Klitschko found himself in an awkward situation during a meeting with the legendary artist

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko found himself in an awkward situation during a meeting with renowned Ukrainian artist Ivan Marchuk, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday. Klitschko called the artist a Hero of Ukraine, but Marchuk had previously stated that he did not consider himself worthy of the title, as the true heroes are currently on the front lines. The situation sparked lively discussion on social media.

This is reported with reference to a post by Vitali Klitschko.

When reporting on the event on his social media, Klitschko made a gross factual error by calling Marchuk a Hero of Ukraine. This information is incorrect, as Ivan Marchuk has never received the highest state title of Hero of Ukraine with the awarding of the Order of the Golden Star. The artist also stated that he does not wish to receive this title. 

In his post, Vitali Klitschko noted that he met at City Hall with the distinguished artist, Hero of Ukraine, and Honorary Citizen of Kyiv.

During the meeting, the mayor presented the artist with a “Badge of Honor” from the Kyiv community for his many years of service to the arts, significant contribution to the development of culture, and promotion of Ukraine around the world, while the painter presented the mayor with a copy of the special anniversary catalog “The Roads of Life. An Eternal Traveler, Chained to the Easel," with a personal inscription.

The mayor also noted that a large-scale retrospective exhibition of the Maestro’s works, “I Shook This World,” is currently underway at the Kyiv City History Museum, which has been extended until June 21 due to overwhelming public interest and requests from visitors.