From Hennadii Nadolenko

As the world marks the day of remembrance and reconciliation for those who lost their lives during the Second World War today, Ukraine remembers not only the tragedy of World War II, but also the painful reality that war has once again returned to Europe through Russia’s war on Ukraine in 2014.

For several years now, Ukraine has chosen to mark the end of World War II on May 8, together with most European nations. This is more than a change of date. It is a choice.

In Ukraine, almost every family carries that memory. Mine does too. To remember not the glory of armies, but the faces of those who never came home — the fathers, mothers, sons and daughters whose lives were cut short. To place the value of human life above the language of power.

The true lesson of that war was never just about winning. It was a promise humanity made to itself in the ashes: Never again.

I remember very clearly the morning when that promise collapsed. Today, Ukraine finds itself living that promise under fire.

More than four years ago, Russia launched its full-scale invasion. I remember the first days — the calls in the middle of the night, the confusion, the disbelief that this was truly happening.

It is a war that has already lasted longer than the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II. What began in June 1941 ended in May 1945 after 1,418 days. Russia’s war against Ukraine has now surpassed that terrible milestone — and it still continues.

Tragedy of war

But numbers cannot convey what this war truly means – a mother who stops sleeping because her son no longer calls, a little girl who knows the sound of air raid sirens better than nursery rhymes.

I have met such children. They do not speak about war the way adults do. For them, it is simply the way the world works now.

War means entire cities reduced to rubble — streets in Kharkiv, neighbourhoods in Mariupol — families torn apart, and futures stolen before they could begin.

Ukraine never sought this conflict. We were not a threat to Russia. We simply wanted to live as a free nation — choosing our own path, speaking our own language, raising our children in peace.

The human cost is staggering: hundreds of thousands of lives lost, millions displaced, dreams shattered. Behind every statistic is someone I could have met, someone who had plans for tomorrow.

Abducted children

There is another wound that is harder to speak about: the thousands of Ukrainian children abducted from occupied territories, taken from their families, given new names, taught to forget who they are. Some of them may never return.

This is not just tragedy. It is the deliberate erasure of identity.

We ask our Malaysian friends to stand with us in the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children and to support efforts like the “Bring Kids Back” initiative.

For many in Malaysia, this war may feel far away, and that is understandable. I now live and work in a country built on balance, harmony, and the Madani spirit : respect, compassion, and care for human dignity. These are not abstract values. You can feel them here, in the way people speak to each other, in the way communities coexist.

These are values Ukraine deeply admires.

But for Malaysia, this war should not feel distant. Malaysia itself became one of the earliest victims of Russian aggression with the downing of MH17 in July 2014, when 298 innocent people, including 43 Malaysians, lost their lives in the skies over Ukraine.

Principles at stake

Today, as Russia continues its war against Ukraine, the principles at stake remain the same: sovereignty, human dignity, accountability, and the protection of innocent lives.

Ukraine deeply respects Malaysia as a sovereign, independent nation that values moderation, peace, and international law. We therefore sincerely call on our Malaysian friends, institutions, and society to stand with Ukraine in defending these universal principles — not only for Europe, but for a world where no country, large or small, should fear aggression from a stronger neighbour.

We are fighting for something more fundamental: the principle that every nation, whether large or small, has the right to exist, to choose its own future, and to live without fear. It is a principle that resonates deeply in countries that have known colonialism, that have fought for independence, that understand what it means to defend dignity.

It is a principle Malaysia understands well.

On this May, the real question is not only how we remember history, but whether we are willing to live by its hardest lessons. History can be turned into a slogan. Or it can become a responsibility.

Ukraine chooses responsibility. We choose to stand. And we hope the world will stand with us.

Hennadii Nadolenko is the ambassador of Ukraine to Malaysia.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.