On January 27, Ukraine and the international community observe Holocaust Remembrance Day.
This date was established by the UN General Assembly on November 1, 2005 (Resolution No. 60/7).
On January 27, 1945, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front liberated one of the largest Nazi death camps - Auschwitz-Birkenau.
According to the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, during World War II, 6 million Jews fell victim to Nazi genocide, with approximately 1.5 million from the territory of modern Ukraine.
"The Holocaust, which led to the destruction of a significant part of the Jewish population, will always serve as a warning about the dangers of hatred, fanaticism, and racism…", the UN General Assembly resolution states. Last year, key Holocaust memorials in Ukraine became targets of Russian attacks.
One of these sites is Babyn Yar - a symbol of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe. On March 1, 2022, eight decades after the mass shootings that occurred here, the world witnessed tragedy once again as a Russian missile struck the memorial area.
Another important memorial is Drobytsky Yar in Kharkiv, where Nazis executed civilians, primarily Jews. It is estimated that between 14,000 and 20,000 victims of Nazism are buried here. A memorial was opened in 2002, but in 2022, Russian shells hit the central monument.
Among those who survived the horrors of Nazi occupation was Wanda Obiedkova, a Jewish woman who hid in the basements of Mariupol. Her life came to an end on April 4, 2022, due to Russian shelling.
Boris Romanchenco, a former prisoner of the Buchenwald concentration camp, dedicated himself to preserving the memory of Nazi crimes. He died in his Kharkiv apartment on March 18, 2022, when Russian shells struck his home.

* * *

Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the President's Office, stated that only just retribution for crimes can ensure that the phrase "Never Again" becomes a reality.
«Today we honor the memory of the Holocaust victims, but we must acknowledge the bitter truth: passive memory has not prevented new genocides. Evidence of this is the Russian aggression against Ukraine,» Budanov emphasized.
He stressed the necessity for decisive actions to prevent new tragedies. «Only just retribution can guarantee that the phrase «Never Again» will finally become a reality,» the Head of the Office stated.

In Kyiv, on January 27, an exhibition titled "In Search of Lost Meaning. Matviy Vaisberg" will be opened at the Ukrainian House.