Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, reached Kyiv on Friday morning after flying into Poland and continuing his journey by train. It is his first time in the Ukrainian capital, which only two days earlier had endured Russian cruise missile strikes. On the same day, Polish forces reported shooting down multiple Russian drones that violated their airspace.
“I had to check with my wife and the British government to make sure it was OK,” Harry said, according to the Daily Mail.
During the visit, Harry made it clear that his mission was about standing with those affected by the ongoing conflict. He emphasized that he would do “everything possible” to support Ukrainian soldiers and military personnel injured over the past three years of war with Russia.
“We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process,” he explained.
Harry has only recently returned from the United Kingdom, where he spent time with his father King Charles and carried out charitable commitments. Now in Kyiv, his program includes a visit to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, discussions with veterans, and a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
His arrival in Ukraine was prompted by an encounter with Olga Rudnieva, head of the Superhumans Trauma Centre in Lviv. “I bumped into Olga in New York. It was a chance meeting and I asked her what I could do to help,” Harry recounted. According to him, she responded that “the biggest impact you have is coming to Kyiv.”
Harry’s dedication to wounded service members is well known. Having served a decade in the British Army, he created the Invictus Games in 2014 to provide injured veterans an international sporting platform.
This visit follows an earlier trip in April when Harry was in Lviv. At that time, he was photographed smiling alongside groups of wounded soldiers and later speaking with a child who bore visible injuries, his expression turning solemn as he listened.
