The memorial bas-relief in honor of Head of the Directorate of the Ukrainian National Republic Symon Petliura was opened in the downtown of Kyiv as “Interfax-Ukraine” reported.
The bas-relief is situated at Symon Petliura Street 2/4 on the corner with Taras Shevchenko Boulevard.
It is a rectangle with the three-dimensional bust of Petliura with Tryzub (trident) and the inscription: “This street is named after Chief Otaman of forces and fleet of the Ukrainian National Republic Symon Petliura.”
The author of the bas-relief is Vasyl Makush.
Vice-Prime-Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Rozenko, Culture Minister Yevhen Nishchuk, Head of Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance Volodymyr Viatrovych, officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, clergy of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, representatives of Kyiv City State Administration and Defense Ministry were present at the opening ceremony.
This year will mark the 140th anniversary of the birthday of Symon Petliura.
Symon Petliura is the Ukrainian officer and political figure who became the Chief Otaman of forces and fleet of the Ukrainian National Republic in November 1918. He became the prominent representative of the opposition against dictatorship. Petliura was the leader of the Social Democratic Party.
In May 1919, Symon Petliura became the Head of the Directorate of the Ukrainian National Republic. He is known by a number of the reforms, which formed the army and confrontation with Red Army, which tried to subjugate Ukraine. He could not win in the war with Poland and Petliura emigrated after defeat.
In October 1924, he settled in Paris, where he continued to serve as Head of the Directorate of the Ukrainian National Republic and Chief Otaman of forces and fleet of the Ukrainian National Republic. A lot of people suspect Petliura in the involvement in the pogroms of the Ukrainian Jews which led to the death of 50,000 Jews. In May 1926, Petliura was killed by Samuel Schwarzbard. This murder was an act of the revenge for Jewish pogroms.
