What is Babyn Yar?

In September 1941, a small ravine a few miles northwest of central Kyiv became the epicenter of Nazi Germany’s campaign against Soviet Jewry.

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Over the course of two days, Nazi troops escorted much of the Jewish population of Kyiv to Babyn Yar (“yar” is Ukrainian for “ravine”) where they were forced at gunpoint to climb to the bottom of the ravine, undress, and lie face-first before being executed at point blank range by Nazi soldiers. According to Nazi military reports, 33,711 Jews were murdered in under 36 hours—the largest single Nazi massacre up to that point, and one of the single deadliest events during the entirety of the Holocaust.

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By 1943, an estimated 100,000 victims were murdered and buried at Babyn Yar—nearly all of Kyiv’s Jewish population.

Less than one week into Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, buildings near Babyn Yar were struck by Russian missiles in an attack that killed five civilians. The missiles wrecked havoc across the memorial site and Babyn Yar continues to be bombed today.

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