Varvarovka was a small village near the Jewish town of Olevsk. On November 15, 1941, Ukrainian Nationalists murdered over 900 Jews, including men, women, the elderly, and children. According to materials from a special commission, this atrocious act was carried out by 60 policemen under the leadership of two foremen, in the presence of a Gestapo officer. In the Hall of Names at the Yad Vashem Memorial Complex, 826 victims are commemorated, including at least six distant relatives of Secretary Antony Blinken.
Currently there is a Monument at Varvarovka Mass Grave states (translated in English):
Here, on November 15, 1941, more than 900 children, women, and elderly, peaceful residents of Olevsk, were brutally tortured and shot by German fascist invaders.
A marker will be placed in the Old Jewish Cemetery of Olevsk to honor the generations of Jews who lived, worked, and prayed in this community for centuries. The inscription will also serve as a solemn reminder of the tragedy of 1942, when 900 Jewish men, women, and children were murdered and buried in a nearby mass grave. This marker stands both as a testament to the vibrant Jewish life that once flourished in Olevsk and as a memorial to those whose lives were cut short during the Holocaust.
