Controversy Erupts Over Photo of Living Cadet on War Memorial Mural

The unveiling of a memorial mural dedicated to the graduates and cadets of the Odesa University of Internal Affairs who died in the war with Russia was marked by a scandal because of the placement of a photo of a living person on it.

This became known after the unveiling of the mural on social media.

The fact is that the cadet whose photo appeared on the mural saw it and was outraged.

"I demand immediate explanations as to how I was buried when I continue to serve Ukraine. I demand that my photos with personal data be immediately removed from the memorial plaque and that those involved in providing false information about me and posting it to the public be held accountable. What the hell is going on? I've already received calls from many relatives and colleagues about this. Perhaps someone has already received a payment of 15 million for me, and I don't even know? I am waiting for explanations," he emphasized.

The university responded to the cadet's outrage by admitting that they had made a mistake and promising to punish those involved.

"The management and the rector of Odesa State University of Internal Affairs personally apologize to Oleksiy Stetsenko, whose photo was placed on the Mural in memory of the university's graduates and students who gave their lives in the struggle for the independence and territorial integrity of our country. The person who made this terrible, unacceptable mistake will be brought to justice, and the photo will be immediately removed from the Mural and from official messages on the university's social media pages," the university said.

Instead, one of the university's graduates noted that the names of cadets and graduates who actually died in the war were not included in the mural. The university also noted that they remember them and are working on information to add to the mural.

Earlier, the Odesa City Council reported that they had sent a letter to the leadership of the Holy Archangel Michael Convent with a request to dismantle the memorial plaque dedicated to the dead sailors of the Russian submarine Kursk.

Кирило Бойко