John Milne MP writes:
I was both humbled and privileged to be able to join a cross-party Parliamentary delegation to Ukraine. Timed to coincide with the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, I travelled with 5 other Liberal Democrats, 6 Labour, 2 SNP MPs and a Conservative Lord. The UK has been a key ally to Ukraine from Boris Johnson onwards and all the main national parties are united in support.
As it turned out we were present for the most alarming episode in this entire conflict. A series of dramatic announcements by President Trump culminated in a disastrous meeting in the Oval Office between Trump and Zelensky last Friday.
I applaud the Prime Minister for stepping in to try and bridge the gap that emerged on Friday as well as bringing international leaders together in London on Sunday. I along with my Liberal Democrat colleagues, agree that Ukraine needs security guarantees in any future peace deal.
I also want to acknowledge the residents of Horsham, who have opened their arms and homes to our Ukrainian neighbours, welcoming them into our community. I hope that we can cement these ties for the future.
Trains, planes and automobiles
This was to be no ordinary Parliamentary visit. A week before departing we received a Foreign Office communication stating that: ‘Current FCDO advice is to not travel to Ukraine’. Not the most reassuring way to begin!
Direct flights to Ukraine are not available so instead we travelled to Rzeszow Airport in southern Poland. From there we were bussed to the border and crossed on foot, before being taken to Lviv, Ukraine’s second city. It’s a beautiful place which had enjoyed a healthy trade in tourism before the war. Fortunately, because the city is located in the far west of the country, it remains largely untouched by bombing.
In Lviv we met up with a humanitarian convoy, which had driven all the way from the UK to deliver vital aid. We helped unload the supplies into a vast warehouse which has already seen hundreds of shipments.
Next stop was the capital, Kyiv, which is much closer to the front line. Although most of drones are shot down, some inevitably get through. We all had to download an app to our phones which would give us warning of any incoming attack. It’s quite an experience to sit with a group of people and hear the siren go off on everyone’s mobile phone, one by one.
In Kyiv the attacks came thick and fast. Our visit to the Ukrainian Parliament included an hour in the basement, as everyone took cover from waves of over 200 Shahed drones. Again, at night we had to abandon our beds for the hotel bomb shelter. This turned into a bizarre experience as we passed the time watching the wartime movie ‘Darkest Hour’ on a laptop. Nothing could have brought home the historical parallels more powerfully, as we relived Churchill finding the determination to fight on against Hitler.
On Sunday we attended a poignant service in Maidan Square, led by President Zelensky and his wife Olena. We laid candles for the fallen together with international representatives including President Trudeau of Canada and Ursula Von der Leyen of the EU.
After meeting with Ukrainian MPs, we attended the Yalta European Strategy (YES) Conference, a leading forum for discussing Ukraine’s European future and global context. This special gathering in Kyiv was titled this year “Three Years — Time to Win.”
After the conference, we caught a night train back to Lviv. The trip ended in a somewhat surreal fashion as Boris Johnson turned out to be on the same train. My abiding memory will be Boris wandering up and down the carriage in his boxer shorts.
Meeting the wounded
I will never forget the stories I heard on this trip. We visited two hospitals where we came face to face with the human consequences of this war. One soldier described how a drone hit his vehicle, injuring him in both his legs. For nine hours he lay unable to move. Three times his unit tried to rescue him, but three times they were forced to retreat under fire. Finally, as darkness fell, the fourth attempt resulted in a miraculous escape. He is determined to make the most of his second chance.
Another man, Victor, had been a professional soldier since 2014. He was a member of the famous Azov brigade which held out during an incredible siege in the Mariupol steel works, buying crucial time for the country to organise a defence. He was paralysed down his right side – but not by explosives. His injury was caused by poison gas, even though chemical weapons are banned under international law.
The secret drone factory
One of the more surprising outcomes of this war has been a tremendous surge in entrepreneurial spirit. Ukraine is now arguably the leading country in the world for drone innovation and design. And one of the hundreds of secret drone factories that have sprung up is run by Sussex man, Richard Woodruff.
Richard and his rag-tag team of volunteers assemble drones by hand, reinventing designs constantly to overcome Russian defences. It looks for all the world like they’re building Lego kits – except that these are anything but toys. They cost as little as a few hundred dollars each, but they’ve destroyed more than $100 million US dollars worth of Russian equipment in the last year alone.
This is a vital lesson for us to learn - the nature of war has changed. Drones are responsible for probably more than half of all casualties, but the British army is not set up to use them. Yes, we must rebuild our armed forces. But it must be in a different way from before.
A twin town for Horsham?
A plan to visit the ruined nuclear power station at Chernobyl was cancelled at short notice when a Russian drone strike damaged its radioactive shield – an astonishing act of recklessness. Instead, we visited Korostyshiv, a provincial town about 70 miles from Kyiv. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because they are very keen to set up a twin town relationship with us back here in Horsham, something Horsham District Council have also been pursuing.
First challenge will be to master the name – it’s spelt Korostyshiv but pronounced ‘coros-stisha’ - as explained by the local mayor, Yuriy Denysovets. It’s an attractive town with a long history. While the centre was largely flattened by the Soviets and rebuilt as a planned town with broad avenues and parks, the beautiful Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary survived. The Soviets used it as a granary and then a cinema, but today it has been restored to religious use, and we attended a service there.
For centuries Korostyshiv was a centre for granite mining, and today the old quarries have filled with water to become beautiful swimming pools. It was minus 10 the day I visited, so I opted to save that particular pleasure for another time.
One of the biggest challenges they face is integrating refugees from other parts of Ukraine, especially children. At least 20,000 children have been abducted by the Russians, their names changed and forcibly adopted into Russian families. This outrage has received little publicity. I can’t imagine anything crueller for a parent to endure, and we must make it a priority at the end of the war to undo this crime.
A lesson for the West
Those who suggest that the Ukrainian people are not committed to this fight are wrong. There are memorials to the battle in every town. Blue and yellow Ukrainian flags flutter from every grave. The faces of the fallen literally stare out at us because of the Orthodox Church’s custom of attaching photographs to the graves.
In Russia the authorities hide their losses for fear of public dissent. But the Ukrainians understand that surrender means losing their language, their culture and their freedom.
I support them in their fight. We must find a way to work with the rest of Europe and if possible, the US to secure Ukraine’s future. Today, the Ukrainian army is Europe’s army. And their fight, is our fight.