The German Threat in Siberia as a Factor in the Beginning of the Intervention of the Entente Countries in Eastern Russia in 1918

The article tells about the perception of the Entente countries of the Central Powers' prisoners of war taken prisoner by the Russian army during the First World War and held in concentration camps in Siberia and the Far East. Information is given about the number of prisoners of war of the German Empire and its allies imprisoned in concentration camps in the east of Russia in 1918—1919, the question of their participation as volunteers in the Civil War in the Red Army units is analysed. Much attention is paid to the reports of diplomatic and military representatives of the Entente countries who were in Russia in 1918 about the spread of the “German threat” and possible German penetration into Siberia and the Far East for their economic and military exploitation. It is concluded that both the ability of Germany to extend its influence into eastern Russia and the possibility of using prisoners of war in Siberia and the Far East were exaggerated.