The key facts

  • This year, the 'Returning the Names' event took place or was planned in 101 cities around the world
  • In Russia, official holding of the event has not been permitted since 2020; independent events took place in Irkutsk Region, Kirov and Veliky Novgorod
  • Diplomats from several countries gathered at the Solovetsky Stone on Lubyanka without the participation of the US Embassy, RusNews reports

The event covered 101 cities

The 'Returning the Names' event, timed to the Day of Remembrance for Victims of Political Repression on October 29, took place in 101 cities around the world — the list was published on the event's official website, Kun.uz reports, citing DW. The event was first organized by the international Memorial society in 2007: back then, participants read out the names of people shot and repressed during the Soviet era at the Solovetsky Stone in Moscow. Since then, the reading of names has been held annually both at in-person gatherings and remotely, with online broadcasts. According to the event's website, in 2025 the events took place in 150 cities.

Germany, France and Russia

In Germany, memorial events were held in 15 cities, including Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Bremen and Bielefeld. In Paris, the event was organized by the Memorial France association, RFI reports: participants gathered at the monument to Parisians who died in World War I on the Ménilmontant boulevard.

The situation in Russia

In Russia, official permission to hold 'Returning the Names' has not been granted since 2020 — anti-Covid measures were cited as the reason. RFI notes that after the liquidation of the international Memorial in 2021, pressure on independent initiatives to preserve historical memory intensified, but the event continued in other countries, and people in Russia kept looking for ways to honor the memory of the victims. According to The Insider, this year, for the first time since Memorial was banned, independent memorial events took place in Russia — in Irkutsk Region, Kirov and Veliky Novgorod. Similar events were planned for October 30 in St. Petersburg, Kopeysk in Chelyabinsk Region and Tolyatti in Samara Region.

Diplomats at the Solovetsky Stone

Diplomats from Sweden, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Poland and a number of other countries came to the Solovetsky Stone on Lubyanka Square in Moscow. According to RusNews, this year no one from the US Embassy took part in the event.