Head of Portuguese Parliament opens Ukraine exhibition

Augusto Santos Silva, President of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal, has opened an exhibition about Ukraine, as reported by Pavlo Sadokha, UWC Vice-President and President of the Union of Ukrainians in Portugal.

“Today, in the Portuguese Parliament, an event took place that touched us, Ukrainians, with its historical significance,” Sadokha wrote.

The New Military Awards of Ukraine exhibition was opened on January 10. The exhibition presents new state awards of Ukraine, particularly the Cross of Combat Merit and the For the Defense of Ukraine presidential award. Those interested will be able to see the final design of the awards and the initial project models. 

“A wonderful project by our old friend, the Portuguese historian Humberto Nuno de Oliveira, in cooperation with the Tallinn Museum of Chivalry and the National Museum of Ukraine in the Second World War, which tells about the history of Ukrainian military awards in the form of a historical research book with a list of Ukrainian heroes who received the highest state awards,” Sadokha wrote. 

The uniqueness of this exhibition was that for the first time at the highest level of the Portuguese government (parliament), a publication was presented that mentioned the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) as a military statist structure that fought for the liberation of Ukraine. “This is another victory over Moscow’s propaganda,” wrote the UWC Vice-President.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a new dimension of friendship and cooperation has been formed between Ukraine and Portugal, emphasized Augusto Santos Silva.

“As a European country, Portugal strongly opposes violations of international law and supports the victims of these violations certainly. The award presented by President Zelenskyy to our Minister of Foreign Affairs is a recognition of our efforts in supporting Ukraine. We are proud of our close ties with the Ukrainian Parliament. I am personally grateful to the Parliamentary Friendship Group for their determination and commitment to developing cooperation between our countries,” said Augusto Santos Silva, quoted by the Embassy of Ukraine in the Portuguese Republic.

The Chairman of the Portugal-Ukraine Friendship Group, Diogo Leão, and the Chair of the National Defence Committee of the Portuguese Parliament, Marcos Perestrello, organized the exhibition.