„Kdyby jenom ty borovice mohly mluvit!“ Masové hroby v Bykivni a jejich znovuobjevování
„If only those pines could speak!“ Mass graves in Bykivnia and their rediscovery

Summary/Abstract: In the forest near Bykivnia, on the outskirts of Kyiv, lies one of the most haunting legacies of Stalinist terror: mass graves containing tens of thousands of victims of Soviet political repression. Initially concealed behind myths of Nazi atrocities, the truth began to surface in the 1960s thanks to Ukrainian dissidents known as the “Sixtiers,” who uncovered human remains and personal items pointing to NKVD executions during the Great Terror of the 1930s. Despite repeated Soviet denials and manipulated investigations, persistent civic activism eventually led to official recognition of the site’s true history. Bykivnia became a symbol of Ukraine’s struggle with its totalitarian past, encompassing victims of various ethnicities and professions, including a significant number of Poles from the “Ukrainian Katyn list.” Today, the National Historical Memorial Reserve in Bykivnia stands as a place of remembrance and resistance, shaped by decades of grassroots efforts and political shifts. It serves not only to honor the dead but also to educate future generations about the mechanisms of repression and the importance of historical truth.

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