Today, February 20, Kyiv, together with the whole country, honors the memory of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred. This year we celebrate the 12th anniversary of the executions of activists of the Revolution of Dignity – the events that changed the course of our history and became the first victorious battle in the modern Russian-Ukrainian war, informs the portal PromPolitInform.
This day is dedicated to the heroism and dedication of people who have chosen the path of freedom and dignity. It was february 20, 2014 began the modern war, when it was recorded the first crossing of the state border by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Even during the Maidan, the Kremlin dictator sneakily acted through the then authorities and security forces, advising and providing special equipment to suppress the protests.
Now it can be argued that the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred, together with their brothers and sisters, gave the first worthy rebuff to the eternal enemy of Ukraine and the Kremlin’s attempts to destroy our statehood by the hands of the regime of that time. The history of the feat of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred is an outstanding milestone of the liberation struggle, and their names are the first in the list of those who died in this war.
They did not allow to turn Ukraine into a territory without the right to choose. Many participants in the Revolution of Dignity subsequently became members of the Armed Forces. Unfortunately, today our state has not only the Heavenly Hundred, but the whole Heavenly Army of Defenders and Protectors.
And today we continue this struggle to keep Ukraine on the world map. Ukraine is consistently working to ensure that every criminal – from the executors at Institutskaya to the customers in the Kremlin – receives a fair punishment in international tribunals.
Our course towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration remains unchanged – as well as the desire to restore territorial integrity and build a prosperous state.
Eternal memory to the Heroes who died for our freedom! Heroes do not die!
Relatives and participants of the Revolution of Dignity came to honor the dead in Kyiv.
In particular, Lesya Lysak came to honor the memory of her brother – activist Roman Senyk was injured during the protests. The woman says that her brother, even after being wounded, returned to the protests – “because people are being killed there on Hrushevsky,” Roman said.
Also, Vasily Pazynyak, a participant in the Revolution of Dignity, came to lay flowers. From 93 days – 90 he stood on the Maidan, defended statehood. Vasily is a doctor and just because he was trying to help, the Berkut wounded him.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid tribute to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.
He stressed that we remember at what cost this freedom was given, and we respect the courage of every participant in the Revolution of Dignity, all those who did not leave the Maidan: “May the memory of all the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred and every Ukrainian, every Ukrainian woman, who gave their lives to make Ukraine free, be blessed. Glory to Ukraine!”
The Day of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred is a day of memory and deep understanding: who we are and what our state should be, “wrote the head of the OPU Kirill Budanov.
According to him, it was on the Maidan that Ukrainians for the first time in this millennium went into battle for their freedom – not for the sake of glory, but for the right to live in a free and independent country. The events of the Revolution of Dignity changed not only the course of history, but also the Ukrainians themselves, proving that dignity is a daily choice that sometimes has the highest price.
“The main lesson of these events is simple and at the same time complex: freedom does not appear by itself. It is fought every day by those who do not agree to live without truth, without dignity, without a future,” concluded Budanov.
The values for which the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred stood remain the basis of the Ukrainian struggle, “said Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
“This is freedom, dignity, the right to determine their own future. Their feat determined the further course of Ukraine. Then society clearly stated: we will be an independent, democratic and European country. It was from those events that a new stage of Russian aggression against Ukraine began. And today, when a full-scale war continues, we are especially aware of the significance of their sacrifice,” Umerov wrote.
The mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko on the Day of Remembrance of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred honored the dead with the following words: “For all Ukrainians, the courage and sacrifice of our Heroes is a reminder of the price of freedom that Ukraine pays today.”
Then, according to the mayor of Kyiv, Ukrainians went to the Maidan to defend dignity and the right to their own choice, striving for a European future for the state they were trying to deprive of. He noted that Ukraine is still fighting for the same values, but with arms in hand and under constant shelling of the aggressor, in a bloody war.
“The memory of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred is also a reminder of the responsibility of each of us. We must preserve our state. Free and democratic! Make Ukraine a successful European country. So that the sacrifice of each Hero – and 12 years ago, and those who die at the front today, was not in vain. Glory to Ukraine! Eternal honor and memory to her Heroes,” the mayor wrote.
Photo – KCSA
