29 August 2026

August 29 — Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine Who Died in the Struggle for Ukraine’s Independence, Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity

On August 29, Ukraine honors the memory of the defenders who gave their lives in the struggle for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of our state.

This commemorative day was established by a Decree of the President of Ukraine in 2019. It is associated with the tragic events near Ilovaisk in August 2014 — one of the bloodiest episodes of the russian war against Ukraine.

On August 29, 2014, as Ukrainian forces were withdrawing from encirclement, russian troops opened fire on Ukrainian columns despite agreements on a safe corridor. Hundreds of our soldiers were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner.

Ilovaisk became yet another reminder that russia’s aggression against Ukraine began long before the full-scale invasion. From the occupation of Crimea and hostilities in eastern Ukraine in 2014 to the full-scale war, russia has continued its attempts to deprive Ukrainians of the right to determine the future of their own state.

Among those who stood up to defend Ukraine from the very beginning of Russian aggression were people from Crimea and those whose lives were inseparably connected with the peninsula. Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars, and representatives of different communities of Crimea joined the ranks of the Defence Forces of Ukraine, defending not only their families and cities, but also Crimea’s right to be free from russian occupation.

Many of them gave their lives for this cause.

Today, we remember every person who never returned from the war. We remember those who defended Ukraine in 2014 and those who joined its defence after the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Behind every name is a life, a family, dreams, and a future taken away by the russian aggression.

Remembering the fallen is not only our duty to them. It is also our responsibility to continue the struggle for the state they had defended, for the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and for a just peace.

We remember each and every one of them.

Eternal memory to the fallen Defenders of Ukraine!