Photos of the Lychakiv Cemetery, Ukraine 28th June, 2023

It's hard for many in the Western hemisphere to comprehend the loss of life during wartime, particularly in a war like that in Ukraine. While exact numbers are hard to confirm, the New York Times has estimated that by August 2023, roughly 500,000 people have been killed or wounded in the conflict.

Scottish-based charity Jeeps For Peace, have taken it upon themselves to help stop these numbers from rising any higher. In a Joint operation with English-based Pickups For Peace, both charities have begun aiding the cause by personally delivering 4X4s from across the UK to the Ukrainian military.

Before departing Lviv en route to their destination in South-Western Ukraine, the Jeeps For Peace/Pickups For Peace convoy stopped by the Fields of Mars war memorial-turned-cemetery for the fallen Ukrainian soldiers. For the 60-plus members in the convoy, this marked the first moment when all the voices stopped, and the reality of this war set in.

J4P/P4P volunteers approach the Field of Mars Cemetery.

As the convoy approached the cemetery, an overwhelming, almost deafening, stillness remained across everyone for most of this visit, broken only occasionally by the footsteps of mourners looking for the resting place of their lost loved one. Some came in families; some others came alone.

“It’s estimated that at least three new people will end up in this graveyard daily.” – Adam Beasley, J4P.

Families of fallen Ukrainian soldiers visiting gravesides.

Holding approximately 300,000 people, Lviv’s Lychakiv Cemetery – of which the Field of Mars is part – has seen pilgrimages from Ukraine and beyond come to these grounds to lay their loved ones to rest. As a city once situated in the borderlands between three nations, the grounds have been utilised by many different occupiers to bury their dead.

The field on which Ukrainian soldiers are currently situated was used as a burying ground for Austro-Hungarian troops during the First World War. After the city was given to the then-newly formed Polish Republic, the government left the Austrian soldiers undisturbed. It wasn't until after the Second World War that the cemetery – now under Soviet control – was demolished and replaced with a new one, holding around 3,600 Soviet army and NKVD soldiers.

There is an intense feeling of irony left knowing that soldiers of the old Russian regime now lie next to those soldiers who have died in a new struggle against their nation.

All fallen soldiers buried at the Field of Mars Cemetery are adorned with the flags of their regiment, region, and national flag, with almost all having a photo of the deceased. Other personal touches have been given as well.

"It is hard to see, but it is these people [the soldiers] who are sacrificing everything. It is them who are doing 'so much'. If I can help then that is ok, but it is them who are doing everything." – Vasyl Madiar, J4P.

Before departing the Field of Mars, Eugene Dudar, a Ukrainian national accompanying the convoy through Ukraine, broke the silence over the gravesite. To extend a mark of respect from the Scottish-based charity to the Ukrainian people, Eugene, a trained bagpiper, toured the plot while performing on the bagpipes.

Born and raised in Kyiv, Eugene Dudar began learning to play the bagpipes in 2009, and has since travelled far and wide to perform with his instrument. Though he has never been to Scotland, Dudar has grown an incredible affiliation with Scottish music and culture. As he described in his own words, “I did not even expect that the bagpipe would enter my life so deeply, becoming a way of life.”

“I have the Bagpipes with me most of the time. By nature, I am a traveller and hiker. I’ve travelled with the bagpipes in Turkey, India, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland… Where possible in cities I’ll play in public. The Bagpipe is a musical instrument that promotes communication with the local population of different countries.”

“It's not the first time I've played in places like this, especially in the last year. And it’s hard for me to do it every time. Kinda should sometimes adapt, get used to it. But it's not working out. It is not possible to adapt perfectly and get distracted by what surrounds you in that place.” – Eugene Dugar.

Eugene, originally from Kyiv, has travelled globally, playing the bagpipes. He currently resides in Kyiv.

In an instant, the silence that had loomed over the convoy since its arrival, broke to the sound of Highland Cathedral and a flood of tears. Many of the volunteers involved would never have imagined that they’d be visiting Ukraine. Now, thousands of miles from home, in a country currently at war, a small part of Scotland appeared in a central Lviv cemetery.