Ushachy (; ) is an

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...

in Vitebsk Region,

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. It serves as the administrative center of Ushachy District. The settlement is located west of

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...

. As of 2024, it has a population of 5,773.

History

At the

1939 Soviet census The 1939 Soviet census (), conducted from January 17 to January 26, succeeded the 1937 Soviet census that was declared invalid. It happened only two years after the previous census, due to the failure of the preceding one. Results of 1939 census a ...

, there were 487 Jews residing in the town of Ushachi, accounting for approximately 23.8% of the total population at that time.

World War II

Ushachi was under German military occupation from 3 July 1941 until the summer of 1944. As part of the occupation policies, a

ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

was established in Ushachi in October 1941, and likely from November, it was fenced with barbed wire and guarded by a sentinel. On 12 January 1942, the Jewish population of Ushachi in the ghetto was subjected to mass murder. The killings took place in pre-dug pits near the cemetery, which had been prepared by local residents. It is important to note that prior to the liquidation, some Jews within the ghetto were able to set fire to the confines and escape. Additionally, a few days later, the Jews from the nearby town of Kublichi were also killed at the same pits where the Ushachi Jews had met their fate.

References

Sources

External links

* Urban-type settlements in Belarus Populated places in Vitebsk region Ushachy district {{belarus-geo-stub