The WW2 (World War 2) began in September 1939, when Germany, under Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland, sparking conflict between the Axis powers and the Allies. Before the invasion of Poland, Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in August 1939, a non-aggression treaty that secretly divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. As a result, when the Nazis invaded Poland, the Soviet Union occupied the eastern part. 

Despite the treaty, Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union, viewing the vast territories of the East as crucial for his vision of a greater German empire and his desire for lebensraum, or "living space." The occupation of the territory of Ukraine began in June 1941, when Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, was launched. The operation aimed to conquer vast territories in Eastern Europe, and Ukraine was one of the key targets due to its strategic location and resources, particularly fertile agricultural land and natural resources. The Germans quickly advanced through the Soviet Army’s defences, and by the end of 1941, Nazi forces had occupied most of Ukrainian territory. The occupation was brutal, with the Nazis implementing a policy of terror against the local population. Jews on those territories were among the first to be targeted, and mass executions, particularly in places like Babi Yar near Kyiv, became a hallmark of the occupation. The Nazis also sought to exploit Ukraine’s resources, forcibly conscripting labourers, and establishing a military administration that imposed harsh control. Despite some initial hopes of liberation from Soviet rule, many Ukrainians found themselves caught between the brutal Nazi regime and the Soviet forces, leading to widespread suffering and devastation across the occupied territory during the occupation.

On September 19, 1941, the Nazis entered Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Along with much of the occupied territory, the city was incorporated into the Reich Commissariat of Ukraine, which was established on September 1, 1941. Erich Koch, Gauleiter of East Prussia, was appointed as the leader of the region.

During the first week of the German occupation of Kyiv, two major explosions occurred in the city. The German headquarters and areas surrounding the central street, Khreshchatyk, were destroyed. A large number of German soldiers and officials were killed in the blasts. Although the explosions were caused by mines planted by retreating Soviet military personnel and government officials, the Germans used this act of sabotage as a pretext for the mass execution of the Jews who still remained in Kyiv. 

Babi Yar, a ravine in Kyiv, Ukraine, is infamous for being the site of one of the most horrific massacres during the Holocaust. In September 1941, German forces, aided by local Nazi collaborators, began executing Jews in mass numbers. Over the following months, tens of thousands of people, including Roma, were murdered there. The Roma Genocide at Babi Yar is often overshadowed by the larger focus on the Jewish victims, but it is equally significant. Like Jewish people, Roma were victims of the Einsatzgruppen (special mobile killing units deployed by Nazi Germany, primarily responsible for carrying out mass executions of Jews and later Roma, communists, political dissidents, and other groups considered "undesirable" by the Nazi regime). Many were shot on the spot or driven into the ravine and killed, with their bodies left to rot in the open air. The exact number of Roma murdered at Babi Yar is difficult to determine, but estimates suggest that at least 3,000 Roma perished there.

The massacre at Babi Yar is one of many mass executions organized by the Nazis starting in 1941. Moreover, it stands as one of the largest acts of mass murder carried out in a single location during World War II. The executions at Babi Yar continued until the autumn of 1943, and were only halted a few days before Kyiv was deliberated by the Red Army on November 6. It is estimated that approximately 100,000 people were murdered at Babi Yar.

As the Red Army approached Kyiv in August 1943, the Nazis organized an operation to conceal the atrocities that had occurred at Babi Yar. Prisoners from the Syrets concentration camp, located near Babi Yar, were enlisted for this task. The Syrets camp had been established by the Germans in May 1942 and held Soviet prisoners of war, including partisans, Jews who had survived the mass executions in late September 1941.

To cover up the mass shootings at Babi Yar, the Nazis ordered some 321 prisoners from the Syrets concentration camp to exhume the mass graves and burn the remains of the victims. Eighteen prisoners managed to escape, and in November 1943, they informed the Soviet Army about this crime.

In August 2009, a granite memorial plaque was unveiled at Babi Yar, near Dorohozhytska Street. This marked the first stone of a memorial monument to the Roma people who were executed there. Later, the monument to the murdered Roma was installed in 2016 on the opposite side of the site of the first stone, which was also relocated. The opening took place on September 29 and was timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the start of the mass executions.

The monument is designed in the form of a Roma wagon, symbolizing the free, nomadic way of life of Roma people, and stands on a pedestal made of stone. The wagon, crafted from ship steel at full scale, features a roof pierced by automatic gunfire, with iron garlands of flowers placed as a tribute to the victims. These garlands hold a plaque inscribed in both Romani and Ukrainian: 

"To the Roma people exterminated by the fascists. 

    1941-1945."    

The executions of Roma at Babi Yar remain a tragic and often overlooked chapter of the Porajmos (Genocide on Roma). The memorials erected in recent years honour the Roma lives lost and ensure that the memory of these victims is preserved. By acknowledging these atrocities, we not only pay tribute to the Roma who perished, but also work toward preventing such horrors from being forgotten or repeated.