In accordance with the Order of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, a memorial plaque was installed on the administrative building of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (5 Hrushevskyi Street) in honour of the memory of the MPs of all convocations and employees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine who died defending the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The installation of the plaque on the facade of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is a symbol of honouring the memory of the MPs and employees of the Secretariat who, from the first days of the war, stood up to defend Ukraine and gave their lives in the fight against the russian aggressor. The plaque unveiling ceremony was attended by family members of the victims, the leadership of the Ukrainian Parliament, representatives of parliamentary factions and groups, and the OSCE PA delegation.
During the unveiling ceremony, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, noted the importance of perpetuating the memory of MPs and employees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine who laid down their lives for Ukraine's independence.
“The courage, bravery, heroism and feat of the people's deputies of Ukraine and parliamentary staff who gave their lives in the struggle for freedom and independence of Ukraine will forever remain in our hearts and our memory,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk.
“Let’s remember and honour today and always Oleksandr Marchenko, Oleh Barna, Serhii Slabenko, Petro Torshyn and every defender of Ukraine,” Ruslan Stefanchuk emphasised.
The memorial plaque commemorates Oleksandr Marchenko and Oleh Barna, MPs of the eighth convocation, as well as Serhii Slabenko, MP of the fourth convocation, and Petro Torshyn, an employee of the Verkhovna Rada's Office of Affairs.
On behalf of all the families whose names are recorded in the Book of Memory of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and immortalised on the memorial plaques of this building, the wife of Ukrainian defender Oleh Barna, Olha Barna, thanked for the initiative and for their memory: “The bitter moment united us all, but such a bitter moment has been uniting the entire Ukrainian people for ten years, for the last two years of the full-scale invasion. We have to fight, we have to struggle, we have to win and we have to remember all those who paid an excessively high price for us to live and build the country for which our relatives died and for which our soldiers are dying and fighting.”
