On the 20th of February 2018 in the patio of the Geography Department of LNU an official opening ceremony of the Monument dedicated to Hero of Ukraine and the Heaven’s Hundred Heroe Igor Kostenko was held.
University students, professors, clergy, authorities, relatives and friends came in order to honor the memory of the student of LNU University who sacrificed his life for the future of Ukraine.
The honorable mission to open the monument to the Heroe of Ukraine was given to Igor Kostenko’s sister Inna Kostenko and the graduate from the Geography Department, a military blood brother, a participant of the Revolution of the Euromaidan Revolution Volodymyr Ditchuk.
Then the representatives of clergy held the consecration of the Heroe’s monument, after which present people laid flowers at the monument. Rector of Lviv National University Volodymyr Melnyk, addressing present people, emphasized priceless heroic deed of Igor Kostenko and all of The Heavenly Hundred Heroes.
“Four years ago, the bullet, which was targeted on the heart of Ukraine, stopped its flight thanks to Igor Kostenko. He saved Ukraine, he saved us. Four years ago, Igor was only 22 years old, and the whole world was open to him, but he chose Ukraine and this choice was conscious. He was a proponent of the truth, democracy, and freedom … but the most important, what the Heavenly Hundreds did – was that they began to defend the dignity of the Ukrainian people and freed us from spiritual slavery. Heroes do not die. These are we who can die if we forget this feat even for a moment”, – Volodymyr Melnyk emphasized.
Oksana Kostenko, a mother of the Hero of Ukraine, expressed gratitude to all who join her in honoring her son’s memory.
“I remember the day when we saw that he was on the lists enrolled for studies at University. My son fell in love with Lviv, and thanks to him, I also loved this city. Thank you for having settled my son forever in this city. He wanted to live and work in Ukraine, to do good for our country. There are many like my son, and I believe that our Ukraine will flourish. I want peace finally come to Ukraine. To stop the babies’, mothers’ and wives’ crying. Take care of your relatives, appreciate every day spent together”, – Oksana Kostenko appealed to the audience.
The head of the Lviv Regional State Administration Oleg Synutka stressed that the real price and pain of loss are known only to the mothers: “In the mother’s eyes it is truly visible that the black is black and the white is white. Everyone can thus decide for himself what he does wrong and what to do next. After all, we will answer to God and to our mothers. To ensure that each of us does not lose our lives in trivia, we should remember those who lost their lives for our future”, – Oleg Mykhailovych said
Volodymyr Ditchuk shared his memories about Igor Kostenko as a cheerful and insistent friend during the Revolution of Dignity: “Igor was a cool guy and I’m glad that the memory of him gathered so many people – I did not even expect that so much will come to us. I’m glad we were able to pool our money together and put up this monument. This is the very spirit of the Maidan – when we do something important together. I always repeat: Igor was an ordinary person who, at a difficult time, showed his best traits. I have a flag in my hands. And it so properly symbolizes Igor. He was painted by our friends from the faculty, and now it became legendary, became the symbol of our faculty. So is Igor. I was a simple boy who loved to joke, and he now became a symbol of the struggle, a symbol of the state. Ukraine is above all! It was about him, now it’s important for all of us. Let’s remember! “
Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi took part in the event on behalf of the community of the city. “There are such people who feel injustice by a naked nerve. They cannot keep silent, they can not pass by – they go forward. They do not know what awaits them. Very often these people are led by God, and God gives them their way. The boys from the Heavenly Hundreds who gave up their lives – they did not die to change one president to another. They gave their lives to change the country. I want to believe that God is kind to us and will give us all wisdom and we glorifying these guys and Igor will do our best to make Ukrainians proud of their country”, – said Andriy Sadovyi.
People’s deputy of Ukraine Victor Kryvenko, addressing the audience, stressed that regardless of political views, everyone should put his every effort to ensure that the perpetrators of the death of the Heroes of Heavenly Hundred were be punished and that tragic events would never be repeated in the history of Ukraine.
The dean of the geographical faculty of the LNU of Ivan Franko Volodymyr Bilanyuk addressed the mother of Igor Kostenko: “Forgive me that I did not save your son. Ternopil gave Ukraine two prominent sons – the giant of the spirit and the rank of Patriarch Joseph Slipyj and the symbol of truth, freedom, and patriotism Igor Kostenko. Before joining the first year of the Faculty of Geography, Igor graduated from the Buchach Collegium named after St. Josaphat. He studied in the building of the Faculty of Geography, where almost 100 years ago was a Greek-Catholic theological seminary, whose rector was the patriarch Joseph Slipy. Also in the building of our faculty was once the chapel of the name of St. Josaphat … Mrs. Oksana, your son is a great man who was following the call of the heart and sacrificed his life for each of us! “
At the end of the ceremony Choir Of Folk Song And Dance Ensemble “Cheremosh” performed the work of Ivan Franko “It is not yet time”.
We will add that the bust in honor of Igor Kostenko was set up on the initiative and at the expense collected by the students and teachers of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. The author of the project is Volodymyr Tsysaryk, a Ukrainian sculptor.
It should be reminded that Igor Kostenko, a student at the Faculty of Geography of Lviv University, died on February 20, 2014, during a confrontation in the center of Kiev. His body was found near the October Palace on Institutska Street.
On May 15, 2014, the Department of Geography hosted the consecration of the Hero of Heavenly Hundred audience named after Igor Kostenko. On August 10, 2014, The Wikipedia’s founder awarded posthumously as Wikipedist of the Year a Ukrainian guy Igor Kostenko.
