Who Was Boris Romantschenko? Holocaust Survivor Killed By Russian Shelling In His Own Home

July 2024 · 3 minute read

Who Was Boris Romantschenko? A rocket bombardment hits Boris Romanchenko’s residence in Kharkiv, killing the 96-year-old survivor of Buchenwald and Belsen concentration camps. Find out more about him.

Boris Romantschenko, a survivor of the Buchenwald, Mittelbau-Dora, Bergen-Belsen, and Peenemünde concentration camps, died on Friday after a Russian missile struck his apartment building in Kharkiv’s second city.

Who Was Boris Romantschenko? Holocaust Survivor Killed By Russian Shelling In His Own Home

Mr. Romantschenko was assassinated in Ukraine by a Russian rocket after surviving the horrors of four Nazi concentration camps during WWII.

Who Was Boris Romantschenko? Holocaust Survivor Age & Wikipedia

Boris Romanchenko was born in Bondari, near Sumy, on January 20, 1926; therefore, he was 96 years old.

He was a survivor of the concentration camps at Buchenwald, Peenemünde, Dora, and Bergen-Belsen. During Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he was slain.

In 1942, German soldiers transported Boris Romantschenko to Dortmund, where he was forced to work underground. He attempted to flee but was apprehended.

96-year-old prisoner of fascist concentration camps died in #Kharkiv

Boris Romanchenko survived Buchenwald, Peenemünde, Dora-Mittelbau and Bergen-Belsen, but was killed by a #Russian rocket in his apartment during a "denazification operation". pic.twitter.com/5aEvBcJQXU

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 21, 2022

He was deported to the Buchenwald detention camp in January 1943. He was assigned to the Peenemünde Army Research Institute, where he assisted in developing the V2 rocket. The Mittelbau concentration camp and the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp were two more camps. After surviving Nazi persecution, he was able to return to his homeland.

In the Buchenwald-Dora and Commandos camp workgroups, he was active in commemorative work. He rose through the ranks of the Buchenwald-Dora International Committee and Commands for Ukraine to Vice President.

Boris Romantschenko Family

Boris Romanchenko was married, and he was a father and grandfather.

However, no one from his family has yet been identified.

Due to the situation’s sensitivity, his officers may have concealed his family identity for security reasons.

As the investigation unfolds, more members of his family may be uncovered.

—>> 96-year old Boris Romanchenko survived four Nazi concentration camps, but died Friday in a Russian strike on Kharkiv, says Buchenwald memorial institute. The memorial said, according to his grand-daughter, Romanchenko was living in apartment block hit during a Russian attack.

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) March 21, 2022

Boris Romantschenko Holocaust Survivor Killed By Russian Shelling In His Own Home

Boris Romantschenko escaped Buchenwald, Peenemünde, Dora, and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps. Last Friday, he was killed in a blast at his home in Charkiv, Ukraine.

According to a tweet from the Buchenwald concentration camp memorial account, a Holocaust survivor was killed in his house in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Mr. Romantscheno’s granddaughter told the Foundation that a shell hit his apartment building.

They stated they were “stunned” by the news in a tweet.

#Ukrain: Boris Romanchenko, a 96 year old who survived a number of Nazi concentration camps is reportedly killed in Russian airstrikes in his apartment in #Kharkiv. #UkraineRussiaWar. pic.twitter.com/pbpRRgQsoI

— Somalia Latest News (@NaziifAbdullahi) March 21, 2022

According to them, Mr. Romanchenko was vice-president of the Buchenwald-Dora International Committee and worked extensively on the memory of Nazi crimes.

Mr. Romanchenko spoke at a commemoration of the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp in 2012.

He read a commitment signed by Buchenwald survivors to “create a new world of peace and freedom” at the ceremony.

Mr. Romanchenko’s death adds to Vladimir Putin’s contention that Russia is justified in invading Ukraine because it needs to “denazify” it.

It comes only weeks after Russian bombs detonated near Babyn Yar, a memorial commemorating one of the Holocaust’s most heinous atrocities.

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