Zelensky Marks Babi Yar Anniversary, Cites Need to Oppose Terror

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commemorated the 85th anniversary of the Babi Yar massacre in Kyiv on Tuesday. The site, one of the largest Nazi mass extermination locations in Europe, was the scene where approximately 34,000 Jews were murdered by the Nazis on September 29-30, 1941. Zelensky noted on X that Babi Yar is a place of deep sorrow and memory for all Holocaust victims.

During the Nazi occupation, an estimated 100,000 people in total were killed at Babi Yar, including Roma, Ukrainian nationalists, resistance fighters, prisoners of war, and psychiatric hospital patients. Zelensky emphasized the importance of opposing evil and regimes that devalue human life, stating, "It reminds us why we must never close our eyes to terror and atrocities, and why we must always support those who truly defend life."

The commemoration ceremony took place under high security, with air defense systems and snipers deployed due to the ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine. Approximately fifty foreign ambassadors, including Israel's representative, attended the event. Zelensky laid a wreath in tribute to the victims, concluding with "Eternal memory to all innocent victims."