The painting "Symbol of Faith, Spirit, and Victory" by the Head of the UGCC (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) Sviatoslav Shevchuk was sold at auction for 300,000 hryvnias during the third charity auction in Halych, Ivano-Frankivsk region.
It became the most expensive item, as reported by Suspilne.
Blessed Sviatoslav donated the artwork after his participation in the All-Ukrainian Patriarchal Pilgrimage in Krylos.
"This lot is a unique painting created by an artist whom His Beatitude Sviatoslav approached. It symbolizes a warrior who has lost his legs but has prosthetics and wings. The artwork is divided into two parts: one represents today's Ukraine, which is in ruins, while the other part shows a flourishing Ukraine where everything is in bloom, children are playing, birds are singing, and there is a magnificent Greek Catholic cathedral located in Kyiv," said Svitlana Onyshchuk, the head of the regional military administration.
In total, at the charity auction, where 37 lots were presented, 2 million hryvnias were raised. The money will be directed towards equipping a newly-formed infantry battalion.
"Creating something from scratch is always very challenging. For example, there is currently a need for thermal imagers. We submitted a request, but it hasn't been fulfilled yet. I hope that thanks to the auction, this issue will be resolved," said Yuri Dubnytskyi, the battalion commander.
According to the military, charity auctions held in Ukraine during wartime provide significant support to the army.