Daily Brief: War in Ukraine: British and French leaders pledge to coordinate support for Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine – Dmytro Kotsiubailo was a skinny teenager when he reached the barricades in Kyiv’s Independence Square nine years ago, joining thousands of Ukrainians demanding to be treated with respect and liberated from the yoke of rule. of Russia.
On Friday, the boy was returned to that square in an open coffin, as thousands of Ukrainians gathered to pay their respects to the boy who became a decorated soldier and symbol. symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
Mr. Kotsiubailo is better known for his Da Vinci sign, given to him because he once dreamed of becoming an artist. But he never got a chance: Immediately after joining the protests known as the Maidan Revolution, he joined the Ukrainian Army to fight a Russian-backed uprising in eastern Ukraine. He was only 18 years old.
Over the years, Da Vinci has become one of Ukraine’s most famous fighters and battalion commander. He was killed near Bakhmut on 7 March, mortally wounded in a Russian attack. He’s 27 years old.
While Mr. Kotsiubailo was one of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war with Russia, his story made a deep impression in a war-weary country that stands united behind its soldiers. on the front line.
“It is painful to lose our heroes,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said as he joined the nation in mourning Kotsiubailo, a memorial televised live on national television. Speaking of the soldier’s death earlier this week, Mr. Zelensky noted that “Da Vinci” has “defended the independence and dignity of our people since 2014.”
By the time Russia launched its full-blown invasion, Kotsiubailo was already a seasoned veteran. youngest battalion commander in the Ukrainian army. In 2021, he became one of the youngest volunteer soldiers ever awarded the title “Hero of Ukraine” for his bravery on the battlefield.
IN an interview with Ukrainian publications Censor.net Before his death, Mr. Kotsiubailo described the fight to stop Russia’s advance in southern Ukraine, greeted with flowers as he rolled into newly liberated villages in northeastern Ukraine and danger posed by Russian forces despite their defeats on the battlefield.
“The Russians cannot be underestimated,” he said. “Yes, they are broken, but they still have resources — people, equipment, and weapons.”
Zelensky, Ukraine’s Defense Minister and top commander of the armed forces joined the crowd at the soldier’s funeral at St. Michael’s Golden Dome Monastery, the stately church in central Kiev , where funerals for soldiers had become a grim daily ritual. Crowds overflowed as the coffin was brought to Independence Square, known simply as Maidan.
One by one, everyone applied through. Many fruited and some stopped to say a few words. “Thanks for everything,” one woman sobbed. A soldier vows revenge, telling Russian President Vladimir V. Putin to “put a bullet in your head.”
The crowd chanted “Glory to Ukraine,” followed by silence, then chants of “Die to the enemy, die, die, die” and “Glory to the hero of Ukraine.”
In an interview with Radio Liberty before his death, Mr Kotsiubailo explained why he chose to fight for his country.
“As long as there is danger,” he said, “I consider it my civic duty to defend it with a weapon in hand.”
