Immediately after occupying the town of Starobelsk, the German military began to search the area for Communists, partisans, and Jews. In July and August 1942, the first wave of arrests swept the town. Some 200 people were arrested and led westward out of Starobelsk. Among them were five Jews, including an evacuated Jewish family and one local Jew. After walking three kilometers away from the town, the victims were forced into a pit by the side of the road to Svatovo, whereupon they were shot dead with machine guns.

More information: Yad Vashem