Zelensky honors memory of Kruty Heroes and current war soldiers at Askold's Grave

The president announced this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

“Today, we commemorate our heroes – the Heroes of Kruty. The defenders who held back the Bolshevik advance on Kyiv on January 29, 1918. They stood against a much stronger enemy, for they simply would not act any differently. Just as our people do now, they believed in Ukraine and rose to defend it when it was hardest,” Zelensky stated.

He emphasized that our country's independence is based precisely on such people, who at various times defended Ukraine from Russian aggression. “Just like Mark Paslavskyi, Oleksandr Klitynskyi, Dmytro Kotsiubailo, Andrii Pilshchykov, Pavlo Petrychenko, and Liubomyr Sochenko. We remember each and every one of them,” said the president, laying flowers on the graves of the Heroes buried at Askold's Grave.

1 / 18

According to the website of the President of Ukraine, near the Church of St. Nicholas, Zelensky spoke with the relatives of the fallen defenders buried at Askold's Grave: Liliia Averianova (mother of Andrii Pilshchykov), Maryna Sochenko (mother of Liubomyr Sochenko), and Maryna, Liudmyla, and Viktor Petrychenko (sister and parents of Pavlo Petrychenko).

As reported, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Remembrance of the Heroes of Kruty on January 29.

The Battle of Kruty is one of the tragic yet legendary pages in the history of the Ukrainian liberation struggle of 1917-1921. The battle took place on January 29, 1918, between Nizhyn and Bakhmach in the Chernihiv region, 130 kilometers northeast of Kyiv, during the Bolshevik Russian troops' advance on Kyiv led by Colonel Mikhail Muravyov.

Photo: Office of the President