The ceremony at Babi Yar with Zelensky was covered by air defense and snipers. The body of 14-year-old Daniel Umansky was being transported to Israel

September 29, 2026 The Office of the President of Ukraine and the National Historical and Memorial Reserve “Babi Yar” announced a ceremony for the 85th anniversary of the beginning of the mass shootings in Kyiv. Volodymyr Zelensky lit a memorial candle at the “Menorah” memorial, and together with him, diplomats and representatives from about 50 countries honored the memory of the victims.

Author: Lev Varshavsky

For the Israeli reader, the scale of the place itself is important here. Babi Yar is a ravine in Kyiv where on September 29-30, 1941, the Nazis shot about 34,000 Kyiv Jews. The killings continued later: during the German occupation, according to Ukrainian official data, about 100,000 people died here — Jews, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, Ukrainian nationalists, underground fighters, and other victims of the Nazi regime.

But the 2026 ceremony took place against the backdrop of a completely different war.

According to the organizers, a special air defense system was deployed to protect Zelensky, and numerous snipers were present on the territory. The reason cited was the fear of a possible attack, including a Russian drone. The Office of the President of Ukraine did not disclose these security details separately.

Zelensky spoke precisely about this connection between the past and the present: Ukraine, he said, must remember the crimes committed here decades ago, while today the country is once again facing mass loss of life as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine. This was a political assessment by the Ukrainian president, voiced directly at the memorial.

NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency had already reported on another story that made this anniversary particularly close to Israel.

Just four days before the ceremony, on September 25, a 14-year-old Israeli citizen, Daniel Umansky, was killed in Kyiv. A Russian drone struck his family’s home. The teenager’s mother was injured and hospitalized, while his younger brother was unharmed. More details about the circumstances of the strike can be read here.

By the time of the ceremony at Babi Yar, preparations were already underway to send Daniel’s body to Israel. ZAKA reported that together with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassy, and other organizations, they managed to arrange transportation for burial at the Yarkon cemetery in Israel.

It turned out to be a terrible rhyme of dates. In Kyiv, they remembered the Jews who were killed here 85 years ago. And now the memorial ceremony was covered by air defense, while the family of another Jewish child was preparing to bury him in Israel after a strike on the Ukrainian capital.