Ukraine (Oleksandriya)
25 Jun 2026
Volunteers from the Friends of Oleksandriya help Ukrainian Veterans with building their new Veterans' Centre.
Our visit to Oleksandriya was dedicated to helping bring the Veterans’ Centre vision to life. From the 23rd to the 25th of June, British volunteers and Ukrainian veterans worked side by side, demolishing walls, clearing building waste, and preparing the space for reconstruction. What began as two separate groups quickly became one united team.
The work was intense, chaotic, and at times humorous—especially when veterans insisted that after surviving the front line, they did not need masks, goggles, or helmets. Veterans and volunteers built not only a centre, but genuine friendships.
The final day of work ended with a warm celebration. We shared food, drinks, and long conversations. For the first time, the veterans opened up about their battlefield experiences—the injuries, the losses, the moments that changed their lives. Their trust was deeply moving. The night concluded with a midnight swim in the same magical lake where our journey had begun.