UWC commemorates Babyn Yar victims, calls for global support for Ukraine

Today on Sept. 29 the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) joins Ukraine and the international community in mourning the 84th anniversary of the Babyn Yar massacres in Kyiv and honors the memory of its innocent victims from Nazi slaughter.

That day in 1941, nearly 34,000 Jews were murdered on the outskirts of Kyiv in Babyn Yar. This tragedy became one of the largest mass killings of the Holocaust. 

The total number of victims at Babyn Yar is estimated at 100,000, including Ukrainians, Roma, prisoners of war of different nationalities, and people of various political and religious backgrounds.

However, for decades the Soviet totalitarian regime tried to conceal and erase the horrific memory of the Nazi crimes committed at Babyn Yar. Only after Ukraine regained independence in 1991 were Ukrainians and Jews able to properly honor the memory of their relatives and loved ones.

In early March 2022, Russian invaders deliberately and cynically launched missile strikes on the Babyn Yar National Memorial in Kyiv, showing blatant contempt for the memory of Holocaust victims.

Today, as memorial events are held in Kyiv, courageous Ukrainians continue to fight for their freedom and sovereignty against Russia’s brutal aggression. Russia’s invasion is not only an attempt to subjugate a nation and seize its land, but also an effort to destroy Ukraine’s national identity through a modern-day genocide. The Kremlin openly denies Ukraine’s right to exist as a sovereign state.

Like the Nazis, Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin’s regime hides its imperial ambitions behind disinformation, propaganda, and lies. Russia cynically distorts the memory of the Holocaust and World War II, using it to justify its war against Ukraine.

“By honoring the victims of Babyn Yar, we call on all democratic and peace-loving nations to continue to stand firmly with Ukraine,” said UWC President Paul Grod.

On the eve of this anniversary, Russian missiles once again struck Kyiv, killing innocent civilians. The international community cannot remain silent as Russia wages another genocidal war on Ukrainian soil, Grod said.

“The world must help the people of Ukraine liberate their land from deadly Russian occupation and achieve a just and lasting peace. Just like Nazism, the Russian evil must be stopped,” the UWC President said.