Ukraine commemorates the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred who defended the future of our country at the cost of their lives.

On February 20, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Remembrance of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred. It was on this day in the center of the capital, on Independence Square, that the most activists of the Revolution of Dignity died.

Earlier, we told how the Unity Day holiday of 2023 arose in Ukraine.

Day of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred – the history of the date

At the end of 2013 – at the beginning of 2014, mass protests began in Ukraine. Citizens opposed the policy of the then government and its rejection of European integration. As a result, there was a change of power in the country – the then president Viktor Yanukovych and his associates fled abroad. The culmination of those events, which were called the Revolution of Dignity, was a mass confrontation on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv between protesters and security forces. It happened on February 18-20, 2014 – that’s when the most people died.

The list of the Heavenly Hundred was opened on January 22, 2014. First, Maidan activists Serhiy Nigoyan and Mykhailo Zhiznevsky died of gunshot wounds in the center of the capital. On the same day, a body with traces of torture of the activist Yury Verbytskyi was found in a forest near Kyiv. By February 18, 2014, there were already 9 dead, and mass shootings began on the Maidan from that day. From February 18 to February 20, the largest number of people died – 78 people, after February 20 – another 20. Almost immediately all the dead were called the Heavenly Hundred, although in fact there were more than a hundred of them.

By the decree of the President of Ukraine dated February 11, 2015, February 20 was established as the Day of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.

Day of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred – commemorative events

Every year on these days, events are held in Ukraine to mark the memorial date – they honor the fallen participants of the Revolution, who gave their lives for the ideals of democracy and the rights and freedoms of Ukrainians. This year, during a full-scale war, a number of events are taking place under the slogan “Heavenly Hundred – the first heroes of the Russian-Ukrainian war.”

“For us, especially during the war, it is important not to forget where it all started. It was actually the first battle of the Russian-Ukrainian war, a battle for our values, for the European future and freedom.”– said Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy.

On February 18, a commemorative procession to the Alley of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred and a memorial service was held in the center of the capital in the Mykhailivskyi Zolotoverkhi Cathedral. On the Day of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred, people carry flowers and lamps to the Memorial, and send a hundred rays to the sky, symbolizing the souls of the dead. Exhibitions, round tables, memorial processions, installations and memorial services are held all over Ukraine.

The official number of the Heavenly Hundred is 107 people. These were people of different ages, different nationalities, different professions and social status. The youngest of them was Nazarii Voytovych – he was only 17. The oldest – Ivan Nakonechny – was 82.