Ukraine was a republic under the control of the Soviet Union. It had a large Jewish population, of approximately 2,700,000 Jews. The invasion of the Soviet Union was seen as not only a military attack but also an ideological one. The Soviet Union was portrayed in Nazi propaganda as the ultimate enemy, the home of communism and Jews. This attitude was reflected in the actions of the Nazis in occupied Ukraine. From the very beginning, propaganda was instigated against the Jews. During the bombing campaign that followed the invasion of Ukraine, leaflets were dropped over Ukrainian towns and cities. They aimed to get Soviet Army soldiers to surrender and were extremely antisemitic. The leaflets stated that there was no reason to fear the invading Germans, as the real enemy was communist Jews. Shortly after their occupation, the Jewish population was forced into Jewish quarters and ghettos and placed under supervision. This was a temporary measure. Soon after being forced into ghettos, the SS, Einsatzgruppen, the German Army, the Ukrainian police, and local collaborators, started the mass murder of Ukrainian Jews.
Unlike in Poland where camps were more common, many of the victims of the Holocaust in Ukraine were shot in or nearby their home towns by the Einsatzgruppen which swept across the country following the German army. The local population was usually aware of what was happening, and in many cases assisted the Nazis in carrying the murders out.
Many Ukrainians were antisemitic prior to the Holocaust and the Nazis actively encouraged and expanded this feeling, often blaming acts of war, such as arson or mass shootings, on Jews.
