On January 27, Ukrainians and the global community honor the memory of those affected by the Holocaust.

Commemoration of Holocaust Victims – Leaders' Thoughts

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

"On January 27, we remember the victims of the Holocaust. The Nazis aimed to annihilate an entire people, taking the lives of six million individuals. The crimes of the Holocaust must never be repeated. However, the memory of these events is gradually fading, and the evil that seeks to destroy entire nations still exists," emphasized Zelensky.

He noted that the memory of the Holocaust must remain strong.

"We must fight for life and remember that indifference nourishes evil. We need to counter hate that leads to violence," summarized the president.

Stefanchuk referred to the Holocaust as one of the most horrific crimes against humanity that must not be forgotten.

"Today, January 27, we, together with the entire world, honor the memory of Holocaust victims. This genocide claimed the lives of millions of innocents," he added.

He stressed that humanity lost too much during that horrific time due to hatred and cruelty. People were persecuted for their nationality, ethnicity, race, or religion.

"We remember the names of those who perished simply for who they were. Such evil must never happen again," concluded Stefanchuk.

What You Need to Know About the Holocaust

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

Six million Jews fell victim to the Holocaust, 1.5 million of whom died on the territory of Ukraine. Babyn Yar became a symbol of the genocide of Jews in Ukraine, where the Nazis executed 33,771 Jews.

In Ukraine, the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust has been officially observed since January 27, 2012.