Author Archives: Richard Kilpatrick and Michael Anderson

An alternative VE Day message – Standing with Ukraine

By Richard Kilpatrick and Michael Anderson | Sun 11th May 2025 - 10:56 am

An alternative VE day message – Standing with Ukraine.

In 2025, the world marks 80 years since Victory in Europe (VE) Day. But the war in Ukraine rages on – a stark reminder that peace and freedom can never be taken for granted.

While we celebrate the end of an old conflict, millions of Ukrainians are still living through the devastation of an ongoing war.

On behalf of the European Movement UK we went to Ukraine, to put Ukrainian voices in front of a British audience and to ensure their voices are not forgotten.

We are presenting these stories in a new film: Flags in the Wind.

In Flags in the Wind, we hear from the voices of everyday Ukrainians forced to flee their homes in Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kyiv, relocating to the humanitarian hubs around Lviv.

By hearing their experiences, we discover the resilience of a people, the horrors of war, and the determination to set an example to the people of Europe in the face of tyranny.

With contributions from Ukrainian citizens, veterans, senior politicians, and rehabilitation centre clinicians, Flags in the Wind delivers a sober message at a time when Europe is remembering the end of World War II.

Since we were founded in 1949,our mission at the European Movement has always been to promote peace, democracy, and unity across Europe.

This film is a direct expression of that purpose – reminding us that standing together in the face of aggression is essential to protecting our shared, European future.