Kyiv, Ukraine
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Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, in accordance to the nation’s rail operator.
The trip on Friday comes after Harry made a solo journey to Britain earlier within the week throughout which he reunited along with his father, King Charles III, for his or her first face-to-face assembly in 19 months.
The information of the surprise trip to Kyiv was confirmed by Ukrainian Railways, who mentioned in a press release: “We are happy to welcome friends of Ukraine aboard our trains!”
According to a report from The Guardian, which mentioned it accompanied Harry on the practice journey, Harry made the visit after an invite from the Ukrainian authorities.
The prince arrived within the Ukrainian capital by practice with a staff from his Invictus Games Foundation, and is predicted to element new initiatives to assist the rehabilitation of wounded Ukrainians.
In February 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky informed British journalist Piers Morgan that round 390,000 incidents of navy damage had been recorded since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Zelensky identified then that lots of these in service have been wounded a number of instances through the battle, as returning to the battlefield has usually meant vulnerability to additional damage.
While in Kyiv, Prince Harry provided his assist to Ukrainian veterans at a gathering on the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II, Reuters reported.
He met with 200 former service members and engaged in dialogue about contemporary initiatives for the rehabilitation of troopers critically injured in warfare.
“A charitable organization cannot end the war, but it can significantly contribute to the recovery of wounded soldiers,” the prince mentioned.
Harry served almost a decade within the British Army and, like many royals, is concerned with numerous causes and patronages of charities – together with ones that assist troopers.
In 2014, he based the Invictus Games – a global sporting competitors for wounded veterans and members of the navy. He has additionally met with wounded veterans in different nations, together with throughout a tour of Nigeria final 12 months.
He has visited Ukraine earlier than, making an unannounced trip earlier this April to meet with warfare victims within the western metropolis Lviv.
On Wednesday, whereas he was in Britain, his workplace mentioned his basis would donate $500,000 to assist youngsters from Gaza and Ukraine, Reuters reported.
The British royal household has outspoken in its assist for Ukraine because it battles Moscow’s invasion. The Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie, traveled to Ukraine final 12 months to assist survivors of war-related sexual violence, whereas Prince William visited the Ukrainian-Polish border in 2023 to meet British and Polish troops.
More lately in March, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s disastrous assembly with US President Donald Trump on the White House, Zelensky was warmly welcomed in London in a summit attended by many Western leaders.
In a extremely symbolic transfer, King Charles III granted Zelensky an hourlong viewers, days after inviting Trump to a second state visit.
A study in June by the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that Ukraine has sustained almost 400,000 casualties since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, with between 60,000 and 100,000 deaths. Russia was forecast to hit the 1 million casualty mark this summer time, mentioned the research.
Although Kyiv doesn’t disclose its personal fight losses in any element and Moscow is believed to drastically underestimate its personal casualties, the CSIS figures are in keeping with British and United States intelligence assessments.
Russia launched extra drone strikes at Ukraine in a single day into Friday, although not in Kyiv, in accordance to the Ukrainian navy and numerous regional governments.