Prior to the outbreak of World War II, Kiev was home to approximately 160,000 Jews. As the German forces advanced towards the city, over 100,000 Jews fled eastward. The majority of the remaining Jewish population consisted of elderly individuals and young children who were unable to escape.

On September 19, 1941, the German forces entered Kiev. A few days later, the army headquarters and other buildings were destroyed by the NKVD, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of German soldiers and officers. The bombings were carried out by NKVD agents, who used the incident as a pretext to liquidate the city’s Jewish population.
On September 27th and 28th, posters were distributed throughout the city, instructing Jews to assemble for resettlement the following day. The Jews were deceived into believing that they would be resettled. In reality, the Einsatzkommando led the city’s Jews to a ravine located just outside the city, known as Babi Yar.

Upon reaching Babi Yar, the Jews were stripped of their clothing and executed. Their bodies were subsequently thrown into the ravine.

Ukrainian policemen participated in the killings. One policeman recounted the following account: “The Germans formed a corridor and drove the panic-stricken people towards the vast glade. There, sticks, swearing, and doges, who were tearing the people’s bodies, forced them to undress, form columns in hundreds, and then proceed in twos towards the ravine’s mouth. They then found themselves on the narrow ground above the ravine, which was approximately 20 to 25 meters in height. On the opposite side, German machine guns were positioned. The killed, wounded, and partially alive individuals fell down and were crushed there. The next hundred individuals were brought, and the process was repeated. The policemen took the children by the legs and threw them alive into the ravine.”

Thousands of Jews were buried alive, while a few managed to escape. In just two days, 33,771 Jews were brought to Babi Yar. Kiev and Babi Yar were just a few of the numerous locations where tens of thousands of Jews were systematically murdered.