Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War

German political and military leaders regarded Soviet prisoners of war not only as racially less valuable, but as potential enemies, obstacles in the German conquest of living space.

The Nazi regime claimed that it was under no obligation for the humane care of prisoners of war from the Red Army because the Soviet Union had not ratified the 1929 Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War, nor had it specifically declared its commitment to the 1907 Hague Convention on the rules of war.

Many Soviet prisoners of war died due to the appalling treatment, malnutrition, diseases, and executions.

Some 3.3 million Soviet prisoners of war, or about 57% of those taken prisoner, were dead by the end of the war.