Twenty red maples and eternal memory

A tree avenue has been planted in Sviatoshyn district in Kyiv in a park near Vidpochynku Street, commemorating the Ukrainian soldiers who died during the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine. As many as 20 trees have been planted in total, corresponding to the military’s death count as of May 20. Red maples have been chosen for planting due to the tree’s undemanding nature and high survival rate.

The event’s initiator, chairman of the Kyiv City Council’s standing commission for environmental policy Denys Moskal said that the park was not chosen by chance.

“This park has not been fully developed yet, and we believe that not only residents of the downtown, but people from the city’s periphery, too, deserve to have beautiful parks. Sviatoshyn district was covered in flourishing greenery once, as there were many sanatoriums here. Trees are now being cut down to clear way for development, so we have decided to preserve at least some of green spaces. We plan to create a full-fledged park in this area and name it the Heavenly Sotnia Memorial Park. A draft decision has been prepared which has passed the environmental commission and I believe it will be adopted as soon as the city council returns to work. It was only logical to have a memorial tree avenue honoring those patriotic soldiers, who had sacrificed their lives for the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine and for the future of our children while protecting us in eastern Ukraine, planted in the park which will be named to honor our heroes.”

Also planting the trees were frontman of the Druha Rika band Valerii Kharchyshyn, Olympic champion fencer Olha Kharlan, and active residents of the district.