People carry flowers and lamps: the memory of the fallen defenders of Ukraine is honored on Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv. Photos and videos

On Thursday, August 29, the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine, Kyiv honors the fallen soldiers. Ukrainians bring flowers and lamps to the Wall of Remembrance on Mykhailivska Square.

People are crying, thanking, and saluting in front of hundreds of photos of the Heroes whose lives were taken by the Russian war. An OBOZ.UA correspondent visited the scene.

As a reminder, after taking office, Volodymyr Zelenskyy designated August 29 as the Day of Remembrance of the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine and dedicated it to the anniversary of the Ilovaisk conflict in Donetsk region.

To honor the memory of the fallen defenders, Ukrainians bring sunflowers to monuments and memorials. The choice of the flower was inspired by historical events: to retreat from Ilovaisk, the Ukrainian military had to move through fields of sunflowers. Somewhere between them they were caught by enemy fire.

The first battles for the still-occupied Ilovaisk began on August 10, 2014. This battle became one of the turning points of the war, after which the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost the initiative in Donbas and switched from attack to defense.

On August 23-24, Russia brought its regular troops into Donbas, and on August 28, the Ukrainian military was surrounded. The "Ilovaysk Cauldron " included the volunteer battalions Donbas, Dnipro-1, the Interior Ministry battalions Kherson, Svityaz, Shakhtarsk, and Myrotvorets, as well as a combined company of the 93rd and 17th brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

On the night of August 29, the Kremlin's website reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin had called for a "humanitarian corridor" to be opened for the Ukrainian military who were surrounded, to allegedly guarantee their exit from the "cauldron."

However, on August 30, as Ukrainian soldiers were leaving Ilovaisk, they were cynically shot by the Russian military.

The heavy human losses forced the Ukrainian authorities to conclude the so-called Minsk ceasefire within the framework of the Ukraine-Russia-OSCE contact group involving representatives of the self-proclaimed "DPR" and "LPR".

As reported by OBOZ.UA:

– On the tenth anniversary of the Ilovaisk tragedy, the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov recalled the lesson learned then – dictator Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted under any circumstances, any compromise with him is a trap.

– On the 10th anniversary of the Ilovaysk tragedy, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy recalled the cynicism of the Russian occupiers. He assured that Ukraine will never forget this planned, cynical crime and will not leave it unpunished.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!