The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has called on the international community to condemn the crimes of the Soviet regime and demanded that Russia open its archives and release documents related to crimes committed by the Soviet secret police agency, the NKVD.
The ministry said this in a statement on the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions, Ukrinform reports.
"We bow our heads in memory of the millions of people who suffered repressions, persecution, torture, arrests, and moral and physical destruction at the hands of the Soviet regime. The Bykivnia Forest, Demianiv Laz, Sucha Balka, Piatykhatky, Rutchenkove Pole, Sandarmokh, and other sites will never be forgotten. These wounds will remain forever in our national memory. At the same time, each such scar serves as a reminder of what we are fighting for today: our people's right to exist, and our own freedom, life, and dignity," the ministry said.
It added that the millions of crimes committed by the Soviet regime were never properly condemned, investigated, or punished.
"It is this total impunity that has led to the mass Russian atrocities during the Russian Federation's current war of aggression against Ukraine," the statement reads.
