Council leader welcomes Ukraine war vigil

Exeter council leader Cllr Phil Bialyk has welcomed a vigil in the city this weekend to mark two years of the war in Ukraine but hopes one next year won’t be needed.

The Labour councillor (Exwick), who has family in Ukraine, said it is a positive sign that the city is hosting an event to mark the second anniversary of the full invasion by Russia.

“I’m pleased there’s an event in the city, but I hope and pray that we don’t have to mark the third anniversary,” he said.

“There is a good Ukrainian population in Exeter, and that was the case even prior to refugees coming here when there was still quite a cohort of Ukrainians in and around the city, busily getting on with their lives and working hard.”

The vigil, which begins at Bedford Square on Saturday 24 February at 2:30pm, has been organised by the Devon Ukrainian Association and local artists at Maketank.

After a rally, a short prayer, arts activities, and an internationally coordinated reading will take place at St Stephen’s Church an hour later.

The church-based events are timed to coincide with the worldwide Ukrainian War Time Poetry reading event, ‘Reading for Odesa’, which is taking place simultaneously across 15 UNESCO Create Cities of Literature, including Exeter.

Exeter was awarded this designation in 2019 for ‘outstanding contributions to culture and creativity’, and in late 2021 Exeter City of Literature became an independent charity, supported by the Arts Council England and local partners including Exeter City Council, Exeter Cathedral, and the University of Exeter.

Cllr Bialyk said his cousin and his wife came to the UK for around six months before returning to Ukraine. The pair live in the west of the country, outside Lviv.