Today, Ukraine celebrates the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes
Kyiv • UNN
February 20 marks the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes, when 48 protesters died in the center of Kyiv. In total, 107 Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred gave their lives for democratic values and the European future of Ukraine.
Today, February 20, is the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes. On this day, the largest number of people – 48 – died in Kyiv during the protests. The memory of the feat of the Heavenly Hundred is honored under the slogan "Grateful for freedom!", reports UNN.
On February 20, 2014, the largest number of people – 48 – died in the center of the Ukrainian capital. They, along with 54 other deceased and fatally wounded participants of peaceful protests during the winter of 2013–2014 and five Maidan activists who died in the spring of 2014, defending democratic values and the territorial integrity of Ukraine, were named the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.
The Ukrainian Institute of National Memory emphasizes that the events of that day became the culmination of the Revolution of Dignity. A very high price – human lives – was paid for not returning to the post-Soviet model of relations between the government and society, for rejecting "multi-vectorism" in foreign policy, and for affirming Ukraine's development as a democratic European country.
To honor the memory of citizens who died during the Revolution of Dignity in the struggle for the ideals of democracy, human rights and freedoms, and the European future of Ukraine, thanks to whom the course of our state's history was changed, the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes was established.
The memory of the feat of the Heavenly Hundred is honored under the slogan "Grateful for freedom!"
Freedom is a fundamental characteristic of human existence; it is the possibility of free choice and the awareness of one's own responsibility for this choice. The Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred made their choice – to fight for freedom and dignity, giving their lives for it. They died so that Ukraine would develop as a free democratic state.
The Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes is intended to perpetuate human, civic, and national courage and selflessness, the strength of spirit and resilience of citizens, thanks to whom the course of our state's history was changed, and to honor the feat of those who died for the ideals of democracy, human rights and freedoms, and the European future of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Institute of National Memory notes that this is a day of mourning, as it is associated with the death of citizens during the Revolution of Dignity and at the beginning of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, but it is intended to honor not death, but the struggle for a dignified and free life, sacrifice, and courage.
The Revolution of Dignity was a mass civil protest that lasted 94 days – from November 21, 2013, to February 22, 2014. It was caused by a sharp change in the foreign policy course and vector of the state's development, and subsequently by unconstitutional actions of the authorities. The center of events was the capital's Maidan Nezalezhnosti and the surrounding streets: Khreshchatyk, Mykhaila Hrushevskoho, Instytutska. Peaceful actions began under Euro-integration slogans, but later turned into a long campaign of civil disobedience to the regime of President Viktor Yanukovych – against corruption and human rights violations. The actions of the authorities aimed at suppressing protests by force led to an escalation of the conflict and human casualties.
The activists who died during the confrontations in December 2013 – February 2014 were called the Heavenly Hundred. Later, the ranks of the Heavenly Hundred were replenished by Ukrainian patriots, participants of the Revolution of Dignity, who died defending democratic values and the territorial integrity of Ukraine in the spring of 2014.
The significance of the Revolution of Dignity. The overthrow of the Yanukovych regime, under which the level of state corruption sharply increased and a pro-Russian vector of development was promoted, made it possible to restore the course towards European integration and sign the Association Agreement with the EU. Citizens of Ukraine clearly stated their readiness to defend state independence and democratic freedoms. Among other important results of the Revolution of Dignity are the beginning of reforms in various spheres of the country's life, self-organization of civil society, the development of the volunteer movement, decentralization, decommunization, and a partial renewal of the Ukrainian political elite.
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Heavenly Hundred
Origin of the name. The Heavenly Hundred – 107 fallen participants of the Revolution of Dignity, as well as Maidan activists who died in the spring of 2014 with the beginning of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine.
The name "Heavenly Hundred" arose by analogy with the main structural units of the Maidan Self-Defense – hundreds. It first appeared during the farewell to the fallen on the capital's Maidan Nezalezhnosti on February 21–22, 2014. Poems by poets Lyudmyla Maksymlyuk and Tetyana Domashenko, dated February 21, use the phrase "Heavenly Hundred." The next day, the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred were already being spoken about from the Maidan stage and written about on Internet resources. A mention of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred appeared on the Government Portal on February 28, 2014.
The Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred include people of different nationalities, religions, education, and age. Among them are citizens of Ukraine, Belarus, and Georgia. The youngest of the Heroes, Nazariy Voytovych, was 17 years old, the oldest, Ivan Nakonechny, was 82 years old. Of the 107 Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred, three are women: Antonina Dvoryanets, Olha Bura, and Lyudmyla Sheremet.
The death of the first of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred, Pavlo Mazurenko, occurred on December 22, 2013, as a result of bodily injuries inflicted by unknown persons dressed in special forces uniforms. The last of the Heroes, Viktor Orlenko, died on June 3, 2015, due to complications after a gunshot wound received during the storming of the Maidan by security forces on February 18, 2014.