The Head of the UGCC prayed for those who died in the battle of Kruty

January 29 is the anniversary of the battle of Kruty. On this day President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, deputies of the Ukrainian parliament, representatives of central structures of executive authority, and public and church figures recalled the memory of the heroes killed. The country's head placed flowers at the Memorial of the Heroes of Kruty in Kyiv on Askol'd’s grave, reports the official Internet site of the president of Ukraine. As part of the event there was also a panahkyda (memorial prayer) for those who died at Kruty. The service was led by His Beatitude Lubomyr, Head of the UGCC. With him concelebrated Bishop Dymytriy (Rudyuk), Metropolitan of Pereyaslav and Khmel’nytskyj of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate, and Bishop Bohdan (Dzyurakh), auxiliary Bishop of the Kyivan Archeparchy of the UGCC. On January 29, 1918, an unequal fight between defenders of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the Bolsheviks under the leadership of Muravyov took place. A battalion of 300 persons was attacked, first by 3000 Bolsheviks, and then 3000 more Bolsheviks helped defeat the defenders of the Central Council. And those who survived were tortured to death. In the spring of that year Mikhail Hrushevskyj ordered that the bodies of 27 persons who were identified be transferred from Kruty to Askol'd’s grave in Kyiv. Honor for the heroes of Kruty at the state level has taken place since 2004. It was done for the first time by President Kuchma in the last year of his term.

Information Department of the UGCC

Photo from the web-site www.president.gov.ua