The Duchess of Edinburgh has become the first member of the Royal Family to visit Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Sophie’s trip was to “demonstrate solidarity with the women, men and children impacted by the war”, said Buckingham Palace.
The palace also said it was a continuation of her work to champion survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
The duchess, 59, met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the first lady Olena Zelenska.
Image: Sophie visited a memorial in Bucha
Image: Sophie met children from displaced families
Sophie, who is a full-time working member of the Royal Family, also delivered a private message to them in a letter from the King.
The senior royal met people displaced by the war and visited the site of a mass grave in Bucha where victims of the Russian occupation were buried.
The duchess laid flowers at a memorial that contains the names of the victims.
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Early on in the conflict after Russian forces left the city, a number of dead bodies were found with their hands tied behind their backs – seemingly shot at close range – in what could be a war crime.
Image: The Duchess of Edinburgh and the Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska visited a cathedral
Image: The duchess met an Orthodox priest in Bucha
The royal also visited a cathedral with the first lady in the capital Kiev.
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The Ukraine trip was at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
In the two years since the war began on 24 February 2022, at least 10,582 civilians have been killed and 19,875 injured in conflict-related violence in the country, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU).
Those killed include 5,017 men, 3,093 women, 311 boys and 248 girls. Those injured include 6,524 men, 4,546 women, 585 boys and 422 girls.
The senior royal announced her commitment to champion the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) and the United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) on International Women’s Day in 2019.
Over the years, the duchess has visited a number of countries to highlight the impact of historical and ongoing conflict.
They include Kosovo, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Colombia.
And she has heard first-hand testimonies from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
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The WPS initiative recognises the impact of conflict on women and girls, and also the positive role that women play in conflict resolution and building peace.
It promotes the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peace processes and politics, said the palace.
The PSVI is a UK government-led initiative which raises awareness of how conflict-related sexual violence is used as a weapon of war.
This violence disproportionately affects women and girls, but also impacts men and boys around the world.
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The initiative seeks to galvanise the world into more action to tackle sexual violence in conflict by promoting prevention, strengthening justice and accountability, and supporting all survivors and children born of conflict-related sexual violence.
Source : Sky News
