The Nazi Party, which rose to prominence in Germany during the 1920s and 1930s, focused on the destruction of the Soviet Union. The Nazis wished to eliminate the perceived Communist threat to Germany and seize lands within the Soviet borders. However, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was hesitant to launch an invasion of the Soviet Union since Germany was already facing conflict to the west with Great Britain and France.

In late August 1939, just days before invading Poland, Hitler signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union. The pact included a pledge that Germany and the Soviet Union would remain at peace for 10 years. The pact also contained a secret protocol that established Soviet and German spheres of influence in Eastern Europe. Poland was split between the two, with Germany occupying western Poland and the Soviets occupying eastern Poland.

In violation of the non-aggression agreement, Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. The German military initiated a mass murder campaign that targeted Jewish males, Roma people, and officials in the Communist Party and Soviet State. By late July 1941, the mass murder of Soviet Jewish communities was underway. In mid-October, Hitler ordered the deportation of German Jewish people to German-occupied areas of the Soviet Union.