Outrage as Teens Make Nazi Salute at Holocaust Memorial in Ukraine

Ukrainian authorities have launched a criminal investigation after three teenagers were photographed performing Nazi salutes at the Drobytsky Yar Holocaust memorial in Kharkiv a site where over 17,000 Jews were massacred during the Holocaust.

The disturbing photo, posted to a popular Kharkiv Telegram channel, shows two males and a female standing on a commemorative plaque at the site while giving the infamous salute associated with Nazi ideology.

The act has drawn widespread condemnation across Ukraine and Jewish communities worldwide. Local police have registered the case under Article 436-1 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, which prohibits the use and distribution of Nazi symbols and propaganda. If convicted, the individuals could face up to five years in prison.

Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov expressed fury and heartbreak: “Drobitsky Yar is not just a place – it is a wound in the heart of Kharkiv. It is silence that screams with the pain of thousands of innocent lives.” He called the teens' actions “a conscious desecration of memory, of humanity, and of Kharkiv itself.”

The desecration occurred at one of Ukraine’s most sacred Holocaust sites. During the Nazi occupation of Kharkiv, Jewish residents who had not managed to flee were systematically executed in mass shootings from December 1941 to February 1943. The site remains a symbol of the brutality endured by Ukraine’s once-thriving Jewish population, which numbered approximately 135,000 before the war.

This incident follows a worrying rise in global antisemitism and Holocaust distortion, further underscoring the urgency of Holocaust education, remembrance, and legal enforcement against hate.

In the face of such darkness, we must amplify memory and truth share this story or subscribe to our newsletter to stand against antisemitism in all its forms.