Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, objects against the rewriting of the history of the Great Patriotic War. "One can not rewrite the history, until the memory and the people who remember those times are living", - stated V.Lytvyn at the grand Saturday´s rally dedicated to the Victory Day held near the National Culture Preserve "Battle of Kyiv in 1943" (Lutizh Springboard).
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stressed that "people who shed their blood for the Motherland will be considered heroes, but those who tried to shed the blood of other people to the loud slogans and appeals will be not".
V.Lytvyn expressed his gratitude to the veterans and all people who suffered the hard times of war for the present day. "Today we bestow our honours upon all the veterans and triumphers of the Second World War. Owing to our parents we celebrate the grand holiday of the Victory Day, when joy embraces sorrow", - he stated.
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stated that the great family of brotherly nations of the Soviet Union had rescued the world and Europe from "the brown plague". "It is here, at Lutizh Springboard, where the Victory was gained. It is here where our soldiers, our army did their best to liberate a great part of Ukraine, especially, Kyiv", - he stated. "Let us reflect upon the following figures: 17,5 thousand soldiers were awarded with orders and medals for the liberation of Kyiv, and 688 became Heroes of the Soviet Union", - stated V.Lytvyn, and reminded that currently 121 Heroes of the Soviet Union were living in Ukraine, 19 of them in Kyiv.
V.Lytvyn also lay flowers to "The Eternal Flame" near the memorial plate "To the Heroes of Lutizh Springboard", to the plate to the fellow villagers perished in the time of repressions and Holodomor and to the Monument to the Warrior-Liberator in the National Culture Preserve "Battle of Kyiv in 1943".
For reference: On 3 November 1943, the forces of the First Ukrainian Front deployed Kyiv strategic offensive operation from Lutizh Springboard (the village of Novi Petrivtsi) and liberated Ukrainian capital from fascist invaders on 6 November 1943.