Part 3/10:
Minsk, the capital of Belarus, was one of the first major cities captured following the invasion. The Germans quickly established it as an administrative center for Generalbezirk Weißruthenien within the Reichskommissariat Ostland, leading to widespread repression and brutality against local residents. Soviet sympathizers faced murder or deportation, and the German Army appropriated food supplies, resulting in severe starvations among the local populace.