On 13 January, on the occasion of the Defenders of Freedom Day, many guests gathered at the Republic of Lithuania Embassy in Kyiv, including Ukrainian volunteers who defended the Lithuanian Parliament in January 1991, representatives of state institutions, members of the Kyiv Maironis Society of Lithuanian Culture, Lithuanian experts and businessmen working in Ukraine, and friends of Lithuania.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine Inga Stanitė-Tolochkienė addressed the event participants with a welcoming speech. She noted that thirty-four years ago, when the Soviet Union tried to force Lithuania to renounce its independence by military force, the Lithuanian people realized that they had no other choice but to defend themselves and stand up for their freedom. Thanks to the defenders, among whom 14 were killed and hundreds were injured, today we can rejoice in a free and successful country, a member of the EU and NATO. The Ambassador wished that today’s struggle of Ukrainians for freedom would be crowned with the same victory and that Russian imperialism would be defeated once and for all. Noting the support of Ukrainians in those days, the Ambassador emphasized that “yesterday, today and tomorrow Lithuania was, is and will be together with Ukraine. Before our common Victory – and after it.” The attendees honoured the defenders’ memory who died for the freedom of Lithuania and Ukraine with a minute of silence.
Yevhen Dyky, a Ukrainian volunteer who led a detachment of 32 Ukrainian volunteers to defend the Lithuanian parliament in early 1991, Director of the First Territorial Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Rostyslav Ogryzko, and Co-Chair of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Deputy Group for Interparliamentary Relations with the Republic of Lithuania Yulia Ovchynnikova also addressed the audience. The Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas and Ukrainian priest, chaplain Serhiy Dmytriev read a joint prayer for the fallen Lithuanian and Ukrainian defenders. After the prayer, the Lithuanian performer Andrius Mamontovas sang the legendary song “Light of the Bonfire” in Ukrainian.
Also, special guests attended the event – Ukrainian servicemen and civilians who returned from Russian captivity, and who shared their experiences and suffering during imprisonment, speaking about the extremely difficult situation of Ukrainians still in captivity, calling for all possible support for their release.
