FacebookThe mum of a Scottish school pupil has paid tribute to her “brave” son, who was killed fighting for Ukraine.
Kirkcudbright Academy confirmed earlier this week that Arkadii Petrov, who fled to Scotland with his family at the start of the conflict, had been killed.
The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, and some 28,000 Ukrainians have relocated to Scotland since.
Petrov, who was days away from his 21st birthday, was fighting against the invasion forces in Eastern Ukraine when he was killed in action.
Paying tribute on social media, Petrov’s mum Liudmyla said: “The war took away our meaning of life. It took away our dearest, most precious son – our Arkady. Our good, brave, courageous, outspoken, honest and incredibly pure soul boy.
“We lost this war for ourselves. Because it took away from us the most precious thing a mother and father can have – our child.”
She added: “You will forever remain our boy, our pride and our boundless love. We will love you as long as our hearts beat. And even after that.”
Kirkcudbright Academy rector, Anthony Tuffery, described the Petrov as a “polite, respectful and hardworking young man”.
He added: “Everyone at Kirkcudbright Academy is saddened to hear of the death of Arkadii.
“Although he was only at the school for one year to complete his S6 studies, he was a polite, respectful and hardworking young man.
“We would like to pass on our deepest sympathies to his family and friends and our thoughts are with them at this incredibly difficult time.”
Former classmates also took to social media to pay tribute, writing: “Even with everything that had been happening in his homeland, he was always such a kind and friendly person.
“He was keen to get involved in the things we did, both in and outside of school, including our parties and was always a lovely person to have around.”
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