Kyivans Gather Outside Russian Embassy to Commemorate Ilovaisk Battle

Dozens have gathered outside the Russian embassy in Kyiv to commemorate the Ukrainian soldiers killed in the 2014 Battle of Ilovaisk. The tragic events saw 366 Ukrainian soldiers killed, 429 injured, and 300 captured by Russia-led separatists in the town of Ilovaisk, 100 km north of Donetsk.

Photo credit: Ruslan Hutsul

The demonstrators have set up a mock cemetery, with crosses showing the names, dates of birth and deaths, as well as photographs of those who were killed in the battle. They demand Russian President Vladimir Putin be punished for the casualties.

Photo credit: Ruslan Hutsul

After weeks of fighting, Russian and separatist forces managed to surround the Ukrainian troops outside Ilovaisk on August 24-26, 2014. On the night of August 28, 2014, Putin appealed to the separatists to provide a humanitarian corridor for the encircled Ukrainian soldiers. The next morning, these soldiers started moving in organized columns and using the routes previously discussed with the Russian side but were ruthlessly shot dead by both separatists and Russian soldiers. According to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), some 3,500 Russian soldiers took part in the Ilovaisk battle.

Eight out of the 300 soldiers who were captured by separatists during the Ilovaisk Battle remain in captivity to this day.

READ MORE: Town of Abandoned Rails and Spilled Blood: Inside Separatist Ilovaisk