The memorial to the soldiers killed in the ATO was opened in Uzhgorod (PHOTO)

Heroes do not die as long as the memory of them lives on…

These words yesterday in Uzhgorod were repeated by almost every speaker on Vitaliy Postolaki square during the opening and blessing of the stele with the engraved names of 18 killed countrymen – soldiers from the city of Uzhgorod, Uzhgorod district and the city of Chop.

Major Vitaliy Postolaki, Major Dmytro Georgiev, Major Yuriy Bilobrov, Captain Volodymyr Chornous, Senior Lieutenant Oleg Koval, Senior Warrant Officer Oleg Rehotun, Senior Warrant Officer Serhiy Korenivsky, Senior Warrant Officer Yuriy Borbutsky, Junior Sergeant Oleksandr Popadynets, Senior Soldier Vasyl Varga, Senior Sergeant Ruslan Semchyshche, Senior Sergeant Oleksander Kapush, Senior Sergeant Igor Rozlutsky, Senior Sergeant Serhiy Martin, Senior Sergeant Anatoliy Holyk, Senior Sergeant Andriy Palai, Senior Sergeant Yuriy Birovchak, Major Serhiy Shulikov… Each of the fallen heroes was mentioned by name.

The opening of the memorial was attended by many Uzhgorod residents, representatives of local authorities, relatives of the victims, soldiers, volunteers, priests, Uzhgorod city council informs.

"You know, our soldiers die twice: first time from enemy bullets, second time – when they are forgotten. With the opening of this stele, we are not letting our soldiers die again – Uzhgorod military commissar, Colonel Mykola Zhuravlev said. – Our duty is to remember every soldier who gave his life on the battlefield. Always remember."

After the prayer, the monument was consecrated.

Mykola Zhuravlev presented a flag signed by soldiers of the reconnaissance company of the 128th separate mountain infantry brigade, that they gave to the staff of Uzhgorod City Central Hospital, the chief physician of the institution Ivan Kurakh. 

In addition, all the fallen soldiers were posthumously awarded with awards of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church – the medal of Saint Grand Prince Volodymyr of Kyiv. The awards were presented to the soldiers’ relatives.