August 29 — Day of Remembrance of the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine

August 29 — Day of Remembrance of the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine
Every day at 9 a.m. during a nationwide minute of silence, we pay tribute to our defenders, remember those who gave their lives to defend Ukraine, its statehood, independence and unity.

August 29 is a special day that was established by presidential decree in 2019. This date is associated with one of the most tragic episodes of the Russian-Ukrainian war even before the full-scale invasion — the withdrawal of Ukrainian soldiers from the encirclement near Ilovaisk in 2014. Then Russia violated the agreements, and Ukrainian soldiers were treacherously shot at the very time when they were passing through the “green corridor” that ran past the sunflower fields. Therefore, the symbol of this memorable day was the sunflower…

According to official data, 366 servicemen were killed, 429 were wounded, 300 were captured, and several dozen were missing.

Today, in the fourth year of the war, the best sons and daughters of our people defend the independence of the state at the cost of their own lives and health.

The history of Odesa National Medical University will forever include the names of its graduates who heroically defended the country from the Russian aggressor and proved themselves to be true patriots and heroes: Petro Kyshenko, Oleksiy Andronov, Serhiy Frolenko, Dmytro Bely, Vitaly Synenko. They remained faithful to their civic duty until the end.

We bow our heads to their loved ones and relatives as a sign of respect and memory of each of our Heroes.

Eternal glory to those who died in the struggle for independence, freedom, and territorial integrity of Ukraine!