August 05, from 3 pm (CET) — live broadcast on the Remembrance Day for the Victims of Great Terror at Sandarmokh.

Other languages: BY / RUS / UA

Illustration by our artist Lilya Matveeva

Illustration by our artist Lilya Matveeva

Our colleagues from the Iofe Foundation hold the annual Remembrance Day for the victims of the Soviet governmental terror, August 05, at Sandarmokh. If you want to join them, you can find details on their website.

By commemorating victims of Sandarmokh we will also be expressing our support to Yury Dmitirev, who has been imprisoned for over six years on false charges. Reading out the names is also a statement that political issues today cannot be resolved through violence, and expression of solidarity with all those who are suffering from political prosecutions right now.

How is it going to be in 2023?

This year again, we will be doing a live stream showing your videos and offering live coverage from various cities. We would ask you to find an appropriate place in your city or town, get together in a group, no matter how big or small, and read out the names of those who were killed at Sandarmokh.

You can do it on August 5th, by joining our livestream. You can also record yourself reading the names and send it to us ahead of time. All your videos will be part of our livestream broadcast on the Remembrance Day for the Victims of Great Terror at Sandarmokh.

Where to read?

Parks and forests are the best locations for this action as they are an allusion to the Sandarmokh. Another option is a memorial to victims or survivors of the Soviet terror.

Where can I get names to read?

The lists of names, instructions on how to make videos and join our live broadcast or, alternatively, where (and when) to send your videos if you find it difficult to go live will follow soon.

Something special about the Remembrance Day in 2023

This year, Memorial finds it appropriate that the volunteers read out the names of the victims and also recite verses by the Ukrainian poets from the Perished Renaissance generation of the Ukrainian modernist authors who were executed and buried at Sandarmokh. Their names and their texts will be published on our channel prior to 5 August.

How to film

Your video must be horizontal! It would be great if you can use a tripod to avoid shaking. One more important thing is good sound so that your voices could be clearly heard on our live broadcast. When filming on a smartphone, you may want to connect an external microphone to improve your sound. Many headsets have built-in microphones. In addition to people reading the names, try to capture some scenes of your location, close-ups of tree branches, monuments, or memorial signs. Email us at [email protected] if you still have questions.

What if I’m ready to join the live broadcast?

That’s amazing, please contact us as soon as possible at [email protected] and we’ll figure out how to catch your signal on August 5th.