THE CONCEPT OF “LOCAL AUXILIARY POLICE” IN THE REICHSKOMMISSARIAT “UKRAINE” IN CONTEMPORARY HISTORIOGRAPHICAL DISCOURSE: TERMINOLOGICAL PROBLEMS AND THEORETICAL JUSTIFICATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32999/ksu2786-5118/2026-55-8Keywords:
local auxiliary police, Reichskommissariat “Ukraine”, Hilfspolizei, Schutzmannschaft, local police formations, occupation administration, historiographical discourse, terminology, Nazi occupation regimeAbstract
The purpose of this study is to provide a systematic analysis of the concept of the “local auxiliary police” in the Reichskommissariat “Ukraine” (hereinafter – RKU) within contemporary historiographical discourse, to identify its main structural characteristics, and to provide a theoretical justification for its use as a generalized historiographical category in the study of the Nazi occupation regime of 1941–1944. The methodological framework is based on general scientific and specialized historical methods, including the comparative-historical, structural-functional, and terminological methods. The comparative-historical method was employed to compare different scholarly approaches to defining local police formations. The structural-functional method was used to identify the organizational, personnel, and functional characteristics of the local auxiliary police. The relationship between historical concepts and their historiographical interpretations was examined through terminological analysis. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the theoretical analysis of the organizational, legal, personnel, and functional characteristics of local police formations in the RKU. The main outcome of the study is the formulation of a generalized historiographical category of “local auxiliary police” that may serve as an effective analytical tool for studying the Nazi occupation regime. The conclusions demonstrate that, despite differences in the authorities responsible for their establishment, official designations, and organizational structures, local police formations shared common principles of recruitment, subordination, and formally defined functions. The attributes “local” and “auxiliary” characterize the territorial principle of recruitment and the institutional dependence of these formations on the German occupation authorities.
References
Honcharenko, O. M. 2005. Holokost na terytorii Kyivshchyny: zahalni tendentsii ta rehionalni osoblyvosti (1941–1944 rr.) [The Holocaust in the Kyiv Region: General Trends and Regional Features (1941–1944)]. Candidate’s dissertation, specialty 07.00.01, History of Ukraine. Cherkasy. 175 pp. [in Ukrainian].
Honcharenko, O. 2006a. “Vzaiemodiia pidrozdiliv polovoi zhandarmerii ta mistsevoi politsii u znyshchenni yevreiv Ukrainy” [Interaction between Field Gendarmerie Units and the Local Police in the Destruction of the Jews of Ukraine]. In Desiati Zaporizki yevreiski chytannia: Zbirnyk naukovykh prats [Tenth Zaporizhzhia Jewish Readings: Collection of Scholarly Papers], 90–96. Zaporizhzhia: Dyvo. [in Ukrainian].
Honcharenko, O. 2006b. “Orhanizatsiino-politychna diialnist OUN na Kyivshchyni v 1941–1944 rr. za dokumentamy spetssluzhb: sproba krytychnoho analizu” [Organizational and Political Activities of the OUN in the Kyiv Region in 1941–1944 Based on Intelligence Service Documents: An Attempt at a Critical Analysis]. Ukraina Soborna: Zbirnyk naukovykh statei [United Ukraine: Collection of Scholarly Articles], no. 4, vol. 2, 168–173. [in Ukrainian].
Honcharenko, O. 2006c. “Rol, mistse ta funktsii orhaniv mistsevoho upravlinnia u systemi karalnykh zakhodiv natsystiv v okupovanii Ukraini (1941–1944 rr.)” [The Role, Place, and Functions of Local Government Bodies in the System of Nazi Repressive Measures in Occupied Ukraine (1941–1944)]. Sumska starovyna [Sumy Antiquity], nos. XVIII–XIX, 95–102. [in Ukrainian].
Honcharenko, O. 2007. “Okremi problemy formuvannia kadrovoho skladu mistsevykh okupatsiinykh administratsii ta orhaniv politsii Raikhskomisariatu «Ukraina»: neprosti vidpovidi ta novi interpretatsii” [Selected Problems of Staffing Local Occupation Administrations and Police Bodies of the Reichskommissariat “Ukraine”: Complex Answers and New Interpretations]. Literatura ta kultura Polissia [Literature and Culture of Polissia], no. 38, 180–187. [in Ukrainian].
Honcharenko, O. 2008a. “Mistseva politsiia Raikhskomisariatu «Ukraina»: problemy kadrovoho zabezpechennia v systemi natsystskoho okupatsiinoho rezhymu” [The Local Police of the Reichskommissariat “Ukraine”: Staffing Problems within the Nazi Occupation Regime]. Istoriia v shkolakh Ukrainy [History in Ukrainian Schools], no. 1, 48–54. [in Ukrainian].
