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1 Execution site(s)
Vladimir R., a Jewish survivor: "The Jews marched in columns, filling the length of the street, with police walking parallel to them. At first glance, it seemed as though they were going willingly. But why, you might ask? It was only when they reached the beginning of Mechnikov Street that the gravity of their situation became clear—they began to feel like prisoners. The term "willingly" isn’t entirely accurate. While no one physically forced them from their homes, they were compelled to obey the German orders posted all over the city—on every wall, in every yard, on every building. I remember exactly what the orders said: all Jews of Kyiv were to report to the Lukianovskaya area by around 9 a.m. (though I no longer recall the precise time), under the pretense of being relocated for forced labor. The message was clear: failure to comply would result in execution. Those who sheltered or hid Jews—whom the Germans derogatorily called "kikes"—would also be killed. So in truth, the Jews had no choice; they were forced to go. The local population was unable to protect them, though some courageous individuals did manage to hide Jews. These brave souls were later honored as Righteous Among the Nations.
YIU: Did the Germans have the lists?
W: Yes, there were certainly lists in every building—records of the occupants that were systematically submitted to the municipal administration. The Germans likely gained access to these lists, which would have made it easy for them to identify and locate Jewish residents. This level of organization and control left little room for anyone to escape unnoticed.
YIU: Were the lists shared before the war or under order of the Germans?
W: I don’t know. Nobody has ever found these lists. That is why the exact number of victims is unknown.” (Witness n°236, interviewed in Kyiv, on October 10, 2005)
“On September 28, 1941, under the orders of the German kommandant, all of the civilians of Jewish origin in the city of Kiev were to come with their valuables to the area of the Jewish cemetery on Lukyanovskaya Street. Respecting the order, I came with my child, and without my belongings, since I knew that we would be exterminated, along with thousands of other citizens of Kiev at the gathering place where an unimaginable, terrible scene was playing out. The huge crowd of people, from nursing infants to elderly people of advanced age, were surrounded by a reinforced guard of German soldiers armed with machine and submachine-guns. […] People with personal belongings were taken aside to a shed, where they were robbed of all their belongings; of gold rings, earrings, broaches, watches, etc. Crying, weeping, and screaming drowned the sounds of everything that was going on at the shooting site. At the same time, the Germans selected, from the crowd, 100-150 people, rushed them to the ravine, the so-called “Babi Yar”, and carried out the mass-shooting by machine and submachine-guns. I too found myself, together with my four and a half-year-old daughter, Lyudochka, in one of the groups selected to be shot. When I, together with others, were brought to the ravine (I was in the middle of this group), we were stopped. The nursing babies and small children were torn from their mothers’ arms and thrown like logs to the side, where they were shot from submachine- and machine-guns. Due to the fact that I was in the middle of the group and it was already dusk, I fell to the ground, without waiting for the shooting to start and I placed my child under me. At that time I heard the machine gun burst and dead and bleeding people fell on top of me. I stayed lying in this position for about two hours until all was quiet, thus remaining alive and saving the life of my child. When it was completely dark, I rose carefully and, making sure that no guards were around, took my child and started to make my way through the bodies to some safe haven in order to save ourselves. Very carefully, at great risk and with much effort, I reached the neighborhood of Babi Yar and hid for four days in one of the cellars. […]” [Deposition of a Jewish survivor, Elena Knysh, born in 1914, given to State Extraordinary commission (ChGK) on March 2, 1944; RG.22-002M:7021-65-235]
“A few days after our arrival in Kiev, a detachment of about 20 men from Poltava were formed there. I was assigned to this detachment as well. We stayed only for a short time in Poltava and then we, the drivers, were ordered to bring our damaged vehicles to Sonderkommando 4a’s headquarters in Kiev to repair them. There were three of us who went to Kiev. I think we arrived there by evening. Once there, we met with Blobel, who said to us: “Early tomorrow you too will take part […]”. Blobel left it unclear in what way we would take part in. Very early the next morning the squad members were loaded onto a truck and driven to an area outside of Kiev. I, myself, did not have to drive that day. The ride probably lasted half an hour. At the location where we stopped a huge mountain of clothing caught my attention. After we got out of the truck, we were first given some alcohol. It was either grog or rum. Then, I saw a huge ditch that looked like a dried riverbed. There were already many layers of bodies in it. At one place a wooden bridge spanned the ditch. The executions started with several of the members of our squad going down into the ditch. At the same time, about 20 Jews were brought via a connecting path. Other members of the security police were stationed at the ditch and were pre-occupied solely by filling the magazines of submachine-guns with ammunition. The Jews had to lie down on top of the bodies and were then shot in the back of the head. More and more Jews were brought to be shot. The marksmen then climbed out of the ditch and then other groups of the security police, including me, got into the ditch. I then had to act as a marksman for about 10 minutes, having to personally shoot 30 to 50 Jews during that time. I remember that men and women of various ages were shot. I do not know for sure anymore whether there were any children among them. It could be that there were mothers who were holding children in their arms. Most of the Jews were naked. A few were still in their underwear. I believe the shooting on that day lasted until about 3 p.m. Afterwards we returned to our quarters and had lunch.” [From the testimony of Viktor Trill, former driver of Sonderkommando 4a of Einsatzgruppe C, given during the pre-trial against members of the Sonderkommando 4a of Einsatzgruppe C, by the prosecutor’s office in Darmstadt; Barch, BAL, B162-5652]
Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, is situated in the north-central part of the country along the banks of the Dnipro River. The earliest record of a Jewish community in Kyiv dates back to 930, although Jewish merchants had likely been present since the community’s founding in the 8th century. Over the following centuries, the Jewish population struggled to grow due to expulsions and ongoing tensions between Jews and Christians. By 1809, there were 452 Jews in Kyiv, accounting for about 25% of the city’s total population, and by 1815, this number had increased to 1,500.
