You’ll learn it in: 5 min. Could 23, 2024, 7:02 am
On Could 23, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Heroes – fighters for the nation’s freedom, from the knights of the occasions of Kyivan Rus to the contributors of the Revolution of Dignity, fighters of the ATO/OOS in Donbas, and the present defenders of Ukraine.
Background: The concept of a commemorative date, which might honor the heroic fighters, was born within the nationwide liberation motion throughout the Second World Conflict. It was launched by the decision of the second Nice Meeting of the OUN in April 1941. Subsequently, the Day of Heroes was celebrated by the Ukrainian diaspora. In impartial Ukraine, Heroes’ Day was celebrated on Could 23 largely after the Russian assault in 2014.
Day of Heroes of the Ukrainian Revolution
In April 1941, the Second Nice Assembly of the Group of Ukrainian Nationalists was held in Krakow. It was he who decided the trail of wrestle and the political pointers of the revolutionary liberation motion of the Ukrainian folks for many years to come back.
In line with the political resolutions of the Meeting, the OUN outlined because the purpose of the wrestle “the Sovereign Council of Ukraine, the liberation of the peoples of Japanese Europe and Asia enslaved by Moscow, a brand new, simply order on the ruins of the Moscow Empire.”
“The one technique to obtain our targets is the Ukrainian Revolution within the Moscow Empire of the USSR, coupled with the liberation wrestle of the peoples enslaved by Moscow beneath the slogan: ‘Freedom for peoples and folks!'” the doc mentioned.
By separate resolutions of this assembly, the symbol of the group was accepted – a trident with a sword, the flag – purple and black, the greeting – “Glory to Ukraine!” and the reply is “Glory to the heroes!” And in addition the vacations which can be compulsory for all members of the group: the Feast of Sobornosti on January 22 (the day of the proclamation of the Act of Unification of the Ukrainian Individuals’s Republic and the ZUNR in 1919), the Feast of Heroes of the Revolution on Could 23 (in reminiscence of the demise of the founding father of the OUN, Colonel of the Military of the Ukrainian Individuals’s Republic Yevhen Konovalts) and August 31 Day of Wrestle (in honor of the liberation of Kyiv from the Bolsheviks by the troops of the UNR and ZUNR in 1919).
Resolutions of the II Nice Assembly of the Group of Ukrainian Nationalists, held in April 1941. GDA SBU — F. 13. — File. 372. — T. 13. Resolutions of the II Nice Assembly of the Group of Ukrainian Nationalists, held in April 1941. GDA SBU — F. 13. — File. 372. — T. 13.
As you may see, Heroes’ Day was symbolically linked to the wrestle in opposition to the Moscow colonial empire from the start. That’s, he honored Ukrainian troopers and troopers – fighters for the Sovereign Ukrainian State – knights of the princely period of Rus-Ukraine, who opposed the hordes of Bogolyubsky and different forest princes and Horde vassals, Cossacks of the Hetman period, Haydamaks, Opryshks, Sich riflemen, troopers of the Military of the Ukrainian Individuals’s Republic, UGA, OUN, UPA. It additionally honors the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred and the fashionable Moscow-Ukrainian nationwide liberation warfare. In any case, the last word purpose of the wrestle — the liquidation of the Moscow Empire and a brand new simply order on its ruins — has not but been achieved.
They laid down close to Karlivka on a symbolic day
On Could 23, 1938, within the heart of Rotterdam, an worker of the NKVD, Pavlo Sudoplatov, handed the chief of the OUN, Yevgeny Konovalts, a field of sweets with explosives, which was adorned with a Ukrainian decoration. After the field was flipped to a horizontal place, it exploded. Thus, one of many leaders of the Ukrainian liberation motion was killed on account of a Soviet particular operation, concerning the progress of which Stalin was personally knowledgeable.
Heroes’ Day 64 years in the past, or What Stepan Bandera talked about on the grave of Yevhen Konovalts
On the morning of Could 23, 2014, the “Donbas” volunteer battalion was ambushed by Russian terrorists close to Karlivka in Donetsk area. Because of the combating, nearly half of the defenders suffered accidents of various levels of severity, and 5 Heroes died.
Among the many fallen was Oleg Kovalyshyn (“Raider”) — an lively participant in historic reconstruction competitions and battles with the usage of medieval weapons, an editor of the Ukrainian Wikipedia and a participant within the Revolution of Dignity. On April 16, 2014, Oleg introduced in his weblog that he signed up as a volunteer within the “Donbas” battalion.
