March of the Defenders

'Marsh zakhysnykiv Ukrainy') also known as the Alternative Parade[3] is a public march and demonstration held on the occasion of the Independence Day of Ukraine.

[4] This celebration honors all the veterans and serving personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, especially those who have been killed in action.

[5] Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Bohdan announced that the celebration would be held in a new format, without a parade of troops of military equipment.

[7][8] This caused a wave of discontent and dissatisfaction among Ukrainian society, specifically veterans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

While on the Maidan, the participants lined up, sang Shche ne vmerla Ukrayina, and then climbed with the audience to the "Wall of Memory", where a prayer service was held for those killed in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.

The chief organizer was Dmytro Shatrovsky,[13] a veteran of the Azov Battalion of the Ukrainian National Guard.