On May 14, 2025, the War Museum hosted the event "Ukrainian Saviours: A View from the Present," commemorating the Day of Remembrance of Ukrainians who saved Jews during World War II.
To date, 2,707 Ukrainians have been recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for risking their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. Ukraine ranks fourth among 50 countries in terms of the number of Righteous. However, the number of rescuers was likely much higher – many stories remain unknown, and many heroes have not been formally recognized.
Collecting and researching these rescue stories is the mission of the museum project "Ukrainian Saviours: Marathon of the Stories." Researchers regularly draw parallels between the realities of two wars – World War II and today’s ongoing russian-Ukrainian war, which has once again brought occupation and genocidal practices to Ukrainian soil.
Speaking at the event, Anatolii Podolskyi, Director of the Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies, emphasized: "Today’s trials – occupation, captivity, underground resistance – make the memory of World War II deeper and, at the same time, painfully relevant."
Project curators Svitlana Datsenko and Svitlana Demchenko noted that since 2022, public interest in the stories of the Righteous Among the Nations – and in the project itself – has significantly grown.
A crucial factor in preserving the memory of Ukrainian rescuers is its transmission within families. Oksana Kostiushko shared the story of her grandfather, Petro Kostiushko, from the Kyiv region, which she uncovered while researching her family history. During the Nazi occupation, he and his parents sheltered two Jews in their home.
Modern-day rescuer Kostiantyn Hudauskas grew up hearing stories about Kyiv from his grandmother. His great-grandfather’s Jewish family lived in the city’s Podil district and survived the Babyn Yar tragedy thanks to compassionate people, but was later repressed by Soviet authorities and deported to Kazakhstan in 1947 – where Kostiantyn was born. When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Kostiantyn, then in Bucha with a Kazakh passport, volunteered to evacuate residents. One of those he rescued, Iryna Homonkova, shared her story at the event. Today, Kostiantyn leads the Bucha Help International Charitable Foundation and continues his humanitarian work in Ukraine. Foundation team member Kostiantyn Mozhovyi was also present.
The humanity and personal courage of previous generations of Ukrainians gave thousands of Jews a chance to survive the genocide. Today, remembering the past must be a key to understanding current challenges. At the same time, compassion and mutual support remain a vital source of strength for the Ukrainian people in their fight against russian aggression.
