A memorial for the Ukrainian Sich militia whose members were killed by the Hungarian army at the same spot in 1939 was also inaugurated, local officials said.
Hungarian ambassador to Kiev Andras Barsony said at the ceremony that Ukraine had demonstrated its tolerant attitude to the different ethnicities living in the country by erecting the monument.
"The mutual history of different nationalities living in Subcarpathia teaches us how to live in peace and friendship in a common European home," he added.
The monument is the work of Peter Matl, a sculptor from Mukechevo. He said his work was symbolic of a gate between East and West.
At the same spot, the stylised chapel that pays tribute to the Sich militiamen was opened by Subcarpathia County governor Oleg Havasi.
"The tragic events of 1939 have been carved in the memory of the Ukrainian people," he said. "The forming of Carpatho-Ukraine was a precursor of the rebirth of a united Ukrainian state."
Units of the Sich militia got involved in a battle with the Hungarian army which passed through Ukraine on March 15, 1939. The Hungarians broke down their resitance in one day.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
