Former Scots schoolboy killed in battle honoured at Ukrainian chapel

A former pupil at a south of Scotland secondary school who was killed in battle has been remembered by the local Ukrainian community.

They gathered at their chapel near Lockerbie on Sunday to pay tribute to Arkadii Petrov who attended Kirkcudbright Academy.

He was killed on a combat mission in Ukraine last month just two days before his 21st birthday.

The service at the Ukrainian Chapel took place as part of a "day of gratitude" to everyone fighting in their homeland but also a "day to remember" those who had lost their lives

Arkadii Petrov and his family moved to Dumfries and Galloway when he was a teenager, following Russia's invasion in 2022.

He attended Kirkcudbright Academy before returning to Ukraine to fight and was killed in action in the east of the country.

His family was informed on 22 September that he had died a few days earlier.

Archivist at the Ukrainian Chapel, Peter Kormylo, described him as a "bright, respectful and thoughtful young man, our young Cossack, who was a part of our community".

"Arkadii made the conscious decision to join the armed forces of Ukraine," he said.

"He chose to defend his country, his loved ones, and our shared future - and he died defending Ukraine.

"We prayed together for the peaceful soul of Arkadii, together with all the heroes whom Ukraine has lost in this war."

The story of the Hallmuir Chapel dates back to 1947 when an unassuming corrugated iron hut was turned into a chapel by Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Hundreds of them ended up in a camp in southern Scotland and were offered the use of the property.

It is now a grade B listed building and still regularly hosts church services.

It has also been used as a collection point for items to provide humanitarian aid during the conflict in Ukraine.