On the Day of Dignity and Freedom, a joint interfaith prayer for Ukraine and freedom fighters was held near the ecumenical church of Archangel Michael and the Ukrainian New Martyrs of the UGCC on the alley of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes.
According to Ukrinform, the prayer service was attended by leaders of churches and religious organizations of Ukraine, families of the fallen Maidan activists, civic activists and participants of the Revolution of Dignity.
After the prayer, the Bell of Dignity was rung in memory of the fallen defenders of Ukraine, flowers were laid to the portraits of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes, and candles were lit.
As Ihor Poshyvaylo, director of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, emphasized in his speech, many of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes came from patriotic families who fought for Ukrainian freedom and independence back in the days of the liberation struggle. Many of them also participated in the Revolution on Granite and the Orange Revolution.
“The continuity of the struggle is, first of all, the lessons we are constantly talking about. Obviously, Ukrainians do not learn all the lessons perfectly, so history repeats itself, and our enemy has not yet abandoned its plans to conquer Ukraine and destroy Ukrainians as a nation. These days we must talk about heroism, courage, sacrifice, gratitude and unity. Our strength is in unity,” he said.
In her turn, Nataliia Dygdalovych, head of the Family of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes NGO, noted that during the Russian-Ukrainian war, “the Kremlin regime is trying to rewrite the history of Maidan, to revise our freedom and independence.”
“Their goal is not only to discredit the Revolution of Dignity but also to jeopardize the foundations of our statehood. Our response is to build strong, democratic, open institutions that serve the people, not particular groups. It is to create a system where every law enforcement official and judge is accountable to the citizens. This is our memory and honor to those who gave their lives for Ukraine and our duty to future generations of Ukrainians,” said Dygdalovych.
Today, November 21, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Dignity and Freedom, established in honor of the beginning of two significant events in modern Ukrainian history - the Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Revolution of Dignity in 2013.