At 8am September 29, 1941 in Kiev Jews - women with small children and the elderly, all those who could not go to the frontline - by the orders of the occupation authorities gathered on the street Melnikova with documents and valuable things.

For failure to comply with the order they were sentenced to death.

"All the Jews of the city of Kiev and its vicinity must gether on Monday September 29, 1941 at 8 o'clock in the morning on the corner of Melnikova and Dokterivskoy Streets (near the cemetery).

Take documents, money and valuables, as well as warm clothes, underwear and so on.

Jews that will not comply with this order or will be found elsewhere will be shot on sight.

Those who infiltrate into the Jews apartments and usurp things will be shot. "

During the first two days of the shootings at Babi Yar 33,771 people were killed, not including children up to three years. The mass executions continued at the beginning of October and lasted until the end of the occupation. According to various estimates only in Babi Yar during two years 200 thousand people were killed - Jews, Ukrainians, Russian, Roma, Karaites. The eldest, who met her death at Babi Yar, was 103-year-old woman, the youngest - a three-day girl.

There were killing of prisoners of war, partisans, sailors, athletes, writers, rabbis and priests. According to the testimony of the few who managed to escape death, naked people were beaten, shot and dumped into pits in 2-3 layers. After that, the pit was filled and prepared for the next group.

The scale of the crimes committed here, is very difficult to realize. For decades the brutal crimes committed here were suppressed. Today, we are little by little restoring the memory of the tens of thousands of innocent victims who were killed at Babi Yar.

Babi Yar is a symbol of the suffering, injustice and barbarism, which was brought by Holocaust. It is a place of memory for Jews and Ukrainians. Today Ukraine bowed its head to pay tribute to the victims of the bloody crimes committed in the name of one country.

The tragedy of Jews is very clear for Ukrainians and it is very scary that some people still divide others on ethnic grounds. There is still a division between "higher" and "inferior races", and still people are victims of insane killers who have decided that they can write history.

Ukraine remembers the terrible events of its history, and today hundreds of people come to Babi Yar to remind the world about the tragedy of people executed here. Their names will not be forgotten, they become a symbol of unity for all the peoples of our country.