A memorial in honor of Volodymyr Bahaziy, who was shot by the Nazis in Kiev in 1942, will not be installed, as it turns out that the burgomaster of the Ukrainian capital was in fact a Nazi collaborator, Ukrainian Jewish Committee Head Eduard Dolinsky said on Wednesday
KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th September, 2021) A memorial in honor of Volodymyr Bahaziy, who was shot by the Nazis in Kiev in 1942, will not be installed, as it turns out that the burgomaster of the Ukrainian capital was in fact a Nazi collaborator, Ukrainian Jewish Committee Head Eduard Dolinsky said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Dolinsky said the memorial could be installed in Kiev as part of the Stumbling Blocks project. It was suggested that Bahaziy's memory should be honored at the anniversary of the Nazis' massacres in Ukraine's Babyn Yar.
"Since today, the 404 error has appeared (on the website), where the information about the installation of a memory stone in honor of the Nazi collaborator, Kiev Burgomaster Volodymyr Bahaziy. A mark on the interactive map of the project also disappeared," Dolinsky wrote on Facebook, adding that originally it was the German Embassy which initiated the memorial's placement.
However, the embassy was misinformed by one of the activists of the Jewish community, who proposed to commemorate Bahaziy at the 80th anniversary of the Babyn Yar massacre, and presented the collaborator as a victim of Nazism. But the "cynical provocation" was opposed by people from all over the world, who called and wrote to the German Embassy and other state agencies about the inappropriate decision, Dolinsky proceeded.
Stumbling Blocks is an international project designed to commemorate the honor of those murdered by Nazis. The blocks are installed near the place where a victim lived, worked, or studied, so that passers-by might "stumble over" the rock and think about the person.
Bahaziy was a Ukrainian nationalist and served as Kiev burgomaster in 1942 during Nazi Germany's occupation. He was reportedly involved in the mass shooting of Ukrainian Jews and theft of their property. Bahaziy and his son were shot by the Nazis in Babyn Yar, according to controversial historical sources.
