The 85th anniversary of the Babyn Yar tragedy: Ukraine honors the memory of the victims
Kyiv • UNN
On September 29, Ukraine honors the victims of Babyn Yar. During the Nazi occupation, about 100,000 people were killed there, including 33,771 Jews.
On September 29, Ukraine commemorates the victims of Babyn Yar. This year marks 85 years since the beginning of the mass shootings of Kyiv’s Jews. During the Nazi occupation of Kyiv, around 100,000 people were killed at Babyn Yar.
Mass shootings of Jews at Babyn Yar
Babyn Yar is a large ravine in northwestern Kyiv that became one of the main symbols of the Holocaust in Ukraine. German troops occupied Kyiv on September 19, 1941. On September 28, the Nazis posted around two thousand notices throughout the city ordering Kyiv’s Jews to appear at a designated location the following morning with documents, money, valuables, and warm clothing. On September 29, thousands of people headed toward Lukianivka. They were led to the Babyn Yar area, where their documents, belongings, and outer clothing were taken from them, after which they were sent in groups to the execution site.
The mass killings on September 29–30 were carried out by Sonderkommando 4a of Einsatzgruppe C, with the participation of German police units. According to an Einsatzgruppe C report, 33,771 Jews were killed over the two days. The victims included women, children, and elderly people.
The mass murder of Kyiv’s Jews at Babyn Yar was one of the largest simultaneous mass shootings of the Holocaust. The executions at the ravine did not stop after September 30, 1941. The shootings continued there throughout the Nazi occupation of Kyiv from 1941 to 1943.
Who was killed at Babyn Yar
In addition to Jews, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, civilian hostages, patients of a psychiatric hospital, prisoners of the Syrets concentration camp, and members of the Ukrainian nationalist underground were killed at Babyn Yar. According to current estimates, the total number of people killed at Babyn Yar during the Nazi occupation was around 100,000.
The memory of all victims of the Nazi mass killings at Babyn Yar is commemorated on September 29. The ravine has become one of the best-known symbols of the Holocaust in Ukraine and the mass crimes of the Nazi regime. People bring flowers and candles to memorial sites in the area, including the Menorah and the monument to the children who were shot, and, according to Jewish tradition, leave stones.
Program of commemorative events taking place in October
On September 30, a new Ukrainian edition of Anatolii Kuznetsov’s documentary novel "Babyn Yar" will be presented in Kyiv.
On October 5, the pilot version of the digital archive of the National Historical and Memorial Reserve "Babyn Yar" is scheduled to launch.
On October 7, a discussion of the book "War and Occupation: Germany and Ukraine, 1939–1945" will take place.
On October 22–23, a forum titled "Memory Under Occupation: Holocaust Museums During Wartime" will be held in Kyiv, with the possibility of online participation.
In addition, the exhibition "Witness of Eternity," dedicated to the memory of the victims of Babyn Yar, is on display at the Central House of Artists in Kyiv through October 4.