Today on the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine fallen in the struggle for independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine we honour all those soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. The sunflower has become a symbol of the memory of the fallen heroes in connection with the tragic events during the battle for Illovaisk in August 2014.

August 29, 2014: after almost a month of fighting, the parties agreed on a humanitarian corridor that should guarantee a peaceful exit of Ukrainian forces from the city. In violation of the agreement, the Russian military insidiously attacked columns of defenders of Ukraine. The losses of the Ukrainian army this day were one of the largest for the entire Russian-Ukrainian conflict - 366 people were killed, about 450 were severely wounded, 300 were taken captive, 84 are still missing.