Am 1493. Tag der groß angelegten Invasion ist die Sonne über Kiew untergegangen. Jeden Tag nimmt ein Priester an der Schwelle der Trauer den gefallenen Ukrainern endgültig Lebewohl.

Sunlight pours through the windows of the Garrison Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Lviv, casting a warm glow on the white paper angels that sway gently in the corner. As they do every day, worshippers gather for the morning liturgy, praying, preparing for confession, wiping away tears or simply searching for hope. After the service, the parish priest, Taras Mykhalchuk, promptly changes from red vestments into black. In just fifteen minutes, the church will once again receive a soldier killed on the front line. This time, reporters from Frontliner are there to witness the funeral rite.

A funeral bier stands at the center of the church, flanked by two flags, vases of flowers, and a few chairs meant for the fallen soldier’s family, though no one will sit. Outside, a funeral car pulls up, and the priest steps forward to meet the soldier he will escort on his final journey.

****

Today, on the doorstep of grief, stand the relatives of a soldier from Cherkasy who fought from the very first days of the full-scale invasion. Through the microphone, the cantor’s haunting voice fills the church with a sorrowful chant. Father Taras waits as Viktor Kozakov’s family says their final goodbyes. He rests his hands on a prayer book and watches them with quiet compassion, never averting his gaze.

>*“Once again, we stand before the coffin of a remarkable Ukrainian.*
*Because of him, we can live, think, and breathe,”*

Father Taras says.

[**https://frontliner.ua/en/a-priest-bids-ukraines-fallen-their-final-farewell/**](https://frontliner.ua/en/a-priest-bids-ukraines-fallen-their-final-farewell/)

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