Around 400 people gathered outside the Russian embassy in Kyiv on Aug. 28 to commemorate Ukrainian soldiers killed at the 2014 Battle of Ilovaisk, which is considered one of the most tragic episodes of the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine.
The demonstration, which took place under the slogan “Time does NOT heal,” was organized by the Association of Wives and Mothers of Soldiers Participating in the ATO (i.e. “Anti-Terrorist Operation,” a now defunct name for Ukraine’s defense of its east) with support from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and Ministry for Veteran Affairs. According to a Facebook post advertising the event, their aim was “to honor the fallen soldiers, support their families and remind the world about Russian aggression.”
The participants, many of whom were relatives of fallen soldiers, carried portraits of the their loved ones and Ukrainian flags. They also tied red balloons — to signify the blood shed at the Battle of Ilovaisk — to the gates of the Russian embassy. This is the fifth year the demonstration has taken place.
The official day of commemoration for the Battle of Ilovaisk in Ukraine is Aug. 29. On that date in 2014, hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers were killed or captured while trying to escape encirclement by Russian troops and proxy forces, even though the Russian side had previously agreed to provide a humanitarian corridor for the Ukrainian troops to safely retreat.
