President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored the memory of the victims of the Babyn Yar tragedy on the 85th anniversary of the mass Nazi shootings during the occupation of Kyiv from 1941 to 1943.
The Head of State lit a memorial candle at the Menorah memorial on the grounds of the Babyn Yar National Historical and Memorial Reserve.
Representatives of foreign delegations who came to Ukraine to take part in the commemorative events also attended the ceremony. They included Zeev Elkin, Additional Minister in the Ministry of Finance of Israel; Karin Prien, Federal Minister of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of Germany; and Dani Dayan, Chairman of the Directorate of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.
The victims of Babyn Yar were also honored by Prime Minister of Ukraine Sergii Koretskyi; Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov; Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Ihor Klymenko; government officials, rabbis, ambassadors of foreign countries, and representatives of international organizations’ missions.
Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance Oleksandr Alfyorov noted that the Ukrainian and Jewish peoples have a thousand-year history of relations, linked, among other things, by the tragedy of Babyn Yar.
“We are very close peoples. That is why the tragedy of Babyn Yar is a tragedy that pains every generation of Ukrainians. It is no coincidence that the first historical monument erected in Kyiv after independence was proclaimed was the Menorah,” Oleksandr Alfyorov underscored.
The Additional Minister in the Ministry of Finance of Israel noted that, more than 80 years later, peaceful people are once again being killed.
“You here in Ukraine, more than anyone, understand what it means to fight for your freedom and independence with weapons in your hands. We have much in common, including common enemies. Today, Iranian drones are causing destruction and killing civilians both in Ukraine and in Israel,” Zeev Elkin said.
The Federal Minister of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of Germany underscored that her country would continue to support Ukraine in its fight against the aggressor.
“History obliges us, as Germans, to provide reliable and lasting support to Ukraine, which is under attack. Moreover, it is an abuse of history when the president of the Russian Federation justifies the invasion by claiming it is for denazification,” Karin Prien said.
The Chairman of the Directorate of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, called for preserving the memory of the victims of Babyn Yar and remembering the crimes of the Holocaust.
“This history, these lessons can help us recognize the consequences of dehumanization, aggression, indifference, and hatred. They remind us that the choices made by individuals, communities, institutions, and governments matter,” Dani Dayan said.
During the ceremony, representatives of Jewish religious organizations recited a memorial prayer.
