November 21 is Dignity and Freedom Day - a day when we honor the strength of our people and their resilience in the struggle for the right to live in a free and democratic state.
Today, we remember those who became symbols of our dignity and courage. Among them is Serhiy Baidovsky, a 23-year-old oil and gas worker from Novovolynsk, who gave his life for Ukraine’s freedom.
Modest, sincere, and compassionate, Serhiy was deeply interested in the history of the Cossacks and traveled widely across Ukraine. He had many plans and dreams. As a schoolboy, he supported the Orange Revolution, and after the violent dispersal of students in November 2013, he came to Kyiv.
Serhiy served in the 35th Maidan Self-Defense Unit, “Volyn Sich.” Under the pseudonym “Friend Baida,” he stood shoulder to shoulder with his comrades, coming to the Maidan during breaks between work shifts. On February 20, 2014, while rescuing a wounded comrade on Instytutska Street, he was fatally shot. He was only 23.
For his courage and dedication to Ukraine, Serhiy Baidovsky was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. Memorial plaques have been installed on the buildings of the Druzhba Main Oil Pipelines in Drohobych and Lviv. An academic scholarship bearing his name has also been established for students majoring in software engineering.
Today, we remember Serhiy and all the heroes who stood on the Maidan for our freedom.
Their memory lives not only in plaques or state honors, but in our daily responsibility to help one another and to be worthy of their sacrifice.
Dignity is not an abstraction - it is a daily readiness to act responsibly, to defend and develop our state.
