OREANDA-NEWS. Commemorative ceremonies were held in Ukraine on the 80th anniversary of the mass murder of Jews by the Nazis in Kiev. On Wednesday, September 29, President Volodymyr Zelensky laid flowers at the monument to the victims of the Nazis in Babi Yar and installed a lamp at the foot of the memorial sign «Menorah», according to his official website.

In a statement on the occasion of the memorable Dana Zelensky stressed the importance of preserving in future generations the memory of the terrible figures testifying to the crimes of Nazism, so that such tragedies would not be repeated in the history of mankind. At the same time, Ukraine is doing everything possible «to turn Babi Yar from the territory of oblivion into a worthy place of remembrance for hundreds of thousands of victims killed in 1941-1943», he further pointed out.

Zelensky also said that on September 29, a lesson dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Babyn Yar tragedy is being held in all Ukrainian schools. «Preserving the memory of the Second World War, in particular the tragedy of Babi Yar and the Holocaust, is our duty to future generations. Honoring the memory of all those who died with dignity is our duty to past generations», the Ukrainian president stressed.

According to him, Babi Yar is «two words, which are 80 years of joint pain of the Jewish and Ukrainian peoples». The Ukrainian president pointed out that in addition to Jews, the victims of the Nazis in Babi Yar were «Ukrainians and Gypsies, prisoners of war and psychiatric hospital patients» and «in general, at least 6 million Jews became victims of the Holocaust in Europe».

During the Nazi occupation during World War II, tens of thousands of prisoners of war and civilians, including Jews, Ukrainians, Russians and Belarusians, were killed in Babi Yar near Kiev. The number of victims, according to various estimates, ranged from 70 to 200 thousand people. In just two days, on September 29 and 30, 1941, more than 33 thousand Jews were shot in the Babi Yar ravine.

In May 2021, a symbolic synagogue was opened on the territory of the Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial. The object called «A Place for Reflection» is an 11-meter wooden structure in the form of a book with patterns and prayer texts repeating the painting of ancient synagogues in western Ukraine, which were destroyed during World War II.