On the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions, a basket of flowers was installed on behalf of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the memorial sign at the entrance to the Bykivnia Graves National Historical and Memorial Reserve.
Flowers were also laid at the mass grave and the memorial sign of Polish burials in the reserve.
"The totalitarian system used barbaric methods of reprisal, ruining thousands of destinies and turning thousands of people into camp dust. The notorious symbol of these crimes is the Bykivnia Forest on the outskirts of Kyiv. During 1937-1941, it was the place of secret burial of victims of political repressions, tortured and shot by the NKVD in Kyiv prisons," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
According to historians, the number of people buried in the Bykivnia Forest may be up to 100,000.
"With this in mind, the current generation of independent Ukrainians and the Ukrainian state will always consider the protection of life, health, freedom and dignity of every person as the highest value," the President stressed.
"Today we honor the memory of each victim and bow our heads to those who survived the hell of political repressions. May the memory of them live forever," the President said.