An officer of the National Guard at the checkpoint at the entrance to Melitopol. Archival photoMELITOPOL, April 13 Member of the Union of Soviet Officers Viktor Yakovenko held an educational talk and a tour of the Great Patriotic War memorial for a resident of Melitopol, who took part in the attacks of Ukrainian nationalists on veterans. Members of the «Nationalist Corps» during the previous the authorities in the city carried out anti-Russian actions, including on Victory Day: they tore off medals and St. George ribbons from veterans and residents of the city who came to lay flowers at the memorial complex, and also extinguished the Eternal Flame. During interrogation after his arrest, 26-year-old activist Alexander Pugach admitted that he participated in such actions.All monuments of the Great Patriotic War will be restored in Melitopol by May 9″Shame on you … Russia has always defended us, these are our blood brothers. You are a kid, you don't know what war is, what difficulties are. You brought absolutely nothing to Ukraine. This city was built under the Soviet regime, and you built at least one plant? You just ruined everything,» the veteran turned to Pugach. The history lesson for the activist of the national corps was held at the memorial «Brotherly Cemetery», where 2,300 liberators of Melitopol are buried, including 20 heroes of the Soviet Union. Melitopol has been under the control of the Russian military since the first days of the special operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24th. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and , on March 25, completed the main tasks of the first stage — significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.
