“The crime must never repeat”: Zelensky commemorates Holocaust Remembrance Day

On January 27, the world observes International Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorating one of history's most horrific tragedies. Six million Jews—men, women, and children—were victims of the Nazis' deliberate extermination campaign.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, reported that on Telegram.

He reported that on the eve of this day, Ukrainians, alongside rabbis, diplomatic representatives, and the Ukrainian team, honored the memory of the millions of men, women, and children who were killed during the Holocaust.

^{Photo: Telegram / Zelenskiy / Official}

"This was a targeted attempt by the Nazis to wipe out an entire people – to kill all its people, to destroy everything that reminded of Jews. Six million victims," ​​the head of state emphasized.

The crimes of the Holocaust must remain in the consciousness of humanity as a warning. However, over time, unfortunately, the memory of these events weakens.

"The crime of the Holocaust should never be repeated, but gradually, unfortunately, the memory of the Holocaust is weakening. And the evil that tries to destroy the lives of entire peoples remains in the world," the president emphasized.

Zelensky called for remembering war crimes and not being indifferent to them.

"We must all fight for life and not forget that indifference is a fertilizer for evil. We must overcome the hatred that gives rise to bullying and murder. We must not allow amnesia. And this is everyone's mission – to do everything so evil does not triumph," the head of state said.

For reference:

This Day was proclaimed by a resolution of the UN General Assembly of November 1, 2005, co-authored by 100 states, in memory of the victims of Nazi terror during World War II.

Ukraine joined the commemoration of this international date at the state level in 2012 (Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of July 5, 2011), although it was one of the six countries that initiated the adoption of this document.

The date of January 27 was not chosen by chance: it was on this day in 1945 that the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front liberated the prisoners of the largest Nazi death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, near Auschwitz, Poland.

It is worth recalling that the Holocaust is translated from ancient Greek as "holocaust." It means the systematic persecution and destruction (genocide) of Jews by Nazi Germany and collaborators during the years 1933-1945. In a broader sense, the Holocaust is the systematic persecution and destruction of people based on their racial, ethnic, national affiliation, sexual orientation, or genetic type as inferior or harmful.

It is officially recognized that up to 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, of which from 2.2 to 2.5 million were in the territory of the former Soviet Union, mainly in Ukraine.

Following the occupation of Ukraine, the Nazis established an extensive network of ghettos, with Lviv being the largest, and soon began the mass shootings of the Jewish population. One of the most notorious massacres occurred at Babyn Yar in Kyiv, yet the extermination of Ukrainian Jews was both systematic and widespread.

On this day, the world community not only remembers the victims of misanthropic policies but also testifies to the desire to combat anti-Semitism, racism, and all other forms of intolerance that can lead to targeted violence against a particular group of people.