23 February 2009, 12:57
Mykola Tomenko: All Defenders of the Motherland are the Heroes of Ukraine
Mykola Tomenko, Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, deems inappropriate to debate moving the Motherland Defender´s Day from 23 February to 29 February in honour of the Heroes of Kruty.
He made the above-mentioned statement after the ceremony of laying flowers to the monument to the Unknown Soldier in Kyiv.
M.Tomenko considers it wrong to search for "bigger and smaller heroes", as certain politicians do. He deems unreasonable to establish any criteria concerning the grade of heroism of certain persons. "All defenders of their families and the Motherland are the heroes", - stated the Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
M.Tomenko added that Ukrainians should duly respect both present-day defenders of the Motherland, and those who had defended it during the revolution of 1917 and the Great Patriotic War.