06 May 2011, 13:18
At the briefing in the Parliament on Friday, Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, commented on the enactment of the Law, whereby on the Victory Day, not only a yellow-blue flag, but also the red banner of Victory should be hung. The Deputy Chairman regretted that the 66th anniversary of the Victory turned into the respect for Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Army and Joseph Stalin personally, instead of the anniversary of respect for the Ukrainian veterans, soldiers and officers. "260 People´s Deputies and the President who will sign this Law sided with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the current doctrine of Russia that tries to use the topic of war for its ideological purposes," stated M.Tomenko.
M.Tomenko stressed that war veterans have never been prohibited to attend the meeting and hold red banners. "Only combatants have the moral right to hold this banner," stated M.Tomenko. "Did 260 Deputies have the right to oblige the administrative offices, such as courts, prosecution offices or The Verkhovna Rada to hang the banners of a non-existent state?" he asked. "It is humiliation of ordinary veterans who did not fight for Stalin or the Communist Party, but protected themselves, their family members and their country," stressed the Deputy Chairman.
"I believe that the heads of regional state administrations who are not going to hang the red banners on their premises abide by the Constitution," stated M.Tomenko.