On the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine, a requiem evening was held at the Garrison Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv to honour the soldiers who died fighting for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Joining the common prayer with the families of the fallen, service personnel, representatives of the regional authorities and city residents was the Deputy Mayor of Lviv for Humanitarian Affairs, Iryna Kulynych.
In the church, an ecumenical memorial service was held for the modern-day Heroes. Participants in the event also joined the nationwide remembrance campaign “Sunflower”: in vases placed in the church, people left sunflowers as a sign of respect and remembrance for the fallen defenders.
During the requiem evening, Auxiliary Bishop of the Lviv Archeparchy of the UGCC Volodymyr Hruza emphasised the spiritual meaning of the sunflower symbol and the unity of people in faith and prayer.
On 29 August, Ukraine commemorates service personnel and members of volunteer formations who died defending the state’s independence. This memorial date was introduced in 2019 in remembrance of the tragic events near Ilovaisk in August 2014, when hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers were killed among the sunflower fields, many were wounded, went missing or were taken prisoner. That is why the sunflower has become a symbol of remembrance for the fallen Heroes.
On this day in Lviv, a joint memorial prayer was also held at the fields of honourable burials at Lychakiv Cemetery, and the city is hosting the charity campaign “Sunflower of Remembrance”, organised by the Lviv Memorial Museum of Dignity.