A Life as a Feat

     On November 21, 2014 the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, signed the Decree No. 890/2014 “On conferring the title of Hero of Ukraine”, which has long been awaited by the community.
     For civil courage, patriotism, heroic defence of constitutional principles of democracy, human rights and freedoms, dedication to Ukrainian people showed during the Revolution of Dignity all fighters from the Heavenly Hundred were conferred the title of Hero of Ukraine and awarded the Order “Golden Star”(posthumously). Among them there was a student of the separated subdivision of NULES of Ukraine “Berezhany Agrotechnical Institute”, Ustym Golodnyuk.

     ... It is said that the name given to a person at birth reflects the deep essence of his personality. Ustym Golodniuk got his name not accidentally. Perhaps the rebellious spirit of opryshok Ustym Karmelyuk, who fought for justice, soared over Zbarazh in August 1994, when the hero of the Heavenly Hundred was born.
     After school, Ustym entered Lviv Military Lyceum named after the Heroes of Kruty. Those young students who died in Kruty were his role models and their self-sacrifice in the name of Ukraine was an example for him. So when the events at Maidan Nezalezhnosti began, Ustym was among the first students, who arrived to the capital on November 22, 2013, to protect Ukraine's European choice. He became one of the leaders of the student Euromaidan.

     During the first dispersal of students by military forces his friends and he stayed at Maidan until the last moment. Ustym was wounded and as a result he had 12 stitches on his head. As many others, he found shelter at Mykhailivskyy Cathedral. Ustym tried to seek justice in the police, he wrote an application about the beating. But the police started to intimidate the young man instead of taking measures. They did it in vain! Ustym was a true patriot, a man with a sense of dignity, respect, and patriotism; therefore, he stayed at Maidan. He helped the protesters, was a volunteer of Democratic Alliance, offered his assistance to the “Right Sector” and entered the self-defence group. Standing on the barricades he sang Ukrainian rebel songs and they added him strength.
     On February 20, 2014, when Ustym helped the wounded, a sniper bullet took away the life of the only son in the family.

Valentyn Obrambalskyy