From now onward, alongside the building of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, there will be standing on sentry duty the National Guard of Ukraine Honor Guard.
The ceremonial event took place March 1, 2020 near the Parliament of Ukraine, there that has launched the tradition of keeping the NGU Honor Guard. The event entailed a guard changing ceremony, a solemn hoisting of the national flag of Ukraine, as well as performances of the orchestra and the “Honor Guard” of the NGU Special Battalion.
On weekends and holidays servicemen are assigned to stand sentry from 10 am to 6 pm.
NGU Commander Lieutenant General Mykola Balan explained that such a ceremony is new to Ukraine: “In many countries of the world, there are such traditions when representatives of similar structures (Gendarmerie, Carabinier troops etc.) serve near prominent state buildings and sites. Therefore, we invited the parliamentarians to hold a flag raising ceremony and an Honor Guard ceremony”.
“The tradition that we begin today with the National Guard is a good one that will last for many years. It is particularly important to us that it is the National Guard that will carry the Guard of Honor in front of the building of the Ukrainian Parliament. August 31, 2015, four members of the National Guard of Ukraine were killed on this square. I think we should remember this. We should make sure that it never happens again”, said Dmitry Razumkov, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.
