Hostomel, August 2023 – In the most profoundly moving day since we started working in Ukraine, we visited Moshchun, the small village where Ukrainian forces stopped the Russian advance on Kyiv in early 2022.
The site has become a memorial to those who lost their lives in the desperate defence of the capital. In particular the pine forest, where much of the brutal fighting took place, holds the memory and atmosphere in its scarred trees and craters. With the Ukrainian army largely deployed in the east of the country, reservists of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Force were amongst those called on to assist in the defence of the capital. Photos of young reservists who lost their lives are pinned on pine trees beside where they fell.
Ross says, “This war is very real, and while what we are doing with the computer supplies is vitally important, the context is this – people died in the forest in defence of Kyiv. Looking at the photos of these young people, you can’t help wonder at their motivation to run down to the forest with guns and mount a defence against Russian regulars. Visiting the battle site, I felt as though I was walking through a WW1 trench, where a lot of young people had gone over the top and fallen in the ultimate sacrifice.”
Kyiv was held by Ukraine but at an incalculable cost, and if we do not continue to strengthen and rebuild the country, we would be devaluing their sacrifice.