In Kyiv today, February 25, they said goodbye to the dissident, politician and independence fighter Stepan Khmara. He died on February 21 at the age of 86.
The ceremony began at 10:00 a.m. in the hall of the Kyiv Conservatory, reports the correspondent of Suspilny.
Farewell ceremony for Stepan Khmara in the hall of the Kyiv Conservatory. Kyiv, February 25, 2024. Photo: Anna Serhiets/Society
Relatives, friends, and colleagues came to honor the memory of Stepan Khmara. Among them is Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security Council.
“For all of us, this is an inestimable loss. He is a person who had a very acute sense of justice. Together with his brothers, he made a great contribution to the independence of Ukraine. Now there are almost no such principled people left with a heightened sense of justice,” Oleksiy said in a comment to journalists Danilov.
Farewell ceremony for Stepan Khmara in the hall of the Kyiv Conservatory. Kyiv, February 25, 2024. Photo: Anna Serhiets/Society
Retired captain of the first rank, deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of the second convocation Yevhen Lupakov said that he met Stepan Khmara in 1992 in Sevastopol, when he came to Crimea on the “Friendship Train”. Then Ukrainian nationalists marched through the center of Sevastopol to demonstrate that Crimea is Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, this action was used by Muscovites once morest Ukraine. But Khmara did a lot to make everyone understand what Ukraine thinks regarding Crimea. Although we understood that it was not the government that did it, but Stepan Khmara did it,” said Lupakov.
Stepan Khmara’s wife Roksolana at the farewell ceremony at the Kyiv Conservatory. Kyiv, February 25, 2024. Photo: Anna Serhiets/Society
“A person who was by your side, who always supported his shoulder,” is how Stepan Khmara is remembered by his friend, leader of the All-Ukrainian Women’s Movement “For a Free Ukraine”, combat volunteer Raisa Shmatko.
“This man never once bowed down to any authority. He went straight to his goal — a free, independent Ukraine, never turning an iota. Therefore, this is a very big loss for Ukraine,” says Raisa Shmatko.
The coffin of Stepan Khmary is carried to Independence Square. Kyiv, February 25, 2024. Photo: Anna Serhiets/Society
At noon, the coffin with Stepan Khmara was taken to Independence Square. More than half a thousand people came there to say goodbye to the politician. His wife, Roksolana Khmara, thanked everyone who supported the sick Stepan Ilkovich during the past few months.
“He called me Wolverine. He told me: “Wolverine, don’t let everyone think that I’m clinging to life. No, I’m not clinging to life, it’s just such an interesting time. The year 2024, he said, will be decisive for Ukraine. would have turned the corner so that I might already see that Ukraine wins. I know that I will not live to see victory. I have fought for it all my life and I want to see Ukraine win,” Roksolana recalled one of her last conversations with her husband Cloud.
Stepan Khmara’s wife speaks at Independence Square during the farewell ceremony for the politician. Kyiv, February 25, 2024. Photo: Anna Serhiets/Society
Even those who did not know him personally came to say goodbye to the politician. Among them is KPI student Alina. The girl says that every citizen should know regarding Stepan Khmara’s contribution to the development of Ukraine’s independence.
“This man, who was not broken by any gulags, persecutions and repressions. He was a dissident, a man absolutely devoted to himself. What I remember most is that this man made the greatest impact on our Constitution. First of all, because he pointed out that we have there should be one state language – Ukrainian,” said Alina.
More than 500 people came to Independence Square to say goodbye to Stepan Khmara. Kyiv, February 25, 2024. Photo: Anna Sergiets/Society
They mourned Stepan Khmara in the Church of St. Nicholas of the UGCC, which is located on the Askold grave. And the politician was buried at the Baikovo cemetery.
Stepan Ilkovich Khmara was born October 12, 1937 in the village of Bobyatyn, Sokal district, Lviv region. Childhood fell on the post-war years, the famine of 1946-1947 and the struggle of the UPA.
He studied at the stomatological faculty of the Lviv Medical Institute. During his student years, Stepan Khmara made a lot of efforts to find forbidden literature for self-publishing.
In 1980, the KGB arrested him and sentenced him to 7 years of imprisonment in strict regime camps and 5 years of exile for “Ukrainian nationalist activity”. Stepan Khmara served his sentence in camps for political prisoners No. 35 and 36 in the Urals.
In 1987, the dissident returned to Ukraine. IN in 1988 became one of the managers Ukrainian Helsinki Union — political opposition to the communist regime. In April 1990, it turned into Republican Party.
In 1990, Stepan Khmara was elected People’s Deputy Ukrainian Parliament.
In October In 1990, the politician supported it student revolution on granite. Stepan Khmara came to the protestors’ camp and also endured a 13-day hunger strike.
In 1992, Khmara created and headed it Ukrainian Conservative Republican Party (UKRP).
December 15, 2001 UKRP dissolved itself and its members joined the party “Home”. Thus, Stepan Khmara became the deputy head of Yulia Tymoshenko’s “Batkivshchyna”. and was able to take part in the parliamentary elections March 31, 2002 under number 10 of the election list of BYU.
In 2004, Stepan Khmara was an active participant Orange revolution: supported Viktor Yushchenko.
On March 16, 2005, the politician left the “Fatherland” faction. However, already in the parliamentary elections on March 26, 2006, he participated on the list of the alliance “Ukrainian People’s Bloc of Kostenko and Ivy”.
A year following the Revolution of Dignity, in October 2015, Stepan Khmara announced a hunger strike in support of the political prisoners of Lukyanivskyi SIZO.
