Today Ukraine and the whole world honors the memory of Babyn Yar victims – a tragedy that will always hurt peoples and nations and will motivate politicians to make wise civilized decisions.
Babyn Yar is the eternal resting place for victims of bloody Nazi Moloch. It is a mass grave of various peoples and a world-famous, horrific symbol of the Holocaust.
This day 81 years ago Nazi invaders in the occupied Kyiv opened another bloody chapter in the history of World War II – September 29, 1941 in Babyn Yar tract massacre of civilians began.
More than a hundred thousand innocent lives were lost – men, women and children. The exact number of victims is impossible to establish, but a scale and cynicism of Nazi crimes is beyond comprehension.
On March 1, 2022, new Nazis from Russian Federation murdered Holocaust victims for the second time. During the shelling of Kyiv, Russian missiles struck the Babyn Yar memorial, an old Jewish cemetery. Five people were killed and five more were seriously wounded.
Now, even with full-scale war, Ukrainians demonstrate a commitment to the fundamental ideals of the civilized world – humanism, mutual assistance, tolerance, respect for human life, ethnic and religious identity, dignity and freedom.
Remembering the events of recent history, still feeling the burning common pain, we made the only right choice: Ukraine is an independent state, which paves its way on the principles of understanding and equal opportunities for the development of citizens of all nationalities and religions.
Today we can confidently assert the dark pages of totalitarian epoch have been turned forever. We have categorically said NO to dictatorial systems and stand for democratic values for peace in Ukraine and Europe. And we will never give even the slightest chance to authoritarianism, dictatorship, chauvinism, racism, discrimination, ethnic or religious intolerance.
Through the joint efforts of all citizens we are developing a society of free people whose purpose and future is a dignified life in a united and undivided Ukraine.
Blessed memory to the innocent victims of Babyn Yar.
Victory and peace to us all.
Honorary consul of the Republic of Moldova
Mykola Skrypkovskyi
