MEDIA RELEASE
17 July 2017
AUSTRALIA’S UKRAINIAN COMMUNITY REFLECTS AND REMEMBERS
3rd ANNIVERSARY MH 17 DISASTER
It is with pain and sorrow that Australia’s Ukrainian community remembers those who perished in the MH17 Disaster on July 17, 2014.
Today, on the 3rd Anniversary of this human disaster, our prayers and thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones on that tragic day when 297 people died, 38 Australians, 80 children, shot down by Russian forces.
The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) calls on the community to remember and reflect and keep in their prayers, those who died in an unnecessary action against mankind.
The AFUO has requested church leaders to conduct Requiem services in all Churches on Sunday July 23, 2017.
A central remembrance service will be held on
Saturday July 22, 2017 at 12.00pm
at St Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church
6 McKay Garden
Canberra
The AFUO continues to maintain its position that those responsible must be held to account.
“No whitewashing by Russian Authorities or by President Putin will convince the international community of ‘grey areas’ as to who was responsible. They can no longer defect as the evidence leads to only one source. Russia must take responsibility,” AFUO Chairman Stefan Romaniw said.
The AFUO calls on the Australian Government to continue its work in investigating this disaster and applauds the Government of Ukraine for providing unrestricted access and cooperating with the international investigation.
“We must not allow this tragedy to fade away. We must remember those who perished, support their families and punish those responsible,” Mr Romaniw said.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: STEFAN ROMANIW 0419 531 255