“I knew Oleg as a fighter of medieval fight,” says the chairman of the board of the All-Ukrainian Federation of Medieval Fight, junior sergeant of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksiy Lyalushko. — After I was younger, I at all times met him within the finals. That is why I keep in mind him very properly. And I additionally do not forget that he was at all times an individual who beloved Ukraine. And when the warfare started in 2014, he turned out to be not solely a fighter on the courtroom, within the ring, however a fighter in spirit. He went to defend the Motherland, though many couldn’t even consider that he did it. However after we discovered that he left, nobody was stunned. He was a fighter. He died as a fighter.”
Oleg Kovalishin (sporting glasses) together with his comrades within the medieval battle and the volunteer battalion Oleg Kovalishin (sporting the glasses) together with his comrades within the medieval battle and the volunteer battalion
Through the battle, the “Raider”, having managed to remove one enemy, was squeezed by the militants right into a slim room on the gasoline station and was shot to the final. He was supplied to give up, however he refused. Regardless of the accidents from the explosion, the “Raider” carried out aimed fireplace, diverting the eye of the enemy forces. Realizing that the volunteer couldn’t be taken alive, his shelter was fired from underbarrel grenade launchers. The physique was utterly burned, he was acknowledged on the video solely by his glasses…
By Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 97/2021 dated March 12, 2021, Oleg Kovalyshyn was posthumously awarded the Order “For Braveness” III diploma for private braveness proven within the protection of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, selfless service to the Ukrainian folks.
Winners of the “Vikimech” award named after Oleg “Raider” Kovalyshin in 2024
In 2021, Oleg Kovalishyn’s brothers began an annual award for the editors of the Ukrainian Wikipedia, which known as “Wikimech” and is awarded “for the contribution to the Victory of Ukraine within the info warfare.”
Right this moment, on Heroes’ Day, the founders of the award — the Institute of Nationwide Improvement and the Kyiv regional affiliation of the Taras Shevchenko All-Ukrainian Society “Prosvita” named after Taras Shevchenko — introduced the names of the laureates. They grew to become:
Maksym Ogorodnyk, who throughout the interval of the large-scale Russian invasion initiated greater than 1,200 articles, a big a part of which is dedicated to the occasions and contributors of the Russian-Ukrainian warfare, specifically, to servicemen who acquired the title of Hero of Ukraine.
Maksym Havryliuk, who has a major contribution to the protection of Ukrainian heroes within the Russian-Ukrainian warfare, honoring the reminiscence of fallen troopers.
Consumer: Dolynskyi, who created and continuously edits many articles concerning the contributors of the Liberation Wrestle (Military of the Ukrainian Individuals’s Republic, Ukrainian Armed Forces, UGA, UVO, OUN, Carpathian Sich, UPA), in addition to concerning the contributors of the present warfare.
The initiator of the award is Mykola “Kruk” Kravchenko (Could 20, 1983 – March 14, 2022) – candidate of historic sciences, ideologue of the Azov motion, participant within the Russian-Ukrainian warfare since 2014, editor of Ukrainian Wikipedia since July 2019. Died on account of enemy fireplace from the BM-21 “Grad” within the village of Gorenka, Buchansky district, Kyiv area. “Kruk” believed that “all wars of our time are hybrid. The extra info age turns into, the extra vital the non-military part turns into in warfare. Victory within the thoughts can carry Victory on the entrance quicker than precise fight. Ukraine wants the coordinated efforts of complete groups to win.”
One other Hero of Ukraine died throughout the large-scale invasion on Could 23…
This yr’s laureate of the “Vikimech” award named after Oleg “Raider” Kovalyshin, Maksym Ogorodnyk, created an article on Wikipedia concerning the 24-year-old soldier of the 14th OMBr, Yuriy Kovalchuk, who fell on Heroes’ Day, Could 23, 2022, close to Bilogorivka.
The commander of the unit of the battery of anti-tank guided missiles “Stugna-P”, a local of Kovel in Volyn, soldier Yury Kovalchuk skillfully repelled all enemy assaults, exhibiting heroism and indomitability, remained within the combating place till the final and died on account of artillery fireplace.
On July 8, 2023, by Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 416/2023, Yury Kovalchuk was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine with the award of the Order of the Golden Star for his private braveness and heroism, proven within the protection of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, selfless service to the Ukrainian folks.
All Heroes by generations are united by honest love for his or her homeland, for Ukraine. A love that’s larger than life.
