On January 27, Ukrainians and the global community commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.

Holocaust Remembrance Day – What Zelensky Said

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk joined in honoring the memory of the victims.

“January 27 is a day when the world remembers the victims of the Holocaust. This was a deliberate attempt by the Nazis to eradicate an entire people – to kill all its members and destroy everything that reminded us of the Jews. Six million victims. The crime of the Holocaust must never be repeated. Unfortunately, over time, the memory of the Holocaust is fading. And the evil that seeks to destroy entire nations still exists in our world”, emphasized the head of state.

He stated that the Holocaust must never happen again, but its memory is weakening.

“And the evil that seeks to annihilate entire nations still remains in the world... We all must fight for life and remember that indifference is the fertilizer for evil. We must overcome the hatred that breeds torture and murder”, summarized Zelensky.

In turn, Stefanchuk described the Holocaust as one of the most horrific crimes against humanity that must never be repeated.

“Today, January 27, Ukraine together with the whole world honors the memory of the Holocaust victims. This is one of the most heinous crimes against humanity – a genocide that took the lives of millions of innocents”, added Stefanchuk.

He noted that during that dark time, humanity “lost far too much due to hatred, cruelty, and intolerance”. People were persecuted and killed for their national, ethnic, racial, or religious affiliation, political views, social group, or way of life.

“We remember the names of innocent victims who perished merely for who they were. Such evil must never happen again. Never. To anyone”, concluded the speaker of parliament.

Holocaust Remembrance Day – What You Need to Know

On January 27, 1945, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front liberated one of the largest Nazi death camps – “Auschwitz-Birkenau” in Poland.

A total of 6 million European Jews fell victim to the Holocaust, including 1.5 million who died on Ukrainian territory. Babyn Yar became a symbol of the genocide of Jews in Ukraine, where on September 29-30, 1941, the Nazis executed 33,771 Jews.

Ukraine marked the day of remembrance for Holocaust victims at the state level for the first time on January 27, 2012.