Today, on Heroes’ Day, Mayor Oleg Kanivets, together with Deputy Christina Grekh, congratulated Maria Zahorianska, a 95-year-old member of the Stryi branch of the Brotherhood of the OUN-UPA.
Ms. Maria was born in 1930 in the village of Lyubyntsi. From the age of 14, she assisted UPA warriors by performing various tasks such as carrying ‘shtafets’, food, clothing, and medicine. During the night, she guided partisans to different places.
At the age of 15, Maria endured her first tortures from the Muscovites but did not betray her comrades. Afterward, she faced arrest and labor camps, which she survived. In captivity, she met her future husband Bohdan, whom she married after Mordovia.
Currently, Ms. Maria lives in the village of Dobryany with her family. She is supported by her son Yaroslav and his wife, as well as her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her grandson Roman serves in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, fighting for Ukraine’s freedom.
“Mnohaya lita, Ms. Maria! May the Lord grant you good health and may you celebrate the victory, to which you have dedicated your life, with all of Ukraine once again!”