Hitler wanted to kill me, now it's Putin. A resident of Odesa who survived the Holocaust addresses the world.

A veteran from Odesa speaks in the Bundestag

89-year-old Odesa resident Roman Schwartzman spoke in the Bundestag and expressed his gratitude to Germany for its support in Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression. In his speech dedicated to honoring the victims of National Socialism, the veteran admitted that Putin is trying to annihilate Ukrainians just as Hitler attempted to exterminate Jews during World War II.

Childhood in the ghetto

Roman Schwartzman, born in 1936 in Bershad, was deported at a young age to the Bershad ghetto, which was liberated in 1944. He witnessed the corpses of people and the murder of his older brother by the Nazis. According to the veteran, he had several encounters with death, but the kindness of people allowed him to survive and tell the story of the Nazis' atrocities.

Call for support

Schwartzman noted that Russia has been bombing Ukrainian cities and the energy system since February 2022, and he urged Germany to support Ukraine and provide the necessary military assistance. He also thanked Germany and called on the world not to be afraid but to help Ukraine in its struggle against Russian aggression.

Commemoration of victims

After Schwartzman, the German parliament commemorated the victims of the Nazi regime during a special session dedicated to the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, one of the most horrific Nazi concentration camps. Over 1.1 million people were killed in this camp, and the first to witness the consequences of the Hitler's crimes were Ukrainian soldiers.