Belarusian protester killed on Maidan to be granted Order of Freedom


Mikhail Zhyzneuski who was shot dead during clashes in Kyiv on January 22, is expected to be given the Order of Freedom, Ukraine’s highest government award for foreigners.

On February 24, Ukraine’s parliament adopted a resolution to bestow the title of Hero of Ukraine, the country’s highest government award, on the civilian protesters killed in Kyiv between November 2013 and February 2014. but according to the Ukrainian law, only the citizens of the country can receive it.

On February 21, Ukraine’s parliament adopted a bill providing for the families of the protesters killed in clashes to get one million hryvnias each ($103,000) from the government. As news agency BelaPAN learned from its sources, the Ukrainian foreign ministry is doing the necessary paperwork with the help of Mr Zhyzneuski’s family.

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Mikhail ‘Loki’ Zhyzneuski, who would have had his 26th birthday on January 26, left Belarus in 2005 and lived in the town of Bila Tserkva near Kyiv. He was killed on the morning of January 22 in Hrushevskoho Street. Mr Zhyzneuski was an activist of Ukrainian organisation UNA-UNSO (The Ukrainian National Assembly – Ukrainian People’s Self-Defense).

He was buried near the village of Znamya Pracy (Flag of Labour), Homel region. Ukraine’s authorities promised to recognise him as Hero of Maidan.

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