International Day of the liberation of Nazi concentration camps

Today, at the initiative of the United Nations, the world commemorates the International Day of the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. It was established to commemorate the prisoners’ rebellion in the Buchenwald concentration camp on April 11, 1945.

After the Americans entered the territory of Buchenwald, a wave of liberation reached other concentration camps, such as Dachau, Auschwitz, Majdanek, and others. Since then, this date has remained an incurable wound in the hearts of the whole world. During the Second World War, 18 million people were imprisoned in concentration camps, and more than 11 million of them were killed.

There were about 14 thousand concentration camps in Germany and approximately 817 Nazi concentration camps for the forced detention of civilians and prisoners of war in other countries, three of which were located in Kyiv.

The Nazis defined most of the people in the concentration camps as "undesirable elements". Oleh Olzhych, Yaroslav Stetsko... Thousands of Ukrainians found themselves behind the walls of the Nazi death factories in Ukraine and abroad.

The tragedy of the Second World War is being repeated today. Since the beginning of Russia’s ruthless aggression, hundreds of our military have been held captive in Russia in really harsh conditions. They return exhausted and sick, but still invincible. We hope that all Ukrainian prisoners of war who are now in Russian camps will return to their families.

Let us remember the terrible pages of history in order to defeat the enemy that threatens peace and stability not only in Ukraine but also in the entire civilized world.