Kyiv hosts farewell ceremony for killed Ukrainian soldier
Police Captain Oleksandr Ilnytsky was killed by Russian-backed militants in eastern Ukraine
Hundreds of people have gathered on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv to pay tribute to the fallen police captain Oleksandr Ilnytskyi.
Ilnytskyi, known as ‘Barni’ to his colleagues was injured in a shooting on Saturday, January 9, near the town of Zaitseve, about 60 km from Donetsk – a stronghold of Russian-backed forces.
He was a member of the Aidar battalion. Ilnytsky sustained the fatal injury trying to save the lives of civilians whose vehicle came under fire.
One of his fellow soldiers says Ilnytsky died a hero.
“It is a kind of ceasefire. You can see what kind of ceasefire it is. People are dying, heroes are dying. There is no ceasefire. I would like to address Mr. President how it will be in future and whether all heroes will be eliminated. Sasha ‘Barni’ was a hero and he will remain a legend.”
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Mourners also observed a moment of silence, before carrying Ilnytsky’s body along the queue of people laying flowers to the coffin.
One of the soldiers says: “Any loss is always hard for friends. I think you can see what is going on in the east. That is so-called ceasefire.”
The UN estimates over 9,000 people have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2014.
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