Kyiv bids farewell to famous poet Ivan Drach (VIDEO)

Photo: screenshot from video

On June 21st, in Kyiv in the Vladimir Cathedral, the farewell ceremony was held in honor of the poet, scriptwriter, public and cultural figure, Hero of Ukraine Ivan Drach. His life ended on June 19th. He was 81. Ivan Drach lost life in a battle with serious lung disease.

Hundreds of people came say good-bye to the outstanding Ukrainian: relatives, friends, fellow writers, cultural and public figures, politicians, the first persons of the state, in particular, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and his wife, as well as the Prime Minister of Ukraine Vladimir Groysman.

Ivan Drach will be buried according to his will: where his life path has begun, in the village of Telezhyntsi in the Kyiv oblast, near the grave of his son Maxim.

Ukrainian poet, translator, screenwriter and playwright was born on October 17th in 1936. As family and friends recall, during his lifetime he was a man with an active life position and a great sense of humor.
His active creative path he began during the «Khrushchev thaw».
While studying at Kyiv University, Ivan Fedorovich was expelled from the university for his creative and political views. Despite this, in 1989, when Drach was active in literary and public activities, it was he who became the first chairman of the People’s Movement of Ukraine (NRU). A little less than a year has passed since then, and in the spring of 1990 the writer became a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Later, the poet was co-chairman of the NRU along with Vyacheslav Chornovil and Mikhail Goryn, and from March 1998 to April 2002 the playwright and screenwriter was a people’s deputy of Ukraine of the 3rd convocation.
For his fruitful creative work and active civic position, Ivan Drach was awarded a number of awards and awards, and in 2006 received the title of Hero of Ukraine – «for selfless service to the Ukrainian people, embodied in a poetic word and upholding the ideals of freedom and democracy».

More about how the Ukrainians said goodbye to the outstanding poet, scriptwriter social and cultural figure, Hero of Ukraine Ivan Drach, look in the video of «Journalist».