Ukraine plans to introduce a new commemorative date to honor the defenders of Luhansk airport
Ukraine proposes to introduce a new commemorative date — the Day of Honoring the Defenders of Luhansk Airport. It is planned to be celebrated annually on August 31 — the day marking the end of the 146-day defense of the airport in 2014.
A draft law No. 15411 on establishing the Day of Honoring the Defenders of Luhansk Airport has been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada.
As noted, the document was developed to properly honor the defenders of Luhansk Airport at the state level, to immortalize the memory of servicemen, volunteers, and other participants in its defense, to preserve the historical memory of one of the key defensive operations of the second phase of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, as well as to promote patriotic education among citizens.
The authors of the legislative initiative remind that the defense of Luhansk Airport lasted 146 days — from April 8 to August 31, 2014 — and became one of the longest defensive operations of the second phase of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
More than ten units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations from various regions of the country participated in the airport's defense. For a significant part of this time, Ukrainian defenders were almost completely surrounded, and the garrison was supplied exclusively by air for a long period.
According to the explanatory note, at least 196 Ukrainian servicemen were killed during the defense of Luhansk Airport and related operations. It is also noted that the battles for the airport were among the first examples of organized resistance to Russian aggression and demonstrated the involvement of regular Russian troops in combat operations on Ukrainian territory as early as 2014.
It is expected that the adoption of the resolution will contribute to the state honoring of the defenders of Luhansk Airport, the preservation of historical memory about one of the key defensive operations of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and the development of state policy in the field of national memory.
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