Ukraine marks Day of Remembrance of Babi Yar Victims

Today, Ukraine marks the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Babi Yar, one of the most horrific symbols of the Holocaust.

The first massacre of the unarmed civilian population was conducted by military in the Nazi-occupied Kyiv on September 29-30, 1941. From September 29 to October 11, 1941, the SS forces killed almost all Jews residing in the city - over 50,000 men, women, and children. Almost 34,000 people were killed in the first two days. On October 1, 2, 8 and 11, they shot dead those who did not appear on orders - about 17,000 people.

The motive for the massacre was blatant lie about the participation of Jews in mining and explosions in the Khreshchatyk Street, which resulted in killing many Wehrmacht soldiers and officers. Babi Yar, the large ravine on the northern edge of Kyiv, was chosen as a place for mass shootings. It was two and a half kilometers in length and in some places reached a 50-meter depth. At the end of the street a gate was built, which people were allowed to enter in groups of 30-40 persons. Previously, they were forced to undress and give up personal belongings. Then they were machine-gunned into the ravine, which was immediately covered over, with some of the victims still alive.

During the World War II, more than 100,000 people died in the Babi Yar – Jews, Roma, Karaites, Soviet prisoners of war, members of Ukrainian national resistance movement, patients of psychiatric clinic and representatives of other national or social groups. The shootings in the Babi Yar continued until Kyiv was liberated from the invaders.

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