“What does victory mean for us today, after more than three years of military aggression? War has given this word a deeper meaning.” Speaking to SIR, Msgr. Oleksandr Yazlovetskiy, auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kyiv-Zhytomyr, explained how Ukraine marks Victory Day, which commemorates the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany during World War II. In Kyiv, the day is celebrated on 8 May, while in Russia it is observed on 9 May.
“For us, victory means surviving, since we don’t know if we’ll live to see tomorrow,” says the bishop. “It means resisting and protecting our country’s independence. Above all, for us believers, it means not allowing ourselves to be consumed by hatred towards our enemies — the Russians, in this case. Ultimately, victory means uniting with Europe and embracing its values, culture, and principles of freedom, democracy, and solidarity. Victory today is like the red poppy, the flower chosen to symbolise this day of remembrance. It is a delicate yet resilient flower.”
Ceasefire breached. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine, lasting 72 hours in total, to allow for Victory Day celebrations.
But the declared truce didn’t stop Russia from launching attacks on Ukraine with guided bomb strikes, which began on the night of 8 May. One person was killed and two were injured in Russian airstrikes in the Sumy region overnight after the ceasefire had come into effect.
Despite the announced ceasefire, Russian forces are still attacking and bombing the Donetsk region, with fighting ongoing in Pokrovsk, Toretsk, Lyman and Novopavlivka.
Hope for peace. “Peace can certainly be achieved,” the bishop says, when asked to comment on a scenario of unobserved truces. “Every war ends in peace,” he adds. “But the more time passes, the more we realise that, when peace finally comes, it will be stained with the tears of our people, because countless lives have been lost over these long years.” Many people carry the deep scars of war. The war has devastated countless families. Cities have been destroyed and left in ruins.
Entire villages no longer exist. The peace that will one day come will carry the weight of all this suffering.
As we mourn, we become more aware with each passing day that peace is a gift from the Lord. We have certainly placed our hope in the people and nations that have helped us. However, we also see that peace is slow in coming and that the truces sought after and ceasefires promised are slow to materialise and be observed. We, as people of faith, are aware that only God can help us and that peace can only come from Him. This is why we pray unceasingly for peace and for the victims of this war.”
