Ukrainian community mourns 'forever 21' former Scottish school pupil killed fighting for his homeland

A former pupil of a high school in south-west Scotland has been killed while serving on the frontline in Ukraine, prompting an outpouring of grief from the community that welcomed him as a teenage refugee.

Arkadii Petrov, who attended Kirkcudbright Academy in Dumfries and Galloway, died in action in the east of the country, according to the BBC. He was 21 years old.

Petrov arrived in Scotland with his family after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when he was still a teenager. He settled in the south-west of Scotland along with his mother and three younger siblings — one brother and two sisters — before eventually making the decision to return to his homeland to fight.

Peter Kormylo, an archivist at the Ukrainian Prisoner of War chapel in Lockerbie, where Petrov was a regular attendee at services, spoke of the profound sense of loss felt by the local Ukrainian community. He described the young man as a courteous and thoughtful individual who had made a deeply personal decision to take up arms.

"All I can say about the boy is, having met him on a few occasions, he was a very courteous young man and quite a serious young man," Kormylo said. He recalled one particular occasion at the chapel when, after everyone else had left, he found Petrov sitting alone, writing what appeared to be letters but were in fact prayers. Kormylo described him as "a deep thinker" who felt compelled to fulfil what he saw as his patriotic duty.

The archivist said Petrov had always been keen to return to Ukraine and fight, even though he had begun to build a life in Scotland. He arrived at the age of 16 or 17 as a refugee, with no certainty about what the future held, but he believed firmly in Ukraine's eventual victory, according to Kormylo.

"He was 21 — he'll be forever 21," Kormylo said, adding that the wider Ukrainian community in the south of Scotland had been left shaken by the news. "He came here, at 16 or 17 years old with his mother, they were refugees. They didn't know what the future would bring, but he did believe in Ukraine's eventual victory. He was a teenager maturing here and obviously gathered his own thoughts and decided to make a very adult decision. So the community is quite upset, as you would guess, everyone feels this pain."

The Lockerbie chapel, which serves as a spiritual and community hub for Ukrainians in the region, played a significant role in Petrov's life during his time in Scotland. It has long offered support to those displaced by the conflict, and Kormylo's reflections underscored the close bonds that had formed between the young man and those who knew him there.

Anthony Tuffery, the rector at Kirkcudbright Academy, also paid tribute, expressing the school's sorrow at the loss of a former pupil. He noted that although Petrov had only been enrolled at the school for a single year in order to complete his S6 studies, he had left a lasting impression on staff and classmates alike.

"Although he was only at the school for one year to complete his S6 studies, he was a polite, respectful and hardworking young man," Tuffery said. "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."

Petrov's story reflects a wider pattern that has emerged since the outbreak of the full-scale war, with a number of Ukrainians who had sought refuge abroad choosing to return home to serve in the armed forces. For families who fled the violence, the decision by younger members to go back and fight often represents an agonising dilemma, balancing the safety of exile against a sense of duty to their country.

His death also highlights the human cost of the conflict for communities far beyond Ukraine's borders. In small towns and villages across Scotland, Ukrainians who arrived as refugees have been absorbed into local life, attending schools, churches and community centres, while remaining closely connected to events unfolding in their homeland. When one of their number is killed, the loss is felt across both worlds.

The Ukrainian chapel in Lockerbie has become a focal point for that dual identity, offering practical help and pastoral care to displaced families while also commemorating those who have died. The news of Petrov's death is likely to resonate deeply among the congregation and the wider network of Ukrainian families settled in Dumfries and Galloway.

Petrov's journey from a Scottish classroom to the frontlines of eastern Ukraine spanned only a few years. He was a teenager when he arrived, completed his schooling, and then made the choice to return to a country he had left as a refugee. Those who knew him in Scotland remember a young man who was quiet, diligent and principled — qualities that Kormylo suggested were evident in the way he approached both his studies and his faith.

The war in Ukraine continues to exact a heavy toll, with fighting concentrated in the east of the country where Petrov was killed. For the Ukrainian diaspora in Scotland, each loss serves as a painful reminder of the stakes involved and of the sacrifices being made by those who choose to return.

Kormylo's tribute made clear that Petrov's decision was not taken lightly. He described him as someone who had matured in Scotland, formed his own views, and then acted on them in a way that many would regard as remarkably courageous for someone so young. The image of him sitting alone in the chapel, writing prayers, has become a poignant symbol of the faith and conviction that guided him.

As news of his death spreads, the Ukrainian community in south Scotland is left to mourn a young man whose life was cut short far from the place he had briefly called home. The phrase offered by Kormylo — that he will be "forever 21" — captures both the tragedy of a life ended in its prime and the determination of those who knew him to ensure his memory endures.