A Commemoration Service to mark the reburial of the soldiers who died defending Kiev has been held at the Liberation Memorial in the village of Hatne, Kyiv region. World War II veterans were among those who attended, as were leaders of the Opposition Bloc. Everyone joined together to remember the heroism of their colleagues and forebears, reflecting on their shared history and building a collective memory for future generations.

After the last rites were read, the soldiers were laid to rest with full dignity and honour to the strains of Ukraine’s national anthem. Unfortunately, it was possible to identify only four of these heroes.

Voluntary archeologists from the Dnieper-Ukraine Excavation Group have been digging along the former frontline of Kiev’s Second World War defenses for over a decade. The remains of thousands of others who died in battle near the capital are yet to be found and given the burial they deserve.

No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten!