These Soviets Pegged to Die, Not Be POWs

Even before the invasion of the Soviet Union, the German troops knew exactly which categories of citizens were not to be left alive.
1. Political workers
Ahead of Operation Barbarossa — the codename for the Nazi invasion of the USSR, the fate of Red Army political workers (military commissars, political instructors/supervisors, etc.) was already sealed. As per the “Directives for the Treatment of Political Commissioners” (also known as the “Commissar Order”), issued by the Wehrmacht High Command on June 6, 1941, they were to be eliminated first.