The memory of Babyn Yar tragedy and the slogan "Never again" is the moral basis of humanism and opposition to any forms of aggressive chauvinistic ideologies, in particular Russian aggression against Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said on the 82nd anniversary of Babyn Yar tragedy on Friday

"Honoring the memory of the victims of Babyn Yar, we call on the world to prevent the repetition of such disasters. More than 80 years since the tragedy of Babyn Yar, we are again witnessing the devastating consequences of the spread of totalitarian ideology, the systematic violation of generally accepted principles and norms of international law. Atrocities then and now were committed by different regimes and criminals, but they are based on the same hatred of everything human," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.

According to the commentary, the preservation of historical memory is an important component of humanitarian policy. And in this context, the inclusion in 2023 of the Ukrainian nomination "Babyn Yar Documentary Heritage" in the international register of the UNESCO Memory of the World Program is an important signal of the need for joint steps with foreign partners to prevent the revival of racism, ethnic hostility and totalitarian ideologies.

During the German occupation of Kyiv in 1941-1943, Babyn Yar became the site of mass executions and burials, where, according to official data alone, more than 100,000 prisoners of war, communists, nationalists, underground fighters and people of Jewish nationality died. The most massive executions took place at the beginning of the occupation, starting on September 29, 1941, when almost all the Jewish Kyiv residents remaining in the city were killed for several days.