Today, on August 23, the Ukrainian World Congress joins with people around the world to pay tribute to the survivors and victims of Communism and Nazism in Europe. We also stand in solidarity with all those around the world who continue to fight against the brutality, violence, and repression of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, including Ukraine’s brave soldiers defending their country against Russia’s on-going military aggression and the people of Belarus who are demanding freedom for their country.
Black Ribbon Day marks the sombre anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Signed between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in 1939 to divide Central and Eastern Europe, the infamous pact set the stage for the appalling atrocities these regimes would commit. The Soviet and Nazi regimes brought untold suffering upon people across Europe, as millions were senselessly murdered and denied their basic rights and dignity.
“Today we once again witness a dangerous rise of authoritarian regimes worldwide. They pose an imminent threat to fundamental values of the Free World, like democracy, respect to human rights, or freedom of speech. At the forefront of this global offensive on democratic nations is the Putinist Russia, which has been waging wars against Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova for years, threatening its other Eastern European neighbors, whitewashing the horrific atrocities of Soviet Communism and glorifying the Stalinist era,” stated Paul Grod, UWC President. “On Black Ribbon Day, we honor the victims and survivors of Communism and Nazism, and once again call upon the international community to heed the lessons of history and to stand united to protect the rules-based international order.”
