In the UGCC, with the prayer, the Krut Heroes were commemorated

The meeting started with the Memorial Service, which was led by Bishop Joseph (Milian), the bishop assistant of the UGCC of Kyiv. He reminded that everyone who was present, gathered in Kruty on this memorial day, to honor the remembrance of those who laid down their lives for Ukraine. "Over 90 years ago, the snow here was red. Not because of clusters of viburnum, not because of ashberries, that were brought by birds, but because of the blood of youth – the blood that covered the lands of Kruty, so that it becomes the beneficial moisture for the birth of new diehard patriots and Christians of Ukraine" – said, after the service, Bishop Joseph.

The bishop also encouraged "every day and every minute to pray, so that the snow in Ukraine never again becomes covered with blood". After the meeting, there was taking place the laying of flowers and wreaths at the Memorial Complex to the Heroes of Kruty.

The honoring of the Krut Heroes, was taking place in a number of Ukrainian cities. In Cherkassy, there was taking place the march with candles and the Memorial Service. On the same day, the solemn celebrations were taking place in Lviv. The authorities of the region and of the city, the representatives of non-governmental organizations, of military structures and of the educational institutions of Lviv, laid flowers at the grave of one of the representatives of those remarkable military operations- Ihor Loskyi, at the Lychakiv Cemetery. The chaplains of Lviv State Lyceum named after the heroes of Krut, Fathers Andriy and Mykhaylo, celebrated the memorial service for the fallen freedom fighters of Ukraine.

With the participation of lyceum pupils, students of military school, youth, veterans of the OUN- UPA and with the military chaplains, there was held a solemn march, green evening requiem and the march with candles. So, near the monument to Taras Shevchenko, young people, with the candles, laid out "The Glory to the Krut Heroes", as a sign of respect to those who laid their lives down for Ukraine at Kruty 95 years ago.

In Zhovkva, in the commemorative events participated the clergy; it was led by Bishop Mykhaylo (Koltun). Bishop expressed the words of gratitude to the Kruty Heroes at the festive evening in the People's House of the city. "We pray for those, who have fallen while thinking of the future, so that we might live better ... We are grateful for their faith and courage, which they presented at that crucial time. And we believe that the tiny possibilities they had, sprang to life of the Ukraine of present-day and will bring benefits to the future generations, "- said the priest.

Afterwards, there was a march with the torches to the central square of the city, where the clergy of the UGCC and the representatives from the UAOC and from the UOC KP celebrated the Memorial Service and expressed the words of gratitude to those fallen for the freedom of Ukraine.

The popular assembly of remembrance of the Kruty Heroes was also taking place near the monument to Stepan Bandera in Ivano-Frankivsk. Students of Financial and Commercial Cooperative College in Ivano-Frankivsk, who were the organizers of such Requiem, laid out, with the 300 candles, the national emblem and lit them in honour of the young men, who died at Kruty.

After that, the Memorial Service for those who died was celebrated; it was led by the priests of St. Michael the Archangel Parish, by Fathers Mykhaylo Vikhot and Yaroslav Rozhak. The students of the college performed the prose, lyrical and musical compositions of the memorial and patriotic content.

As it is known, in 1918, in the battle near the Kruty station, which is 130 kilometers away from Kyiv, against the four thousand Bolshevik army of Muravyov rose the small in number detachments of the Ukrainian Central Rada. They managed to delay the movement of the Bolshevik army in the direction of Kyiv, but several hundred of young people, mostly the high-school students, were killed in an unequal battle.

UGCC Department of Information