‘Only fascists can destroy World War II and Holocaust memorials’

The Russian army is destroying historical monuments not only linked to the history of Ukraine but of World War II and the Holocaust. Still, their leaders have the arrogance of accusing Ukraine of fascism, writes Roman Rukomeda.

Roman Rukomeda is a Ukrainian political analyst. This is his 30^th account of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which he succeeded to send to EURACTIV despite hardships and limited internet access. 

The 36th day of war is coming to an end. Russian war criminals show total aggression and destructive behaviour toward those symbols of WWII that they continue to call “sacred” on TV channels inside their country. In their blind madness against Ukraine and the civilised world, Russian invaders attack memorials and monuments on Ukrainian territory.

On 24 March in the Kharkiv region, in the city of Izyum, the Russian invaders shelled Mount Kremenets. The historical memorial in memory of WW II was destroyed. The construction of the War Memorial “Sorrowful Mother”, the installation of an obelisk on the grave of an unknown soldier, and memorials at the entrances to Kremenets began in the 60s of last century and lasted 28 years. In 2008, a monument to the Holodomor victims was erected on top of the mountain in the form of a sculpture of the Virgin with a cross.

The occupiers needed only seconds to destroy what the Ukrainian people had been working on for half a century.

In addition, during the ongoing shelling in Kharkiv, a monument to the Memorial Complex in the Forest Park, located on the northern outskirts of the city, was damaged. Here, the Nazis shot thousands of Soviet patriots, prisoners of war and guerrillas who refused to surrender to the enemy. Russian troops also fired on a memorial to victims of totalitarianism located on Belgorod Highway.

In Bucha near Kyiv, the Russian invaders destroyed a monument to Soviet soldiers who died in Afghanistan.

In many other towns and villages of Ukraine that Russian aggressors attacked, some memorials to Soviet unknown warriors who died in WWII were destroyed.

Russian terrorists are also destroying the Holocaust monuments and memorials of mass murders by Nazis during WWII. One such example is the awful crime of Russian terrorists in the Kharkiv region.

On 26 March, on the way out of Kharkiv (towards Chuguiv), as a result of artillery shelling of the Russian war criminals, a monument in the form of a Menorah was damaged at the entrance to the Drobitsky Yar memorial complex. Drobitsky Yar is one of the most tragic places in Kharkiv.

In 1941-1942, the Nazis massacred civilians here. According to the State Archives of Kharkiv Oblast, between 16,000 and 20,000 Holocaust victims were shot dead in Drobitsky Yar.

Another example of Russian terrorism is a powerful missile attack on 1 March on the territory where the Babin Yar Memorial Complex is located. During the German occupation of Kyiv from 1941-to 1943, Babyn Yar became the site of mass shootings of civilians by the German occupiers.

President Zelenskyy called the actions of the Russian-Belarusian aggressor similar to those of German troops during World War II. The United Jewish Community of Ukraine has also stated that the bombing of the Babyn Yar Memorial Complex is a desecration of the burial site of Nazi victims.

Russian aggressors’ indifference and disrespect to the victims of the WWII and Holocaust appear to be particularly disturbing for the German government and society, who had been victims for a long time of Russian manipulations connected to the history of WWII. Now it is evident that new Russian fascists are committing even worse crimes by destroying not only the peaceful people of Ukraine but also the historical memory of WWII. And at the same time, Russian war criminals have enough arrogance and cynicism to accuse Ukrainians of fascism.

This time Europe will not be fooled by Russian liars and terrorists.