Kiev Holocaust memorial site to probe potential Russian war crimes

The management of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center in Kiev wants to probe possible Russian war crimes during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, reported dpa.

In a statement published Tuesday, the Ukrainian site said that an expert group had been established, including French priest Patrick Desbois of the Yahad-In-Unum association - set up by the Catholic Church in France and the World Jewish Congress to research the Holocaust.

The Babyn Yar Memorial commemorates what is considered to be the largest mass grave in Europe, dating back to Nazi Germany's occupation of Ukraine.

On September 29 and 30, 1941, German soldiers, policemen and SS men shot 33,771 Jewish residents of occupied Kiev. By the time the Ukrainian capital was liberated by the Red Army in November 1943, around 100,000 people had been murdered in Babyn Yar, which translates as Old Women's Ravine.

The Babyn Yar memorial site statement said the aim of the new initiative was to gather as many filmed testimonies as possible from victims of alleged crimes.

The goal is to investigate allegations that civilians with no clear link to military objectives - including women, the elderly and children - were targeted in Russian attacks, the statement continued.