To mark the 11th anniversary of the Lviv Knight volunteer initiative, a charity concert and auction was held yesterday, 28 November, at the Lviv Palace of Arts.
The purpose of the event was to help raise funds for the purchase of 11 electronic warfare devices for the army.
The Lviv Knight Charitable Organisation has been counting down its activities since the beginning of December 2013, when the Lviv Regional Organisation of the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments set up a Maidan Aid Station. In March 2014, from the first days of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, the members of the Society also joined the volunteer movement in support of the Ukrainian army – and after several months of active volunteer work, their initiative became publicly known as the Lviv Knight. The name was chosen for a reason – in 1916, Lviv was facing the threat of Russian occupation. To attract charitable donations for the needs of the army, the Knight Defender was carved out of wood, and everyone who made a donation to strengthen the army had the right to hammer a metal nail into the knight’s armour, thus “strengthening” it with metal armour.
One hundred years later, Ukraine is once again forced to confront Russian aggression. Therefore, to strengthen our army, the Lviv Knight in the image of St. George the Serpent has returned to Lviv. Anyone who makes a donation of at least UAH 100 has the right to reinforce St George’s shield with a symbolic metal plate engraved with the symbol of the Ukrainian state, the Trident. The donor will receive a second such plate as a gift to commemorate the event. The funds raised are used to purchase items that our military desperately need.
“Throughout the years of the war, we have been helping and providing our soldiers with devices, optics and equipment, including weather stations, laser rangefinders, optical and collimator sights, night vision devices, thermal imagers, generators, inclinometers, active headphones, binoculars and other essential items. In short, we are helping Ukraine to withstand and save the lives of our soldiers,” said Andriy Salyuk, coordinator of the Lviv Knight organisation.
The charity concert featured performances by the Pikkardiyska Tertsiya band, singer Zinoviy Karach and the Kurin duo.