Those who gave their lives for Kherson were remembered in Buzkovy Park

Kherson held events to honor the memory of the defenders who died during the first battles for the city.

According to Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, the memorial ceremony was held in the Lilac Park, a place that became one of the symbols of resistance in the first days of the Russian Federation's full-scale aggression against Ukraine.

Four years ago, on March 1, the fighting for the Hero city began here. Kherson's territorial defense units engaged in combat with the numerically and technically superior forces of the Russian occupation forces, trying to hold back the enemy's advance and protect the city.

The defenders acted with limited resources, demonstrating courage, dedication and loyalty to their oath. For many of them, that battle was their last. Their feat is an integral part of the modern history of the Ukrainian people's struggle for independence and territorial integrity.

The participants of the event honored the memory of the fallen with a minute of silence and laid flowers at the memorial site.

Eternal memory and glory to the Heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of Kherson and Ukraine.

What is known about the Lilac Square in Kherson

Lilac Square in Kherson became a place of important events during the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. On March 1, 2022, after receiving an order, the territorial defense soldiers went to their positions, settling in the Lilac Garden on Neftovykiv Street and Bilozerska Square. They were armed with assault rifles, F1 grenades and two Mukha RPGs. At the same time, Russian troops, including tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, were advancing on Kherson.

As a result of the unequal battle, up to 30 terrorist fighters were killed, their bodies were found in the lilac grove and in the Shumensky neighborhood. One of the collaborators, a journalist, posted a video of the executed fighters online and was notified of being suspected of treason.

After the de-occupation of Kherson, law enforcement officers and explosives experts inspected the territory of the Buzkovy Square, where they found evidence confirming the commission of war crimes by the Russian military.

In March 2023, a memorial sign was erected in Buzkovy Park in honor of the fallen terrorists. For some time, nothing was known about the battle in Buzkovyi Park. Only on March 2 did a video from that place appear, which shocked Ukrainians: among the trees mowed down by fire from large-caliber weapons were the bodies of the dead Kherson residents. Many of them were missing limbs or heads.

The families of the fallen soldiers of the 194th terrorist defense battalion, who gave their lives in the first days of the large-scale invasion, defending Ukrainian Kherson, will finally be able to receive the appropriate status.

Андрій Колісніченко