Zelenskyy pays tribute to Heroes of Kruty in Kyiv – video

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has paid tribute to the memory of Ukrainian heroes at Askold's Grave on the anniversary of the 1918 Battle of Kruty.

Source: Zelenskyy on Facebook

Quote from Zelenskyy: "All our heroes, all those who gave their lives for Ukraine’s independence, freedom and future, are forever in the history of our people. We remember them all! Eternal glory and gratitude to the men and women who defend Ukraine!"

Background: Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, had previously said on the anniversary of the Battle of Kruty that Ukraine was, is and will be free and independent. Zaluzhnyi said that Ukrainians honour the memory of those who gave their lives in the Battle of Kruty, which "became a symbol of the heroism and self-sacrifice of the younger generation in the fight against the aggressor", and are grateful to everyone who is now defending the state, its independence and future.

For reference: Every year on 29 January, Ukraine honours the memory of the Heroes of the Battle of Kruty – Ukrainian students who tried to stop the Bolsheviksʼ offensive on Kyiv in 1918, and were captured and shot by the Bolsheviks.

The Battle of Kruty took place on 29 January 1918, between Nizhyn and Bakhmach in Chernihiv Oblast, 130 km northeast of Kyiv, during the offensive on Kyiv by Bolshevik troops from Russia led by Colonel Mikhail Muravyov. The Ukrainian force consisted mainly of cadets and armed members of the Free Cossacks movement. Despite severe casualties on the Ukrainian side, the battle resulted in defeat for the Bolsheviks – due to that defeat, they failed to strip Ukraine's People's Republic of its independence in 1918, signing a peace treaty with it instead. Nowadays, many in Ukraine draw parallels between that battle and the ancient Greek myth of the 300 Spartans.

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