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http://www.mil.gov.ua/en/news/2017/...on-the-day-of-remembrance-and-reconciliation/
On the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation, President Petro Poroshenko and his wife Maryna Poroshenko took part in the opening of “Fourth Generation” photo exhibition that represents 16 portraits of Ukrainian servicemen with photographs of their relatives who fought against Nazism.
The Head of State called the feat of the Ukrainian people and its contribution to the victory of Anti-Hitler Coalition in the World War II irrefutable and expressed deep respect to all fighters against Nazism. “During the offensive of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers to Berlin in 1944 and 1945, they couldn’t imagine in the most dreadful nightmares that Moscow will send its troops to Ukraine 70 years after killing their grandsons and great-grandsons in cold blood,” Petro Poroshenko said.
The President drew attention that the portraits of the exhibition show faces of glorious warriors of the AFU - modern defenders of Ukraine, brave people and patriots whose eyes are full of pride for belonging to a cohort of glorious defenders of their land. “Photographs of ancestors in their hands symbolize that being a warrior, a defender of the Homeland is a tradition that has long been respected by the Ukrainian people,” the President noted. He expressed gratitude to photographers for a high-quality creative job.
Petro Poroshenko emphasized:
“The fourth generation is children of independent Ukraine in the age of 20-30 years. They are a young blossom of the nation. They are people who stood up to defend Ukraine from Russian aggression remembering their courageous ancestors. They are a generation of our modern heroes who write pages of national history every day with their blood and sweat. The fourth generation that took weapons to save its country encourages us to turn the pages again and again to learn and remember the lessons of the past and honor true heroes”.
The President noted that the given exhibition should be perceived as a symbol of indissoluble bonds between various generations of Ukrainian defenders. “Posterity of both the Red Army and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army defend the Homeland today. They honor their grandfathers and great-grandfathers. And those, being already in the celestial palace, are proud of modern generation of defenders. It is important to realize that these bonds are indissoluble on the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation,” the Head of State stressed.
He added that there is war in Europe again. “Modern Russia, as legal successor of the Soviet Union, failed to become a peaceful nation. Let us recall Moldovan Transnistria, Georgian Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Ukrainian Crimea and Donbas. And Syria also doesn’t let it sleep well. Imagine, this all happened only in 25 years of existence of the Russian Federation. And before that there were Afghanistan in 1979, Czechoslovakia and Prague in 1968, Budapest and Hungary in 1956,” the President noted.
The Head of State reminded that today, with shoulder straps removed and side numbers of tanks and armored vehicles painted out Russian military secretly, under cover of darkness, cross the border of Ukraine to burn off Ukrainian land and flood it out with blood without names, documents and uniform. “Today, being a Ukrainian military is an honorable duty. And being a Russian military means to perform the orders of a state that doesn’t appreciate lives of its warriors, that abandons its fallen and wounded soldiers without any pangs of conscience,” the President said.
The Presidential couple watched the exhibition and communicated with the military whose photographs are represented in the exhibition. The heroes of the portraits told the stories of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers who had fought against Nazism more than 70 years ago.
“The Fourth Generation” photo exhibition is situated on the territory of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the World War II. The photographs of the Ukrainian warriors were made by photographer Roman Nikolayev in collaboration with photographer Serhiy Liebiediev.
Opening “The Fourth Generation” photo exhibition, President Petro Poroshenko emphasized that the death of every Ukrainian military is an irreparable loss and pain for the whole Ukrainian society. That is why, to perpetuate the feat, the Head of State signed a decree to establish a Memorial to Ukrainian Heroes who sacrificed life for Ukraine’s freedom, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Petro Poroshenko told that dozens of NGOs of the ATO veterans outlined their vision of the memorial complex to him. According to them, the Memorial must be situated in a historic place that would have a large open space for people there to have an opportunity not only to lay flowers or wreaths, but also to stay there for a while, take thought, remember, reflect on the past and present. The President thanked for their initiative and agreed with the approaches they had offered.
