Ten years on: Remembering the Ilovaisk tragedy and Ukrainian resilience
On Thursday, it will be 10 years since the Ilovaisk tragedy. The Russian army, contrary to agreements, fired at Ukrainian soldiers retreating from Ilovaisk. "Negotiations with the Russian aggressor are a deadly dangerous matter," said Oleksandr Syrskyi, remembering over 350 fallen soldiers.
"Ilovaisk is not only a tragic event in the history of Ukraine but also a testament to Ukrainian perseverance and the great deeds of the Ukrainian army. We must remember that despite losses and the enemy's treachery, our soldiers did not surrender but continued to break through the trap and fight," emphasized the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
"We cannot trust them"
Ten years ago, on August 29, 2014, during the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the encirclement near Ilovaisk, the Russians violated the agreement and shelled the convoy of Ukrainian soldiers from close range with heavy weapons. At that time, 366 Ukrainian soldiers were killed, 429 were wounded, 158 were missing, and 300 were captured.
"This day will always remind us of the deceit and betrayal of the Russian aggressor, that any negotiations with terrorists and murderers are a deadly dangerous matter and that we cannot trust them," stressed Syrskyi.
The deadly "green corridor" ran through fields with sunflowers, which is why the sunflower has become a symbol of Ukraine's Defender's Day.
The battles around Ilovaisk were one of the turning points of the war in Donbas: The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost the initiative and moved to the defensive. Heavy losses led the Ukrainian command to agree to a ceasefire in Minsk as part of the Ukraine-Russia-OSCE contact group with representatives of pro-Russian fighters.
Ukrainian Stalingrad
On October 12, 2014, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accepted the resignation of Defence Minister Valeriy Heletey for the defeat at Ilovaisk. Due to the nature of the clash (almost complete destruction of the encircled troops), the Battle of Ilovaisk is sometimes referred to as the Ukrainian Stalingrad.
General Syrskyi thanked Ukrainian mothers and fathers "for their children who gave their lives for Ukraine's independence and the freedom of the entire Ukrainian nation." "Your children are true heroes; their deed was not in vain and will forever remain in the memory of our nation," he concluded.
