Now, you are in an exhibition dedicated to the Holocaust tragedy in Ukraine. Babyn Yar was the symbol of the Holocaust in Ukraine. In this tract on the outskirts of Kyiv, on September 29-30, 1941, the Nazis shot about 34,000 Jews. Upon the occupation of Kyiv by the Nazis, some ads were posted on the city streets. They announced that the authorities ordered all the city Jews to come to the intersection of Melnikova and Degtyarivska streets on September 29 with documents, money, valuables, and warm clothes. Those who did not follow the order were threatened with execution. You can see the full text of that announcement on the wall above the showcase.

In two days, 33,771 people were shot dead in Babyn Yar by Sonderkommando 4a, part of the Einsatzgruppe C. This mobile military group was led by SS Standardführer Paul Blobel. The extermination in this tract on the outskirts of Kyiv continued until the Nazis withdrew in 1943. During the Nazi occupation of the capital, up to 150,000 people were executed in Babyn Yar. These were Jews, Sinti, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, Ukrainian and Soviet underground members, and mentally ill people. The shootings in the Babyn Yar tract became one of the largest mass killings during World War II.

Babyn Yar was not the only place of murder. There are more than 5,000 known places in Ukraine where the Nazis carried out mass shootings. In some cities, such as occupied Dnipropetrovsk, mass killings took place in several places: in a hollow near the Botanical Garden (nowadays Yuri Haharin Park), in an anti-tank trench near the village of Verkhnye (now – Energetychna Street).

During October 13-14, 1941, the Nazis shot about 13,000 Jews in our city. Take a look at the doll is in the showcase. It belonged to a three-year-old Jewish girl, Ada Sigalovskaya. She stayed in the occupied city with her mother, Vera, and grandmother, Ethel. When the Jews were ordered to gather near the Central Department Store, taking valuables, the girl took a doll with her - her greatest treasure. Iryna Pidhaina, their neighbor, recognized the Jewish family convoyed to the place of execution. She approached to say goodbye, and Ada gave her the toy. She asked Iryna to look after the doll until she came back in the evening. However, later that day, the Nazis killed the little girl, along with her family and thousands of others.

Next to the doll, there are children's shoes and gloves. During the occupation of Dnipropetrovsk, several German soldiers were housed in the Tikhonenko family’s apartment. Once, one of them, Henrich, returned home late in the evening, bringing these things. He gave them to the hostess's youngest daughter - Anastasia. The mother guessed that the items belonged to Jews shot in a hollow near the Botanical Garden. Despite the poverty and misery of the war years, no one in this family wore them.

Behind you, you can see “Babyn Yar. Babyn Yars of Ukraine” diorama. It is one of the most emotional parts of the Museum. The archival chronicle in front of you shows the footage of the execution of Jews. In the showcases below, you can see things found at the sites of mass shootings in different regions of Ukraine – the Dnipro, Ostroh, Slavuta.

Nearby, there is a multimedia map “Ukraine during World War II and the Holocaust.” The shortlist of data reported by the map is more than 400 pages of text. Here you can learn about the fate of Jewish communities from different settlements of Ukraine - not only large cities but also towns and villages. The database includes several thousand geographical names.