Honcharenko, O. 2008b. “Pokhidni hrupy OUN (B) na terenakh Naddniprianshchyny: do pytannia pro rezultatyvnist sprob intehratsii do okupatsiinykh orhaniv vlady (1941–1944 rr.)” [OUN(B) Expeditionary Groups in the Dnipro Region: On the Effectiveness of Attempts to Integrate into the Occupation Authorities (1941–1944)]. Halychyna, no. 14, 234–241. [in Ukrainian].
Honcharenko, O. 2010a. “Diialnist viiskovykh komendatur tylovykh raioniv hrupy armii «Pivden» u sferi stvorennia mistsevykh politsiinykh formuvan (cherven 1941 – veresen 1942 rr.)” [Activities of Military Commandant’s Offices in the Rear Areas of Army Group “South” in Establishing Local Police Formations (June 1941 – September 1942)]. Istorychni zapysky: Zbirnyk naukovykh prats [Historical Notes: Collection of Scholarly Papers], no. 26, 49–55. [in Ukrainian].
Honcharenko, O. 2010b. “Miski upravy v systemi okupatsiinoho aparatu vlady Raikhskomіsariatu «Ukraina»: orhanizatsiina struktura ta problemy sluzhbovoi kompetentsii (1941–1944 rr.)” [Municipal Administrations in the Occupation Apparatus of the Reichskommissariat “Ukraine”: Organizational Structure and Problems of Official Competence (1941–1944)]. Storinky voiennoii istorii Ukrainy [Pages of Military History of Ukraine], no. 13, 137–153. [in Ukrainian].
Honcharenko, O. 2010c. “Orhany oblasnoho upravlinnia na terenakh Raikhskomіsariatu «Ukraina»: orhanizatsiina struktura, kompetentsiia ta dosvid funktsionuvannia (1941–1944 rr.)” [Regional Administrative Bodies in the Reichskommissariat “Ukraine”: Organizational Structure, Competence, and Experience of Operation (1941–1944)]. Chasopys ukrainskoi istorii [Journal of Ukrainian History], no. 17, 37–41. [in Ukrainian].
Honcharenko, O. 2010d. “Ukrainski politsiini formuvannia v systemi hitlerivskoho okupatsiinoho rezhymu na terenakh Raikhskomіsariatu «Ukraina»: orhanizatsiina struktura ta sluzhbova kompetentsiia (1941–1944 rr.)” [Ukrainian Police Formations within the Nazi Occupation Regime in the Reichskommissariat “Ukraine”: Organizational Structure and Official Competence (1941–1944)]. Naukovi zapysky z ukrainskoi istorii: Zbirnyk naukovykh statei [Scholarly Notes on Ukrainian History: Collection of Scholarly Articles], no. 24, 124–130. [in Ukrainian].
Honcharenko, O. M. 2011a. Orhanizatsiino-pravove zabezpechennia funktsionuvannia okupatsiinoi administratsii Raikhskomіsariatu «Ukraina» (1941–1944 rr.) [Organizational and Legal Framework for the Functioning of the Occupation Administration of the Reichskommissariat “Ukraine” (1941–1944)]: Doctoral dissertation, specialty 07.00.01 – History of Ukraine. Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi. 500 pp. [in Ukrainian].
Honcharenko, O. M. 2011b. Funktsionuvannia okupatsiinoi administratsii Raikhskomіsariatu «Ukraina»: upravlinsko-rozporiadchi ta orhanizatsiino-pravovi aspekty (1941–1944 rr.) [Functioning of the Occupation Administration of the Reichskommissariat “Ukraine”: Administrative, Managerial, Organizational, and Legal Aspects (1941–1944)]. Kyiv: NPU imeni M. P. Drahomanova. 600 pp. [in Ukrainian].
Honcharenko, O. M., M. P. Kunytskyi, and O. Ye. Lysenko. 2014. Systema orhaniv mistsevoho upravlinnia na terytorii Raikhskomіsariatu «Ukraina» ta «viiskovoi zony». 1941–1944 rr. [The System of Local Government Bodies in the Reichskommissariat “Ukraine” and the “Military Zone,” 1941–1944]. Kyiv: Institute of History of Ukraine, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. 151 pp. [in Ukrainian].
Dereiko, I. 2012. Mistsevi formuvannia nimetskoi armii ta politsii u Raikhskomіsariati «Ukraina» (1941–1944 roky) [Local Formations of the German Army and Police in the Reichskommissariat “Ukraine” (1941–1944)]. Kyiv: Institute of History of Ukraine, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. 174 pp. [in Ukrainian].
Kovalchuk, I. 2018. “Formuvannia mistsevoi dopomizhnoi politsii i zaluchennia yii pidrozdiliv do karalnykh operatsii natsystskykh okupantiv na terytorii Zhytomyrskoi oblasti u 1941 rotsi” [Formation of the Local Auxiliary Police and the Involvement of Its Units in the Punitive Operations of the Nazi Occupiers in the Zhytomyr Region in 1941]. Intermarium: Istoriia, polityka, kultura [Intermarium: History, Politics, Culture], no. 5, 219–239. [in Ukrainian].
