UOC-Moscow Patriarchate Remembers Victims of Political Repressions Buried in Bykivnia

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate remembered the victims of political repressions buried near the village of Bykivnia. On September 20, the Administrator of UOC-MP, Archbishop Antonii (Pakanych) of Boryspil, visited Bykivnia Graves National Historic-Memorial Reserve and served a memorial service for the repose of the victims and consecrated the memorial sign in the burial place.

The event was attended by the head of the Kyiv City State Administration, Oleksandr Popov, Director of the Reserve, Maryna Hromova, author of the memorial sign design, architect Larysa Skoryk, reported Orthodox.org.ua.

In the Bykivnia forest, in 1936-1941, the NKVD organized a mass burial of people executed by the repressive bodies. The first victims, who were mostly transported from Lukianivska Prison, were buried here in the late 1920s. Officially, the development of a special zone for secret burials began only in 1936. According to the experts, at least 130-150 thousand people were buried in Bykivnia.