On October 26th, we gather for Returning the Names, an annual vigil to remember those who were exiled, imprisoned, and executed under Soviet terror.
In 2007, the first vigil took place in Moscow at the Solovetsky Stone – a memorial in Moscow dedicated to the victims of Soviet political repression. Since then, on this day, people across Russia and around the world have stood together to speak aloud the names of those the regime tried to erase.
But October 26th is not only a day of mourning. It is also a day of questions: Why do we remember? What connects us? How do we resist forgetting? For some, this memory is a family tragedy. For others, it is an act of solidarity — a recognition that the crimes of the past are bound to the repression and war crimes of today.
The “Returning the Names” action reminds of the most important and unconditional principle – there is nothing more valuable than human life. That means, the state has no right to kill people. Neither in 1937, nor in 2025. Neither in one’s own country, nor in a neighboring one or in any other. In 2025 we commemorate both the victims of the Stalinist terror and, most importantly, the victims of the war in Ukraine – innocent people, doomed by the Russian state to death, starvation and exile.
This year, vigils will again take place near memorials and public spaces around the world. Stand with friends from post-Soviet countries in their grief, and together take a stand against modern authoritarianism. They erased the names once. We return them.
WHEN : Sunday, October 26th, 12.00-13.00
WHERE: Langelinie, 2100 Copenhagen Ø