The monument dedicated to the "Luhansk victims of the OUN-UPA" is a
statue
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
located in
Luhansk
Luhansk (, ; uk, Луганськ, ), also known as Lugansk (, ; russian: Луганск, ), is a city in what is internationally recognised as Ukraine, although it is administered by Russia as capital of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). A ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. The monument was unveiled in 2010 under the direction of city deputy
Arsen Klinchaev and in association with the
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions ( uk, Партія регіонів, Partiia rehioniv, ; russian: Партия регионов, Partiya regionov) was a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine formed in late 1997 that then grew to be the biggest party of Uk ...
in a park in the center of Luhansk. The monument is adjacent to the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
memorial to the World War II underground resistance group,
The Young Guard. A Ukrainian nationalist group described the monument as provocative and a distortion of history.
Monument description
The monument consists of a figure tied up mother whose eyes are closed and his hands pulling the child and protecting their man whose hands are tied with rope. The inscription on the arch above the monument reads: “In memory of the victims of fascism and nationalism,” whereas beneath is a slab engraved with a dozen names belonging to those killed. The monument also has inscribed the phrase "The truth should not be forgotten".
[Жителям Луганщины, павшим от рук карателей-националистов из ОУН-УПА]
The alleged ''victims'' alluded to in the monument's dedication are not explicitly referenced.
History
The monument was unveiled "To People Of Luhansk Who Perished From Hands Of Nationalist Chasteners From OUN-UPA". The initiative for the monument came from city deputy Arsen Klinchaev, founder of the “Museum of the Victims of
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution ( uk, Помаранчева революція, translit=Pomarancheva revoliutsiia) was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate afterm ...
”. According to this local politician, a memorial is necessary so that everybody learns about the alleged crimes of the OUN and UPA, who he claims "acted in a more bestial manner than the fascists.” When a provisional memorial was unveiled, a placard was attached to the stone displaying a dove pierced by a sword with a swastika.
[“U Lulahnsku znyscheno pmyatnyk zhertvam OUN-UPA,” April 24, 2008,
news/2008/4/24/193446.htm. Retrieved August 11, 2008.] Klinchaev stated the following as the memorial's function:
At the unveiling of a similar monument in
Svatove
Svatove () or Svatovo () is a city on the Krasna river in Eastern Ukraine currently occupied by Russia as part of Luhansk People's Republic.
It serves as the administrative headquarters of Svatove Raion. Its population is .
History
After the ...
,
Luhansk Oblast
Luhansk Oblast ( uk, Луга́нська о́бласть, translit=Luhanska oblast; russian: Луганская область, translit=Luganskaya oblast; also referred to as Luhanshchyna, uk, Луга́нщина) is the easternmost oblast ...
in 2008, the vice-Mayor of Luhansk, Yevhen Kharin stated,
The monument was finally opened on May 9, 2010.
See also
*
The shot in the back (monument)
*
Stepan Bandera monument in Lviv
The ''Stepan Bandera monument in Lviv'' is a statue dedicated to Stepan Bandera, a controversial Ukrainian politician, ideologue of the Ukrainian nationalist movement of the twentieth century, and chairman of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationa ...
References
World War II memorials in Ukraine
Buildings and structures in Luhansk
Tourist attractions in Luhansk Oblast
Ukrainian Insurgent Army
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