On Sunday, the Ukrainian community in Paris held a commemorative event and a prayer service at Montparnasse Cemetery near the grave of Symon Petliura. May 25 marked the 99th anniversary of the death of this iconic figure in the history of the struggle for Ukrainian statehood.
The event was attended by representatives of Ukrainian organizations, diplomats, military, cultural and public figures, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“Petliura understood the importance of building the armed forces like no one else. Therefore, Ukraine still has to thank him for laying the foundations of the Ukrainian army, the current Armed Forces, which are now fighting for our country. We should also be grateful to the Ataman of the Ukrainian People’s Republic for laying the foundations of our unity, which was the main thing for him,” said Kostiantyn Ablazov, Minister-Counselor of the Ukrainian Embassy in France.
Alla Lazareva, Head of the Board of the Ukrainian Symon Petliura Library, spoke about how much Ukrainian soldiers honor Petliura’s memory by coming to talk to the Chief Ataman at his burial site.
“This is the continuity of generations, which proves how important the cause started by Simon Petliura was for Ukrainians then, and how important it remains, and this struggle does not stop. Therefore, one must first of all be a Ukrainian, and then a member of that party, that association, that group, as Petliura said. Because Ukraine is more important than parties,” Lazareva emphasized.
Traditionally, visitors bring seven red roses to Petliura’s grave, according to the number of seven bullets the criminal fired at Petliura.
The attendees prayed for the righteous Ukrainian struggle for freedom and for all the defenders of Ukraine, past and present.
As a reminder, Symon Petliura was a member of the General Secretariat of the Ukrainian Central Rada as Secretary General for Military Affairs, as well as the chief ataman of the troops of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and head of the UPR Directorate. He was shot at close range at the corner of rue Racine and boulevard Saint-Michel on May 25, 1926, in Paris by Samuel Schwarzbard. Many historians’ studies show that Soviet special services were behind this murder.
As reported by Ukrinform, Ukrainians in Paris gathered at Petliura’s grave on the anniversary of his assassination.
Source: Rally to mark anniversary of assassination of Symon Petliura was held in Paris
