‘Survived Hitler, murdered by Putin’
A Holocaust survivor who experienced four Nazi concentration camps during World War Two has been killed in a rocket attack in Ukraine.
Boris Romantschenko was 96-years-old when he was killed after a rocket hit his apartment block on Friday (March 18).
He had survived Buchenwald, Mittelbau-Dora, Bergen-Belsen and Peenemünde concentration camps between 1943 and 1945.
The news was confirmed by his son and granddaughter and later reported by the foundation which runs the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora camp memorials.
In a statement, the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation said: “We are deeply saddened by the death of Romantschenko.
“We mourn the loss of a close friend. We wish his son and granddaughter, who brought us the sad news, a lot of strength in these difficult times.”
In a tweet, the foundation said they were “stunned” by the news.
Boris Romantschenko survived the concentration camps #Buchenwald, #Peenemünde, #Dora and #BergenBelsen. Now he has been killed by a bullet that hit his house in #Charkiv, #Ukraine. He was 96 years old. We are stunned. pic.twitter.com/ZZIK2OdbAu
— Stiftg. Gedenkstätten Buchenwald u. Mittelbau-Dora (@Buchenwald_Dora) March 21, 2022
According to the Jewish Chronicle, Romanchenko was vice-president of the Buchenwald-Dora International Committee and had regularly taken part in memorial and remembrance parades.
In 2012 he had spoken at a commemoration event for the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp.
2012 verlas Boris Romantschenko (auf dem Foto zweiter von rechts) während der Gedenkveranstaltung zum Jahrestag der Befreiung des KZ Buchenwald den Schwur von Buchenwald zum "Aufbau einer neuen Welt des Friedens und der Freiheit". pic.twitter.com/CorJ5eM6Ah
— Stiftg. Gedenkstätten Buchenwald u. Mittelbau-Dora (@Buchenwald_Dora) March 21, 2022
Ukraine’s foreign minister said Romanchenko’s death was as “unspeakable crime,” adding: “Survived Hitler, murdered by Putin.”
Borys Romanchenko, 96, survived four Nazi concentration camps: Buchenwald, Peenemünde, Mittelbau-Dora, Bergen-Belsen. He lived his quiet life in Kharkiv until recently. Last Friday a Russian bomb hit his house and killed him. Unspeakable crime. Survived Hitler, murdered by Putin. pic.twitter.com/QYJ4xrNYC9
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 21, 2022
Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine and has been under almost constant bombardment in recent weeks.
Since the start of the war, there have been an estimated 450 civilian casualties in the city.
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