On 1 October, at Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv, events were held to honour the memory of Ukraine’s fallen Defenders, both men and women, dedicated to Defenders of Ukraine Day and the 84th anniversary of the founding of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.
Families of fallen servicemen and servicewomen, serving military personnel, representatives of the city and regional authorities, including Lviv’s Deputy Mayor Liubomyr Zubach, as well as members of the public, laid flowers at graves in the fields of honour. Together with military chaplains, they prayed for all those who gave their lives for Ukraine’s independence.
After a Minute of Silence, participants first paid their respects to the soldiers at Field of Honour No. 76. They then laid flowers at the graves of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred and other fighters for Ukraine’s freedom at Field of Honour No. 67. After that, they honoured UPA soldiers and fallen modern-day Defenders of Ukraine at Field of Honour No. 86a, as well as those who died in the war for Ukraine’s independence at Field of Honour No. 87.
Defenders of Ukraine Day is a public holiday and is marked every year on 1 October, on the Feast of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God. During this period, as noted by Lviv City Council, the city’s social welfare department traditionally provides financial assistance to combatants with disabilities, as well as to widows and widowers of UPA veterans and former political prisoners residing in the Lviv community.
The event at Lychakiv Cemetery was photographed by Romana Balaka for Lviv City Council.