September 29 is a day of remembrance for the terrible tragedy that took place in Babyn Yar 80 years ago. On very this day the Nazi occupiers began mass shootings in Babyn Yar.From the early morning till the night people went to the National Historical and Memorial Reserve "Babyn Yar" to honour the memory of the victims of Nazism. The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky laid flowers at the monuments to the victims of the Nazis in Babyn Yar: Citizens and Prisoners of War, Roma, Ukrainian poet Olena Teliza and installed a lamp at the foot of the Menorah memorial. The memory of the victims was observed a minute of silence. Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko also laid flowers at the monument to citizens and prisoners of war shot by the Nazis in Babyn Yar. Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko and Acting Director-General of the National Historical and Memorial Reserve "Babyn Yar" Roza Tapanova lit candles for a memorial fire that will burn for two days. Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine Filaret and Orthodox clergy also laid flowers at the monument and prayed for the repose of the souls of innocent people killed in the terrible tragedy of Babyn Yar.Patriarch Filaret called for prayer for the souls of the victims of Babyn Yar and to do everything possible to make the world better and cruelty and hatred do not destroy human lives anymore.
The staff of the National Reserve told about the history and tragedy of Babyn Yar to organized groups of pupils and students that marched in an endless stream to honour the memory of those killed in Babyn Yar. In particular, senior researcher Volodymyr Kornelyuk met and talked with teachers and students of the 10th and 11th grades of the secondary school in the village of Zhukin, Vyshhorod district, Kyiv region.
An ecumenical prayer service was held in the evening near the monument to citizens and prisoners of war shot by the Nazis in Babyn Yar. The prayer service was conducted by the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epiphanius, the Primate of the Greek Catholic Church Metropolitan Sviatoslav, the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine Moshe Reuven Asman and the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine Progressive Judaism, Spiritual Leader of the Religious Association Olexander Dukhovny, who addressed the audience and prayed for the souls of the dead.
Anton Drobovych, director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, and Roza Tapanova, acting director-general of the Babyn Yar National Historical and Memorial Reserve, stressed the importance of remembering the Babyn Yar tragedy and honouring all victims of Nazism.
The event was organized and conducted by the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, the Institute of History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the National Historical and Memorial Reserve "Babyn Yar".
