Rokytne Raion, Rivne Oblast


Rokytne Raion is a raion in Rivne Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is the urban-type settlement of Rokytne. Population:

Demographics

Rokytne Raion is probably the place with the highest birth rate in all of Ukraine. The Raion recorded a birth rate of 24.0 per 1,000 in 2008. The village council of Hlynne is widely regarded as holding the record for the highest birth rate in all of Europe.
On August 26, 1942, after living under a reign of terror for just over a year, the Jews of Rokitno were ordered to gather in the central market square for deportation to a killing site outside the town. When many of them realized what was about to occur, the crowd began to panic. As people began to run, Nazi and Ukrainian police began to shoot. People were systematically shot or herded into waiting rail cars, destined for Sarny. Jews were also forcibly transferred to Sarny from the towns of Tomashgorod, Klesov and Dubrovitsa.
This event is collectively referred to as part of the 1942 Sarny Massacre.