Address of Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov on the occasion of the Kruty Heroes Remembrance Day

"Stories are written on the table. While we are writing them with blood on our land", -

Lina Kostenko "Marusya Churai"

Today is the Kruty Heroes Remembrance Day...The unequal battle of several hundred heroes with the Bolshevik flock that struck Kyiv is an unforgettable page in the history of Ukraine.

One to seven - this was the approximate proportion of Ukrainian junkers, students, and even pupils who faced the Muravyov army near Kruty at the end of January 1918.

One to seven...but despite the obvious inequality of forces means, and skills, Ukrainian patriots held the enemy back for over five hours.

During the retreat one platoon of students, having lost their landmarks at dusk, went to the Kruty station, which had already been occupied by the Muravyov troops. Enraged by the stop and realizing that young people - yesterday's students and pupils who had never hold anything heavier than a pen - so desperately opposed them, the Bolsheviks executed all of them...

Self-sacrifice, dedication, and strength of the students who defended Kyiv in 1918 inspire today all those who are forced to stop the enemy by the cost of their own lives. Eternal memory and honor to the fallen heroes who gave their lives defending Ukraine!

A century ago Ukrainians failed to preserve their independence because of quarrels, discord, external enemies, and lack of understanding of how to defend and build the state. By joining together, we did not allow Russia to repeat the Kruty tragedy and destroy the Ukrainian state in 2014. For us, the tragic history of those times should be a lesson that should never be repeated!