[stepanstas]

Yuschenko Distressed By Yanukovych's Intention To Review Decrees That Conferred Hero Of Ukraine Award On Shukhevych And Bandera

Former president Viktor Yuschenko has expressed distress at President Viktor Yanukovych's intention to review the presidential decrees that conferred the Hero of Ukraine award on Roman Shukhevych, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), and Stepan Bandera, the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN).

The press service of the Our Ukraine party announced this in a statement.

"It pains me that someone wants to review something ahead of May 9," Yuschenko said during a visit to Lviv.

Yuschenko considers members of the national freedom forces that struggled for Ukraine's independence during World War II as heroes.

"We should definitely say that they are our heroes because they brought our independence closer," Yuschenko said.

In connection with this, Yuschenko said that the European Parliament's reaction to the conferment of this award on Bandera "demonstrated a historical complex."

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Yanukovych intends to determine the fate of the presidential decrees that conferred the Hero of Ukraine award on Shukhevych and Bandera before May 9.

On February 25, the European Parliament expressed the hope that Yanukovych will review the conferment of the Hero of Ukraine award on Bandera.

Yuschenko conferred the Hero of Ukraine award on Bandera on January 22, when he was still the president of Ukraine.