SOVIET PRISONERS OF WAR DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR: PSYCHOLOGY OF SURVIVAL

Captivity for an individual is a complex moral and psychological phenomenon which goes beyond the usual experience. The article deals with the complex phenomenon of military captivity in terms of the moral and psychological experience of Soviet prisoners of war in German detention facilities on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. The author analyses the moral and psychological impact of the Soviet state on its own soldiers, in order to prevent them from capitulating; the activities of German military intelligence and camp administration related to the impact on captured people. The article also reveals the methods of indoctrination and recruitment of the Red Army soldiers and importance of leadership among prisoners of war. Although general patterns of behavior during interrogation and detention have been identified, special attention is paid to unique perception of captivity for each individual prisoner of war. It depended on the circumstances of capture, the attitude of the German authorities, the conditions of detention and duration of captivity.