Battle of Kruty heroes remembered (02/08/04)

Battle of Kruty heroes remembered

KYIV - A ceremony was held here on January 29 to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Kruty. On January 29, 1918, a Bolshevik force of 4,000 advanced toward the Ukrainian capital, where it was met by a contingent of 500 young men. According to the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, the group consisted mainly of a company of the Student Kurin (unit) of the Sich Riflemen, a company of the Khmelnytsky Cadet School and a Haidamaka detachment. Half of the soldiers of this contingent died in battle at Kruty, a railroad station 130 kilometers northeast of Kyiv as they strove to prevent the Bolshevik advance. The young troops' resistance delayed the capture of Kyiv and enabled the Ukrainian National Republic to conclude the Peace Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Seen above is a portion of the ceremony during which a panakhyda (requiem) service was offered at the monument to the heroes of Kruty. In attendance were many political leaders, including President Leonid Kuchma, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, as well as numerous national deputies and members of national-democratic forces in Ukraine.

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