Scene of the Crime: Sachsenhausen concentration camp memorial, Oranienberg, Germany, 2023.

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp is in the town of Oranienburg and is about 20 miles outside of Berlin. It became operational in 1936 and was effectively a penal camp for political prisoners and other Nazi designated undesirables in greater Berlin initially and later for Russian and Polish prisoners. The quoted estimate is that 30,000 people died here, including 10,000 Russian prisoners. The nature and scale of the atrocities are well described elsewhere -- there is a memorial for a reason. The camp wound up in the Russian zone of occupation after the war and was subsequently used by Russian security services. Between 1945 and 1950 an estimated 12,000 more people died here under Russian administration, a less well known aspect of the history of the camp, as are deaths in the Russian camp system in general. The mass graves were not found until 1990; there is now a museum to these victims as well. Some discussion of the Russian period of administrations is here: www.nytimes.com/2001/12/17/world/ex-death-camp-tells-stor... and here web.archive.org/web/20150924110419/http://www.stiftung-bg.... During my recent trip to Berlin, flags flying in support of Ukraine were a staple of the middle of town (Berlin Mitte). While I can't speak to the familiarity of most Germans with this aspect of the Russian occupation, any familiarity with this story would account for why they and the West in general would view the expansion of Russian totalitarianism as a threat. My understanding is that the rock field in the photograph represents the foundation of one of the former baracks at the camp. In the distance is the camp entrance. I did not notice the writing on the borders until after I took the photograph. On the left it reads in English: "Can there be room for hope in this place?" I cannot make out what is written in the near or right border. (Would welcome being informed by anyone who knows.).