🕍 Perched on a 400-meter-high red rock cliff, embracing the lush forests of the Baydar Pass and the Black Sea, the 'Foros Church' is an Orthodox heritage that Ukraine reclaimed from the Soviet Union. Russia had always claimed sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula but suffered a painful geopolitical crisis with the loss of the lease for the Sevastopol naval base. Furthermore, the Livadia Palace in Yalta, where Stalin once discussed the post-war order, has transformed into a pro-EU IT strategy conference center. Ukraine's move away from the Soviet orbit and toward Westernization was perceived by Russia as a fatal loss, fueling the sparks of war. Following the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, a civil war broke out in the eastern Donbas region between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian military.
February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine under the pretext of protecting ethnic Russians in the Donbas region.
On the first day of the invasion, the Ukrainian army had to blow up the Henichesk Bridge, a strategic southern stronghold, to slow down the advance of Russian armored units crossing from Crimea. Vitalii Skakun (25), a marine engineer, planted explosives on the bridge. However, the enemy arrived faster than expected, leaving no time for remote detonation. Abandoning his chance to evacuate, he sent a final radio message to his comrades and manually triggered the detonator, sacrificing his life along with the bridge. His sacrifice delayed the Russian advance and bought crucial time for the Ukrainian army to rebuild its defensive lines.
The Ukrainian government posthumously awarded him the highest honor, the title of 'Hero of Ukraine,' and a street and a monument were dedicated to him in his hometown of Berezhany and at his alma mater.
However, the most symbolic place bearing Skakun's name is not located on Ukrainian soil. Shortly after the invasion, the Prague City Council in the Czech Republic officially named a railway bridge in the city 'Vitalij Skakunův most' (Vitalii Skakun Bridge).
The location of this bridge is right in front of the Russian Embassy in Prague.
Earlier, in 2020, the Prague City Council renamed the square in front of the Russian Embassy's main gate to 'Boris Nemtsov Square,' after the assassinated political opponent of Putin. Reluctant to use a political rival's name in their official address, the Russian Embassy resorted to a trick by changing its entrance to the adjacent alley, 'Korunovační 36'.
However, right after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Prague City Council renamed that very street the Russian Embassy had fled to as 'Ukrainian Heroes Street' (Ulice Ukrajinských hrdinů). At the same time, they named the railway bridge right next to the embassy the 'Vitalii Skakun Bridge' and painted the entire bridge in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag, completely cutting off their escape route.
Currently, the official address of the Russian Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic, is 'Ulice Ukrajinských hrdinů 36'.
Today, Russian diplomats still have to write down an address honoring enemy heroes every time they receive mail, and every morning they must commute across a yellow bridge bearing the name of the 25-year-old youth they tried to crush.
Reference Book: The Second World, Parag Khanna
[Vitalii Skakun Bridge (Skakunův most)] The entire iron railing of the bridge is painted in vivid blue and yellow, symbolizing the Ukrainian flag. Additionally, the words 'SKAKUNŮV MOST (Skakun Bridge)' on a red plaque clearly show the meaning of this place. A railway track runs below.
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