Aleksey Kramarenko Ukrainian nationalist and collaborator, burgomaster of Kharkov during the Great Patriotic War Date of Birth: 17.03.1882 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Alexei Kramarenko

Alexei Ivanovich Kramarenko was a Ukrainian nationalist and collaborator who served as the mayor of Kharkiv during the Great Patriotic War. Born in 1910, Kramarenko worked as a chief engineer in various industrial enterprises, including the Budyan plant, from 1910 to 1931. In 1931, he began his career in academia, teaching at the Kamianets-Podilskyi and Kharkiv universities. Prior to the war, Kramarenko held the position of professor at the Kharkiv Technological Institute. He was married and had two children.

During the German occupation of Kharkiv in October 1941, Kramarenko was appointed as the city's mayor. From December 15 to 16, 1941, a mass extermination of Jews took place in Kharkiv. Kramarenko reported that "8547 Jews were evicted in two days, resulting in 58129 square meters of residential space being freed up." The Ukrainian city administration relocated 1700 families of their supporters into the vacant apartments of Jews.

On March 9, 1942, Kramarenko and his deputy, L. E. Kublitsky-Piottukh, issued Order No. 24/5-6, stating: "It has been almost four and a half months since our city was liberated from the Jewish-Bolshevik vermin by the powerful weapon of the invincible German Army. The fifth month has already begun, and our Ukrainian yellow-blue flag proudly flies alongside the victorious German flag, symbolizing the new life and rebirth of our homeland. Unfortunately, to the great shame and anger of all Ukrainians, there still remains the disgraceful Bolshevik legacy in some places. It is shameful for those who become free citizens of our liberated homeland to hear conversations in the Russian language from government officials, even in district administrations. The shame is on those who despise their mother tongue. We will not allow this; it should not be. Therefore, I order to categorically forbid anyone in government positions to continue speaking Russian during working hours in institutions."

In compliance with this order, business correspondence in the Russian language was later banned as well. Kramarenko supported the establishment of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church in Kharkiv, led by Metropolitan Theophilus. He also patronized nationalist-minded writers, including A. Lyubchenko.

Despite his administrative shortcomings, Kramarenko was unable to effectively manage the city even with the support of several deputy mayors. On January 22, 1942, he was promoted to Ober-Burgomaster, taking over from German Colonel Petersknotte. However, towards the end of 1942, Kramarenko was relieved of his duties and arrested in January 1943. He was quietly executed. His former deputy, lawyer Alexander Platonovich Semenenko, who later fled to the United States, succeeded him as Ober-Burgomaster. In the final stages of the occupation, the position was held by Pavel Kozakevich, a professor of physical chemistry.