Memory of Mikhail Zhyzneuski honored in Lviv's "House of Free Belarus." The monument to the hero is now kept there.
On Friday, the memory of Mikhail Zhyzneuski and Belarusian volunteers who died defending Ukraine from Russian aggression was honored in Lviv's "House of Free Belarus," writes "Svaboda."
The event was attended by council deputies, representatives of the Belarusian community, and public figures.
The fallen were honored with a minute of silence. A priest held a memorial service. A film about Mikhail Zhyzneuski was shown. Deputies of the Lviv Regional Council spoke.
The monument to Mikhail Zhyzneuski, which originally stood at the place of his death in Kyiv, is now preserved in the "House of Free Belarus." Here you can also see items, awards, and letters from other fallen heroes.
Deputy Kateryna Kenyo shared memories of Mikhail's funeral: "We understood that this was a struggle for truth, for freedom, for light. Thousands of people came to Mikhail Zhyzneuski's funeral. Then we realized that freedom cannot be stopped."
Taras Podvirny, representative of the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights in the Lviv region, spoke about what is being done to legalize Belarusian volunteers: "Together with them, we are working to eliminate legal obstacles to their stay in Ukraine. Last year, we submitted 25 cases to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and now these issues are being discussed at the highest level."
Belarusian activists in Lviv proposed installing a monument to Zhyzneuski in one of Lviv's squares. However, in a recent interview with "Svaboda," city mayor Andriy Sadovyi said that the monument would not be installed for now:
"The idea is interesting, but during the war, we have suspended the installation of monuments. We honor those who gave their lives today in this war, support families, receive many wounded, many displaced people; this is our current priority. And when victory comes, then we will talk. Everything in its own time."