Defenders of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine were honored in the Lviv Officers’ House on the Day of the Ukrainian Volunteer.
The event gathered dozens of volunteers, volunteers, members of their families, representatives of the authorities and the public – all to jointly express their gratitude for the reliable protection during the last 9 years of war with the Russian occupiers. At the same time, during the event, the names of those who gave their lives in this struggle were mentioned.
Celebrations on the occasion of Volunteer Day began with the performance of the National Anthem. Patriotic songs were accompanied by the soloists of the orchestra of the National Academy of Land Forces named after Hetman Pyotr Sagaidachny.
“Since 2014, Ukrainians have believed in their own state, convinced that only joint efforts can defend the independence of Ukraine. In 2022, thanks to tens of thousands of volunteers, we managed to break the enemy’s plans and give a decent fightback on all fronts. Thank you for your invaluable contribution to our victory. Every country has its heroes, and for us, Ukrainians, the very word volunteer is a symbol of heroism, indomitability and will of the spirit. For some, Da Vinci is a great artist or inventor, but we Ukrainians clearly know who Da Vinci is for us – a legendary Ukrainian volunteer. And we have a lot of such figures. Our descendants, following the example of our military, will study the history created by Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield. Victory will be ours, because we are one. Glory to Ukraine!” – stressed the head of Lviv OVA Maksym Kozytskyi.
After protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, a significant contribution to the approaching Victory of Ukraine over the enemy, and on the occasion of Volunteer Day, the head of the region honored volunteer Serhiy Ivanov, who from the first days of the full-scale invasion stood up for the defense of Ukraine.
Volunteers Volodymyr Tabena, Ruslan Khimyak and Natalia Mirovych were awarded with awards for their active civic position and significant contribution to the approaching Victory of Ukraine.
Every year on March 14 in Ukraine, on the occasion of the holiday, state awards are presented – the Order of the Volunteer. Today, active defenders of Ukraine from various regions, those who courageously defended the country in the area of the anti-terrorist operation, received an honorary award. Part, unfortunately, posthumously.
Serhii Pushchenko is an honored artist of Ukraine among the awardees. Known for a series of genre paintings on the theme “The Cossack race has no translation”, an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity. He started his career as a volunteer in 2014, after which he became a volunteer.
He painted his paintings under shelling, created an art project – “Portraits of volunteers in the war”, which included almost 100 canvases. It was these paintings of the artist that were presented today at the House of the Warrior. On the night of March 2, 2022, Serhiy died in battle.
The Polish film director and screenwriter, member of the Academy of Arts of Ukraine, Jerzy Hoffmann also expressed his respect for the Ukrainian defenders in a video message.
“Dear defenders of Ukraine! I am impressed with your people. And your President became a symbol of the free world and entered the pages of history forever. Morally, you have already won this war, because thanks to your sacrifice, you earned the right to enter the free European countries protected by NATO. Now you have to win this war on the battlefield. The fallen, unfortunately, will not rise again, but such is the price of freedom. Here in Poland, we understand this very well. Our hearts are with you. Glory to Ukraine!” Jerzy Hoffman emphasized.
We will remind you that every year on March 14, Ukrainian Volunteer Day is celebrated in Ukraine. This date was established by the Verkhovna Rada in 2017 to honor the courage and heroism of the defenders of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state.