“A nationwide contest must be announced soon to determine the way the Memorial will be built and its content. I think there is no point in looking for a better place for the Memorial to the Ukrainian Heroes than these high hills of the right bank of the Dnipro River,” Petro Poroshenko noted. According to him, this place is traditionally visited by hundreds of thousands of people.
“This whole territory must become a single Memorial to the Ukrainian Heroes. Consider that respective political decision has already been made. To my mind, such an approach will ensure adamant and stable connection of different generations of defenders of Ukraine. This will decently perpetuate the memory of our heroes,” the President said.
The Head of State thanked veterans of the Red Army and guerrilla movement, warriors of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and all participants of the national liberation movement, as well as everyone who defended Ukraine from aggression of the Third Reich. The President thanked the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the Security Service, border guards, volunteers and all security structures that defend Ukraine from hostile encroachments of Russia.
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President Petro Poroshenko took part in the ceremony of honoring memory of the deceased on the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of Victory over Nazism.
President Petro Poroshenko took part in the ceremony of honoring memory of the deceased on the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of Victory over Nazism.
The solemn procession headed by the President walked by the Alley of Military Glory to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The President laid flowers to the monument.
The attendees honored memory of the deceased in the World War II with a moment of silence. The military orchestra performed the National Anthem of Ukraine, the Honor Guard performed a six-volley salute. The ceremony was completed by a solemn march of the Honor Guard.
The ceremony was attended by the veterans of the World War II, ATO veterans, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy, Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, government members, people’s deputies and representatives of all religious denominations of Ukraine.
Upon completion of the event, the President had a conversation with people who came to honor memory of the fallen heroes and pay tribute to the veterans of the World War II and ATO veterans.
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President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko on the Day of Victory over Nazism in the World War II took part in the ceremony of administering the oath of the recruits of the Separate Regiment of the President of Ukraine and the 101st separate guard brigade of the AFU General Staff.
“Today, as Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, I administer the oath of the young generation, new recruits of the Separate Regiment of the President of Ukraine and the 101st separate guard brigade of the AFU General Staff. These allegedly non-frontline names should not be confusing. Warriors of these military units took part and will take part in the protection of the country from the aggressor,” Petro Poroshenko said. He added that, as he promised, conscripts are the only exception, as they undergo military training without being involved in combat operations.
The Head of State emphasized that over 400 officers, sergeants and soldiers of these military units were awarded for courage and heroism.
“Fellow soldiers are proud of these warriors. The whole country must know their feats,” he said.
According to the President, many brothers and fathers of the young men who take the oath today have already taken part in the war protecting Ukraine and being a decent example for their relatives-recruits.
“Grandsons and great-grandsons of participants of the World War II who gained victory over Nazism in the ranks of the Red Army, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, guerilla units stand side-by-side today in the ranks of defenders of Ukraine countering Russian terrorist troops in east Ukraine. This fact is a symbol of ties between different generations,” Petro Poroshenko said.
The President reminded that a day before, in the National Museum of History of Ukraine in the World War II, a photo exhibition opened and everyone can see these bonds of generations: grandfather, great-grandfather, grandson, great-grandson. “It is very important. And you will see both veterans of the Red Army and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. This is a feature of reconciliation of heroes who defended Ukraine from Nazism under red, yellow-blue and red-black flags,” he said.
Petro Poroshenko emphasized that history shows that the strongest nations are those people who managed to abandon internal disputes and unite in times of crucial challenges. “Only together can we defend our independence and freedom. Only together can we win and build a state that will provide a decent life for every citizen,” he stressed.
Upon completion of the ceremony, the orchestra of the Honor Guard performed the National Anthem of Ukraine. Then, military units solemnly marched by the President.
The Head of State also had a conversation with relatives of the recruits who attended the ceremony.
