First of its kind: Memorial to UK volunteer fighters who died in Ukraine
A memorial to British volunteer fighters who have died as part of Ukraine's war effort against Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 has been on display in London.
'Indomitable Ukraine' is an exhibition highlighting Ukraine's resistance against Russia and is made up of recovered military equipment, artwork, recovered personal belongings of soldiers and civilians, military honours and medals, authentic uniforms and clothing from the conflict, as well as photographs, documents, maps and battle trophies.
Many of the items have been recovered directly from the battlefield and shipped to the UK to be viewed by the British public for the first time.
Honouring British involvement in Ukraine
The exhibition features the first memorial of its kind, dedicated to British citizens who went to fight in Ukraine against Russia. It displays the names and call signs of 40 Brits, a handful of whom are ex-British military.
Colin Freeman, author of The Mad and the Brave: The Untold Story of Ukraine's Foreign Legion, interviewed some of those British military veterans in Ukraine.
"They all believed in the cause," Mr Freeman said.
"These are not people who are just going to go look for any old war to fight in. A number of them went back for repeated tours – [they] didn't just do three months [to] get that box ticked so that they can come back and say, 'hey, I fought in Ukraine'."
Mr Freeman also recalled his time with one of the veterans honoured on the memorial, Christopher Perryman, who had served with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
"Christopher Perryman and I first met in a cafe in Mykolaiv," he said, referencing a southern Ukrainian city on the Black Sea.
"He served in Iraq during the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, and he'd been on active duty in Basra and Amarah. But he said that was nothing compared to being on the receiving end of the Russian artillery, which was a different league altogether."
"It's not like the normal wartime mobilisation experience of heading off from your regimental base with all comrades that you've served with for years, and, who knows, as friends, as well as colleagues," Mr Freeman added.
"Most of these people would have gone entirely on their own. The decision to go would have been on their own.
"Then when they come back after serving, during time of R&R [rest and recuperation] back in the UK, they'd be coming back entirely on their own, in towns where there'd be no ticker tape parade, no kind of reception, no welcoming party, no warm words of congratulation from the Prime Minister, no medals. So, it's quite a lonely experience serving in the Legion.
"They're celebrated in Ukraine. Ukraine is very grateful to them. But this memorial, things like this, are pretty much the only recognition that they're getting here in the UK right now."
Guest of honour
The six-day exhibition was organised under the Patronage of the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK and former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces (2021-2024), General Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was at the opening event of the exhibition.
One of the items in the exhibition is a disposable launcher tube from an NLAW with his signature on it from his visit to the War Museum in Kyiv, on 22nd January 2023.
Yurii Horpynych, the Deputy Director General of the War Museum in Kyiv, told BFBS Forces News: "In these photos, there is not only Ukrainians, but also British soldiers who are serving in different units of [the] Ukrainian army and standing side by side with our guys, and their support, support of [the] British people, is very important for us."
The UK government advises against travel to Ukraine to fight or assist others engaged in the war.
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