Vladimir Russu, a war criminal who was found guilty of murdering more than 70 Jews during the Nazi regime in the old Jewish town of Sadagura, was sentenced today to life imprisonment.
In 1941, following the retreat of the Russians from Bukovina, Russu–taking advantage of the temporary dislocation and lack of military protection in Sadagura–set himself up as police chief. Shortly thereafter, with the aid of several Rumanian fascists, he ordered the town’s Jewish population to proceed to a nearby forest. After digging their own graves, the Jews were shot, with only two succeeding in escaping.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
