Zelensky Honors Memory of 1918 Battle of Kruty Heroes

On the Day of Remembrance of the Kruty Heroes, President Volodymyr Zelensky honored the memory of those who died in the fight for independent Ukraine during the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917-1921, the press service of the head of state reported.

He laid flowers at the Heroes of Kruty memorial cross in central Kyiv.

The president noted that by commemorating the Heroes of Kruty, “we remember our history, we feel pride, we thank and support the Ukrainian Army, and together we bring victory closer.”

The ceremony was also attended by the Head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov, Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, and Deputy Head of Zelensky’s Office Roman Mashovets.

Flowers were also laid by the cadets of military educational facilities, in particular the Petro Sahaidachny National Academy of Land Forces, Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National University of the Air Force, Institute of Military and Naval Forces at the Odesa Maritime Academy, Military Institute of the Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University, Heroes of Kruty Military Institute of Telecommunications and Informatization, and Ivan Bohun Kyiv Military Lyceum.

The National Anthem of Ukraine was played, after which the soldiers of the Honors Guard performed a solemn march before the Memorial Cross.

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The Battle of Kruty took place on Jan. 29, 1918, between Nizhyn and Bakhmach in Chernihiv region, just 130 kilometers northeast of Kyiv, during the attack on Kyiv by Bolshevik Russian troops led by Colonel Mikhail Muravyov. On the Ukrainian side were nearly 300 soldiers with the Students' unit, 250 with the First Ukrainian Military School, and almost 40 Haydamak fighters.

The battle lasted throughout the day. Thanks to the advantageous position and heroism of Ukrainian fighters, they inflicted significant losses on the Russians and restrained the offensive until dark. Then, under enemy pressure, most of the units retreated in an organized manner to the trains at the station nearby and left towards Kyiv, destroying the railway tracks behind them. But a group of 27 students got lost in the dark and returned to the Kruty station, which at that time was already occupied by the Bolsheviks. Those 27 captured young men (students and high-schoolers) were executed. The youngest of them were just 16.