Soldier of SS "Galizien" buried in the Uniate church of Stryi

Public funeral of SS Galicia veteran Ivan Fialka. Photo: pbs.twimg.com

On February 16, in the city of Stryi, Lviv region, a funeral service was held for the veteran of the Galizien division Ivan Fialka, who died at the age of 98, according to bastion.tv.

The farewell ceremony was held in the Uniate church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was attended by the head of Stryi city Oleg Kanivets, deputy chairman of the Stryi Rada, member of the Svoboda party Mikhail Galushchak, representatives of nationalist organizations, members of the Brotherhood of Soldiers of the Galizien Division, representatives of local authorities and concerned citizens. The veteran of the SS "Galizien" was buried in the city cemetery.

The publication reports that “during World War II volunteered for the German army, Fialka volunteered for the German Army, was trained in one of the military schools in Munich, where he received the foreman rank (German: Untersharführer).” With the creation of the SS "Galizien" he was transferred by the Nazi command to this division. The authors proudly report that as part of the SS "Galizien", "during fierce battles with the Soviet army near Brody, Fialka destroyed one enemy tank and two aircrafts, but, like many members of the division, was surrounded."

After captivity, he was sentenced to 10 years in labor camps and served his sentence in the Arkhangelsk region. After his release in 1954, he lived in Stryi, worked as a teacher at vocational school No. 8.

The edition also published a joint photo of Fialka with Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler in 1944.

As previously reported by the UOJ, the court recognized the symbols of the SS division "Galizien" as fascist.

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