A cluster of blue and white stands out in the sea of flags on Maidan Square. On the cobblestones, in front of the flags, there is a row of candles. A quiet man bends down to place one more, in memory of his son.

"Forever missed" 

"In honor of Dad’s memory" 

"Glory to your memory, glory to the heroes" 

"Mom loves you forever"

read the handwritten notes on the flags. They have been left by family and fellow Finnish soldiers. For many at the scene, this is not their first visit to the square.

Commemoration Day, third Sunday of May, marks the remembrance of fallen soldiers, in the Winter War as well as in Ukraine. It touches the families who carry the grief of Finnish soldiers who lost their lives in Ukraine. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, around 200 Finns have gone to fight in Ukraine, of whom around ten have been killed. According to their comrades, many of them felt they were defending Finland by defending Ukraine.