On 22 June 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, bringing mass terror to civilians. In Krasnodar, German forces and local collaborators carried out arrests, shootings, hangings, and gas van killings targeting Jews, Communists, and suspected resistance members.

After the Red Army retook the city in February 1943, mass graves were uncovered and witnesses exposed the scale of the crimes. Soviet authorities organised one of the first wartime trials to prosecute those involved.

In July 1943, eight collaborators were sentenced to death and publicly executed before around 30,000 spectators. The trial revealed how Nazi occupation terror functioned — and sent a clear message about the fate of those who took part in it.