Memorial services mark two years of war in Ukraine
Humza Yousaf joined Ukrainian families at Edinburgh Castle for the anniversary
Two years on from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, political and religious leaders have joined families at a memorial service at Edinburgh Castle.
The service was led in part by the Reverend Father Vasyl Kren of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Edinburgh Our Lady of Pochayiv, who said support from Scotland had not gone unnoticed, however more needs to be done.
He added: “We are witnesses of the big support, but a huge percentage of the population, especially in Ukraine, are looking for the most support, you can understand the help is never enough, especially in a serious tragedy like a war, especially against a serious enemy like Russia.”
First Minister Humza Yousaf delivered a reading during the service, and said beforehand he was “proud” of the way people had welcomed the 26,000 displaced Ukrainians who have come to Scotland since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
He said: “First and foremost I want to say to those Ukrainians who are living in Scotland, that this country will be their home for as long as they want it to be.
“I am very proud of the fact that over 26,000 Ukrainians have been given homes here in Scotland.
“We’ll do whatever we can to support them in their hour of need, but I also want them to know that we will stand in steadfast solidarity with their countrymen and women who are still back in Ukraine and provide whatever support we can in what is their most difficult and darkest hour of need.”
During the ceremony in the chapel at the National War Memorial, officials and family members laid wreaths in memory of fallen Ukrainians, including Kateryna Rybalchenko and her brother Denys, who lost their father.
Kateryna said: “It’s just kind of unbelievable that something so full-scale and bloody has been going for years.”
Ukraine’s prosecutor general says 528 children have been killed in the conflict since 2022, which followed the Kremlin’s military intervention in the eastern Donbas region, and their annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Consulate of Ukraine, Andrii Kuslii stressed defeat was not an option for Ukraine, saying: “The main message is, please just keep supporting Ukraine.
“We need your support, we need the support of the international community to prevail, to save the lives of our children, to save our country.
“We have no choice to lose.”