Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has said that the fighters of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army played an important role in the victory over fascism.

"Turning to World War II, the obvious leading role of the Red Army, Ukrainian fronts, the Soviet partisan organizations in driving out Nazis should be noted. Within Ukraine's second front, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army opened the struggle against fascist invaders. Even at that time it saw Ukraine as an independent state, and not a part of the Soviet empire," the president said a Saturday ceremony at the National Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War at which conscripts of the presidential regiment and the brigade of guards of the General Staff took their oath.

According to him, the Ukrainians all over the world fought in the armies of the anti-Hitler coalition countries - American, British, Canadian and others. "Until now, this aspect of the Ukrainian contribution to the victory was either misrepresented, or was utterly unknown to the general public," Poroshenko said.

He also noted the significance of the participation of veterans of the Red Army and UPA veterans in the solemn session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for the reconciliation.