Detachable Subdivision
"Rivne Professional College of
National University of Life
and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine"
Every year on August 29, our country celebrates the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine, who died in the struggle for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. On this day, we honor the memory of the soldiers who gave their lives for the Motherland. The war in Ukraine has been going on for 10 years, and the full-scale invasion has been going on for more than 2 years.
The state established this Day of Remembrance in 2019. It was August 29, because this date is associated with one of the most tragic episodes of the Russian-Ukrainian war before the full-scale invasion - the exit of Ukrainian soldiers from the encirclement near Ilovaisk in 2014. Then, the Russian leadership - traditionally for itself - violated the agreements: Ukrainian soldiers were shot when they passed in columns through what was supposed to be a "green corridor". Their path lay through sunflower fields. Therefore, the sunflower became the traditional symbol of the memorial day on August 29.
According to the Book of Remembrance of those who fell for Ukraine, since 2014, as of December 1, 2021, 4,490 Ukrainian soldiers have died.
Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, opened a new page of heroism, resilience, and, unfortunately, loss. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, reported that since the full-scale attack in August 2022, "almost 9,000 Ukrainian heroes have died in the war against the Russian invaders."
This year, while the war continues until victory, we can neither know the exact number, nor name everyone by name, nor tell all the stories. But we are confident that Ukrainian society will make every effort so that our fallen heroes are not an abstract number in our memory. So that they receive the maximum respect that only those who gave their lives for their country deserve. So that our memory of them is alive.
At the end of May 2022, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a decision to create a National Military Memorial Cemetery, where the fallen (deceased) defenders will be buried with honors. This is a global practice of honoring soldiers who gave their lives for their country. Such cemeteries exist in the USA, Canada, France, Poland and other countries. And a year before that, in July 2021, a military funeral ritual was adopted at the state level. Again, so that at the time of burial, due honors are paid to the fallen (deceased) defender, so that everyone understands that they are burying not an ordinary person, but the one thanks to whom the state of Ukraine exists.
After the victory, we will find our traditions of remembering the fallen soldiers. We already name and will continue to name streets in their honor. We already have places of memory and memorial plaques in public spaces. But after the final victory, special places should appear in the country, with insightful architecture and humane memorial practices that will testify that we honor and thank them.
You can read about these events and other heroic and tragic pages of Ukrainian history in the publications presented at the book exhibition in the library and information center.
We bow our heads low before the fallen Heroes who died defending our independence. Among them are: graduates of the Rivne Vocational College of NUBiP of Ukraine: Balamutov Ruslan. Gulyuk Sergiy. Domantovych Oleg. Korniychuk Nazar. Kravchuk Yuriy. Losinets Vitaliy. Melnyk Roman. Nikolayev Vladislav. Pavlyuk Sergiy. Rusylo Viktor. Sayenko Maksym. Svidersky Dmytro. Skotsyk Oleksandr. Stetsyuk Taras. Tokarchuk Andriy. Franchuk Viktor. Shavarsky Andriy. Khrystyuk Pavlo.
We remember and will remember.
Lyudmila BURYACHYNSKA,
Head of the BIC
