President to sign the Law assigning the status of combatants to the fighters for the independence of Ukraine in the XX century

During a meeting with the lecturers and students of Ternopil region President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said he would sign the law assigning the status of combatants to the fighters for the independence of Ukraine in the XX century.

"Decolonization is also related to decommunization ... the ban of the communist party, which is guilty of the Holodomor and the great terror, guilty of denationalization and other crimes. A few years ago at the state level, we finally recognized the army of the UPR and the UPA as the participants in the national liberation struggle," the President said during his speech at the Ternopil National Pedagogical University.

"Tell me, please, why did we need to wait for Poroshenko? Why there were no attempts over the past 23 years? I have a good news - today, I will sign the law approved by the Verkhovna Rada, according to which the fighters for Ukraine's independence in the 20th century are given the status of combatants at the same level with the heroes who are now struggling against the Russian aggression. This, of course, also applies to the UPA soldiers. Why? Because this is right. And this is Ukraine's attitude towards its heroes - the UPA heroes, the heroes of the Red Army, the heroes and soldiers of the ATO and the JFO," he said.

The President recalled that four years ago the Ukrainian army was in a terrible state - food and material supplies were not in proper condition, weaponry and property were stolen and sold out. "And the documents authorizing these shameful acts were signed by the very well-known politicians. And these politicians do not hesitate to even talk about their patriotism now. You had to think and report to the society at that time. And now they declare their readiness to become a Supreme Commander-in-Chief. You have already demonstrated how you do it. I think that the voters will give them an appropriate assessment," the Head of State said.

The President stressed that now, thanks to the joint efforts of volunteers, the Ukrainian army, which stopped the aggressor, was restored. "We are teaching our troops to preserve and transfer to the new generation historical examples of heroism in the struggle for Ukraine's independence. If only you could see what was painted in the military units in 2013, they still had red flags, with a sickle and a hammer. And our new army is patriotic, well-trained, well-equipped with weapons and abilities sufficient to repel Russian aggression," the Head of State emphasized. Today, according to the President, the army consists of contractors who voluntarily signed contracts.

The Head of State separately noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are moving to NATO standards. Petro Poroshenko said that when he was elected President and asked the Defense Ministry and the General Staff to invite advisers from the Alliance, the military leadership said they were not entitled because the law prohibited NATO members to enter these Ukrainian structures. According to the Head of State, these provisions were quickly abolished.

The President also reminded that this year, the official greetings of the Armed Forces of Ukraine became "Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes!". According to him, this is a sacred phrase for each Ukrainian that unites us with all the generations who fought for the independence of Ukraine.