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Hitler wanted to kill me because I'm Jewish. Putin wants to kill me because I'm Ukrainian

Editor’s Note: The following is a translated transcript of the address delivered by Roman Shvartsman, the chairman of the Odesa Association of Jews and a Holocaust survivor, at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) Special Gathering hosted by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 24, 2025, marking the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“Ladies and gentlemen,

A month ago, the German Bundestag commemorated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. I had the opportunity to speak there as someone who lived through oppression, brutal violence, and endless suffering during World War II. I told them: (Adolf) Hitler wanted to kill me because I am Jewish. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin wants to kill me because I am Ukrainian.

You swore: ‘Never again.’ This ‘never again’ has arrived. If you are serious, you must support Ukraine differently than you have before. Even if you have already done a lot, we now need action.

I don’t need to tell you about the suffering of Jews and Ukrainians under German occupation. Babyn Yar is widely known today as a symbol of this abuse, but there were around 2,000 such sites in Ukraine. People in the West know little about this.

These were ordinary people carrying out shootings, beatings, burnings, and mass killings. And those who survived the war often returned to their civilian lives, undisturbed.

Germany now does a lot to remember. ‘Never again’ accompanies every memorial service, but this ‘never again’ is missing a second part. After the unprecedented murders, after humanity stared into the abyss of National Socialism, simply saying ‘never again’ is not enough.

‘Never again’ needs a second part: ‘Never again’ defenseless victims. ‘Never again’ crimes against humanity.

This is a lesson the world must learn from the horrors of the 20th century. The UN Charter enshrines this commitment, yet human rights are trampled every day, borders are forcibly redrawn, and entire nations are threatened.

We (Ukraine) are a country under attack from our large neighbor for 11 years. The war has not lasted three years, but 11. Russia wants to conquer and destroy us as an independent state. We are bombed day and night, our energy system is destroyed, and our culture is under attack. There is real terror and the killing of civilians in Russian-occupied territories.

And why? Because we want our freedom. Because we want to be part of a free Europe, not a Russian colony.

Many countries have pledged their support. At the United Nations, 141 countries condemned the Russian invasion and called for the withdrawal of Putin's forces. We were hardly ready for war, but the war continued, and people kept dying.

We were told that time had not run out. But what was that time when we hardly received any weapons? The time after the first Russian invasion was not used. Where was the military support from Germany, which emphasizes ‘never again?’

When Putin gathered his troops around us, when he said we were ‘Little Russia,’ when he announced he wanted to divide the world into zones of influence again, most countries refused to believe it. They were comfortable in their prosperous societies, enjoying cheap Russian gas, and denying that it could ever be their turn.

While defense spending in Europe was cut, the American people were paying for Europe’s security. We shouldn’t be surprised when the man who won the election told Americans: ‘We will not do it anymore. Europeans have to defend themselves.’

I think we must care for the democratic world together — Ukraine, the European Union, and the United States. But now the oldest and most powerful democracy in the world has elected a leader who is turning everything upside down. Victims are being labeled as criminals.

A Hanukkah menorah is lit on the eighth day at the former Golden Rose Synagogue site in Lviv, Ukraine, on Jan. 2, 2025.

We, Ukrainians, were shocked to see (U.S. President Donald) Trump negotiating with Putin as if nothing had happened. And we, the occupied, are told we should never have started this war.

We cannot understand what the American president says and writes. But Europe, with its 450 million citizens and powerful economic space, must finally realize that the era of comfort and prosperity is over. Freedom is not free.

Perhaps now we have Munich in 1938, the Hitler-Stalin Pact, and Yalta. If we allow this to happen, the war will not end with Putin conquering Ukraine. If Russia is not stopped in Ukraine, the threat of war for all of Europe will grow.

That is why I tell my European friends: the war will come to you. Just as the calculations didn’t work in Munich, they won’t work this time if you abandon Ukraine. You are poorly armed. You cannot defend yourselves without Ukraine.

That is why I tell you: Ukrainians are protecting you every day, year after year, for years. This is also your front, which Putin has opened in Eastern Europe. Finally, realize this. Have the courage now, or your free societies will also perish.

Dear guests, I am an old man. I was in the ghetto. I looked the devil in the eye. I tell the democratic world: don’t be afraid of him. You give too much power to evil. If you stand together and overcome your fear, you can defeat the devil.

Thank you for listening.”

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.