“This war, which was forced upon us by the Germans …”. The invasion of the Soviet Union as a war of annihilation

An event accompanying the exhibition "1941: June Letters—Unread Field Mail from Kamianets-Podilskyi"

On June 30, 1941, Red Army soldier Philip Vorobyov wrote: “This war, which was forced upon us by the Germans, will either lead to a quick resolution or it will be a long one.” The letter was written just a few days after the German invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. Vorobyov reported on fighting at the front, bombings, and the uncertainty of the war’s early days.

The letter is one of the documents featured in the exhibition “1941. June Letters. Unread Field Mail from Kamianets-Podilskyi.” It offers a firsthand perspective on the beginning of a war that was far more than a mere military conflict.

From the very beginning, the attack on the Soviet Union was planned as an ideologically motivated war of extermination and conquest and led to unprecedented crimes against prisoners of war, the civilian population, and the Jewish population in the occupied territories.

As part of the exhibition’s accompanying program, museum director Dr. Jörg Morré will speak with historian Dr. Christoph Dieckmann about Germany’s war of annihilation against the Soviet Union. The discussion will focus on current research findings and different perspectives on the events.



On the evenings of the events, the museum and its exhibitions will be open until the event begins at 7:00 p.m.Translated with DeepL

Booking: Please register at

Next date:

• Date Thursday, 02/July/2026 19:00
• Venue Museum Berlin-Karlshorst
• Address Zwieseler Straße 4, 10318 Berlin-Lichtenberg