From 1827 to 1858, Jews faced restrictions on residency in Kyiv, with residence either forbidden or limited to Jewish merchants who could stay for only one day. However, in 1861, two Jewish suburbs were established, granting their residents the right to remain in the city. One suburb was located in the Lybed district, while the other was in Podol. By 1872, the Jewish population had grown to 13,803, making up 13% of Kyiv’s total population. Most Jews were artisans, primarily tailors and carpenters, or were engaged in the printing industry. Many Jewish merchants participated in small-scale trade, dealing in farm products, textiles, clothing, and building materials. Wealthy families, such as the Brodsky and Zaitsev families, thrived in the sugar industry, and the community included numerous physicians, lawyers, and other professionals.
The community faced several pogroms at various times, including those in 1648, May 1881, October 18, 1905, and the fall of 1919. During these violent outbreaks, homes and shops were looted, and in some instances, Jews were murdered. Despite these challenges, the Jewish community continued to grow and became one of the most prosperous in all of Tsarist Russia, of which Ukraine was a part. By this time, there were at least two synagogues in Kyiv—one built in 1898—and a kenessa located on Yaroslavov Val Street. While these buildings have been preserved, only two still function as synagogues today.
Between 1920 and 1922, the city was ravaged by typhus and famine, significantly impacting the population. By 1923, Jews constituted 32% of the city’s inhabitants. In the 1930s, many Jewish merchants joined trade unions, while others transitioned to heavy industry. Yiddish was the primary language spoken within the Jewish community.
On the eve of the Second World War, around 230,000 Jews lived in Kyiv, including refugees from occupied Poland. When the Germans arrived on September 19, 1941, between 40,000 and 60,000 Jews remained in the city, including those who had fled from the west, while many local Jews managed to evacuate or leave independently. However, the precise number of Jews residing in Kyiv just before the war is still debated among scholars.
The mass execution of Jews began shortly after the Germans’ arrival in Kyiv, even before the German civil administration took control. Under the pretext of blaming the Jewish population for explosions that occurred on September 24, 1941, on Kreshatyk and Prorizna streets—resulting in the deaths of hundreds of German soldiers and officials—the extermination of Jews commenced immediately.
On September 28, notices were posted throughout the city, ordering all Jews to gather on Monday, September 29, at 8 AM at the corner of Melnykova and Dekhtiarivska Streets, bringing their valuables, food, and documents under the guise of deportation to work camps. According to reports from the Einsatzgruppen, approximately 33,771 Jews complied with this order. They were led along Melnykova Street toward the Jewish cemetery, near a ravine known as Babyn Yar (Babi Yar in Russian), where they were stripped of their clothing and shot in groups at the edge of the ravine. The first mass shooting at Babyn Yar lasted two days and was carried out by Sonderkommando 4a, led by Paul Blobel, with the assistance of German and local auxiliary police. Those who survived this initial massacre were murdered in early October 1942 by Einsatzkommando 5, with estimates of additional victims ranging from 1,500 to 3,000. At least 100 more Jews were killed in November 1941 by the same unit.
In the months following the initial massacre, the KdS Kiev killed thousands more at Babyn Yar, including Jews, Sinti and Roma, Communists, Soviet POWs, and Ukrainian nationalists. Victims were often transported by gas van to Babyn Yar twice a week for execution. On October 18, 1941, approximately 300 Jewish patients from the Pavlov psychiatric institution in Kyiv were murdered near the ravine.
In May 1942, a labor camp was established in the Syrets area, close to Babyn Yar. By December, it housed around 2,000 inmates, a third of whom were Jews. These inmates were systematically taken to Babyn Yar and executed. To cover up their crimes, the Germans initiated Operation 1005 under Paul Blobel, commanding the operations at Babyn Yar. Prisoners from the Syrets labor camp, both Jews and non-Jews, were forced to exhume and burn the bodies of the victims. During the night of September 28 to 29, 1943, following an organized uprising, several detainees managed to escape; only 15, including nine Jews, survived until liberation.
Scholars estimate that between 50,000 and 100,000 people were murdered at Babyn Yar, including at least 40,000 Jews. Additional mass graves were discovered in Darnytsa, at the Syrets camp, and near Kyivo-Pecherska Lavra, where a labor camp for young Jewish men, likely Jewish prisoners of war, was located. The city was liberated by the Red Army on November 6, 1943.
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