“The Heavenly Hundred of Ukraine — sons and daughters who soared into the sky…”

Today is the Day of Remembrance of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred. In February 2014, Ukraine lost more than one hundred people. These were more than one hundred lives cut short in peacetime in the twenty-first century.

The Revolution of Dignity and the Day of Remembrance of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred are not merely pages of history. They are events whose significance continues today. Ukrainians continue to pay a terrible price for freedom, dignity, and the renewal of their country.

We bow our heads in memory of those who defended the right to live in a country where human dignity is respected, where freedom is not a declaration but a reality. We express our deepest gratitude to our defenders for every new day we are able to live in our own state.

These events are our pain. And they are our responsibility. The responsibility to live in a way that ensures their sacrifice was not in vain.