Radchenko, Yu. 2024. Dopomizhna politsiia, mistseva administratsiia, SD ta Shoa na ukrainsko-rosiisko-biloruskomu pohranychchi (1941–1943) [Auxiliary Police, Local Administration, the SD, and the Shoah in the Ukrainian–Russian–Belarusian Borderland (1941–1943)]. Kyiv: Feniks. 288 pp. [in Ukrainian].
Sytnyk, D. O. 2024. Ukrainska dopomizhna politsiia mista Kyieva: formuvannia, sklad, diialnist (1941–1945) [The Ukrainian Auxiliary Police of Kyiv: Formation, Personnel, and Activities (1941–1945)]: PhD dissertation, specialty 032 – History and Archaeology. Kyiv. 274 pp. [in Ukrainian].
Stelnykovych, S. V. 2016. Natsystskyi okupatsiinyi rezhym na terytorii Zhytomyrsko-Vinnytskoho rehionu i mistseve naselennia: paraleli isnuvannia y borotby (1941–1944 rr.) [The Nazi Occupation Regime in the Zhytomyr–Vinnytsia Region and the Local Population: Parallels of Coexistence and Resistance (1941–1944)]: Doctoral dissertation, specialty 07.00.01 – History of Ukraine. Kyiv. 522 pp. [in Ukrainian].
Urakin, M. H. 2025. Kolaboratsionizm na terytorii Zhytomyrsko-Vinnytskoho rehionu u roky natsystskoi okupatsii, 1941–1944 rr. [Collaborationism in the Zhytomyr–Vinnytsia Region during the Nazi Occupation, 1941–1944]: PhD dissertation, specialty 032 – History and Archaeology. Kyiv. 266 pp. [in Ukrainian].
Brandon, R., & Lower, W., eds. 2008. The Shoah in Ukraine: History, Testimony, Memorialization. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, in association with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. IX, 378 pp.
Dean, M. C. 1996. “The German Gendarmerie, the Ukrainian Schutzmannschaft and the ‘Second Wave’ of Jewish Killings in Occupied Ukraine: German Policing at the Local Level in the Zhitomir Region, 1941–1944.” German History 14 (2): 168–192.
Dean, M. C. 2000. Collaboration in the Holocaust: Crimes of the Local Police in Belorussia and Ukraine, 1941–44. New York: St. Martin’s Press / Palgrave Macmillan. 234 pp.
Grelka, F. 2005. Die ukrainische Nationalbewegung unter deutscher Besatzungsherrschaft 1918 und 1941/42 [The Ukrainian National Movement under German Occupation Rule in 1918 and 1941/42]. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. 507 pp. (Studien der Forschungsstelle Ostmitteleuropa an der Universität Dortmund, vol. 38). [in German].
Himka, J.-P. 2021. Ukrainian Nationalists and the Holocaust: OUN and UPA’s Participation in the Destruction of Ukrainian Jewry, 1941–1944. Stuttgart: ibidem-Verlag. 540 pp. (Ukrainian Voices, vol. 12).
Pohl, D. 1997. Nationalsozialistische Judenverfolgung in Ostgalizien 1941–1944: Organisation und Durchführung eines staatlichen Massenverbrechens [National Socialist Persecution of Jews in Eastern Galicia, 1941–1944: Organization and Implementation of a State Mass Crime]. Munich: R. Oldenbourg Verlag. 455 pp. (Studien zur Zeitgeschichte, vol. 50). [in German].
Roshwald, A. 2023. Occupied: European and Asian Responses to Axis Conquest, 1937–1945. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 466 pp.
Sandkühler, T. 2020. Das Fußvolk der «Endlösung». Nichtdeutsche Täter und die europäische Dimension des Völkermords [The Foot Soldiers of the “Final Solution”: Non-German Perpetrators and the European Dimension of Genocide]. Darmstadt: Academic. 431 pp. [in German].
Schmittwilken, C. 2024. Zentralen des Terrors. Die Dienststellen der Kommandeure der Sicherheitspolizei und des SD im Reichskommissariat Ukraine [Centers of Terror: The Offices of the Commanders of the Security Police and SD in the Reichskommissariat Ukraine]. Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Oldenbourg. IX, 304 pp. (Quellen und Darstellungen zur Zeitgeschichte, vol. 145). [in German].
Spohr, J. 2022. “‘Evakuierende” und ‘‘Evakuierte”: Die doppelte Rolle der ukrainischen Hilfspolizei im Kontext der Kriegswende 1943/44” [“Evacuators” and “Evacuees”: The Dual Role of the Ukrainian Auxiliary Police in the Context of the Turning Point of the War, 1943/44]. Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift 81 (1): 116–145. [in German].
Statiev, A. 2010. The Soviet Counterinsurgency in the Western Borderlands. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 368 pp.
