Today, on September 29, 2024, a ceremony was held near the “Menorah” monument at the Babyn Yar National Historical and Memorial Reserve to honor the victims of mass executions in nazi-occupied Kyiv during World War II. The ceremony was attended by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Head of the Presidential Office Andrii Yermak, the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Mykola Tochytskyi, rabbis, ambassadors, heads of international organizations’ representations, and representatives of diplomatic missions.
“We cannot forget such heinous times – fascism, nazism. We must remind everyone about this. Not only in Ukraine, but also to remind everyone abroad that such terrible times must never be repeated”, emphasized Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The executions at Babyn Yar began immediately after the nazis and their allies entered Kyiv in September 1941 and continued almost daily until the city’s occupation ended. Between 1941 and 1943, about 100,000 civilians and prisoners of war were executed here, including Jews, Ukrainians, Roma, and people of other nationalities.
The bloodiest days were September 29–30, when nearly 34,000 Jews, residents of Kyiv, were killed. This nazi operation became one of the largest punitive actions of World War II.
