Kruty Heroes Memorial
Kruty Heroes Memorial (Ukrainian: Меморіал пам'яті героїв Крут) is a monument honoring 500 cadets who died defending Kiev at the Battle of Kruty delaying the advancement of Bolshevik Red Army on January 29, 1918. The memorial is a 10 metre red column situated on a hill, and includes a chapel and a cross-shaped lake. It was dedicated by President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko in the village of Kruty, Chernihiv Oblast on August 25, 2006.
Remembering the Kruty Heroes
For a long time, the events at Kruty rail station remained outside the official attention of USSR historiography, providing fertile ground for myths and inventions on both sides. For example, commanding Red Army officer Muraviev claimed to have bravely fought for two days against the Ukrainian National Republic forces allegedly led by Petlura; other claims dealt with the number of casualties, between 500 and reaching into thousands. In actuality, Muraviev required two days to fix the rail station and reorganize. As for the number of dead, the official estimate is still unavailable. According to the participants of the battle, around 250-300 Ukrainian defenders died at Kruty. Only the names of those captured are available. They were later buried at Askold's Grave in Kiev.
In Soviet times, the dead soldiers of Kruty were considered traitors or simply ignored. The student mounds at Askold's grave were flattened and at first a city park planted. Later, after the Second World War, the area of the monument was used for burial of Soviet soldiers who died in battles for the Ukrainian capital. Since the initial event at Kruty in 1918, the first memorial action was undertaken in the 1990s by the People's Movement of Ukraine or Rukh which erected a wooden cross. This initiated plans for a more permanent monument. In 2000, architect Volodymyr Pavlenko seriously commenced efforts at memorial design. On August 25, 2006, the Kruty Heroes Monument was dedicated.
