When German troops entered the Baltic countries, the persecution of Romani people in the area commenced. In the beginning of the war, the SS and the German armed forces killed Romani people haphazardly. As the war proceeded, the killings became increasingly organised and systematic.

Between 1941 and 1943 90% of the Romani population of Estonia were killed and 50% of those living in Latvia. The majority of Romani people in Lithuania are believed to have been shot, and several thousand from Lithuania and Belarus were sent to German concentration camps.