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A vigil to commemorate the war in Ukraine is to be held in Peterborough’s Cathedral Square.

Alla Irodenko is one of the vigil’s organisers who told the Peterborough Telegraph that the aim of the event is to provide "a chance for Ukrainian people to meet together and support each other.”

Mum of two Alla is keen to point out that the event is “not a celebration.”“It’s for Ukrainian people and everybody to come together and reflect on the year that’s gone past,” she said, “and to pray for victory, as well.”

The war in Ukraine has been raging for a year - photographed, a young woman walking among graves of Ukrainian soldiers, in Lviv, killed during the war (Image: Getty).

The conflict began on February 24, 2022, when Russian president Vladimir Putin authorised a “special operation” to ensure Ukraine was “demilitarised and de-Nazified.”

This led to tens of thousands of Russian troops invading the sovereign territory of eastern Ukraine.

Alla acknowledged that many Ukrainians are unsure about the idea of commemorating the conflict.

“A lot of people have been a little bit distressed this week because they all thought that the war would’ve ended,” she said, adding, “they all thought it [the war] would be gone and we would be celebrating victory.”

Alla Irodenko, one of the vigil's organisers, said the event is for "Ukrainian people and everybody to come together and reflect on the year that’s gone past.”

“Unfortunately, that didn’t happen… yet.”

Alla, 33, has been volunteering at Peterborough’s Ukrainian Church (St Olga’s) since the war broke out.

She has spent the past year putting together fundraising events, helping refugees find homes and raising organising aid convoys to her homeland.

“It doesn’t feel like a year at all,” she admits, “everything happened so quick.”

“Everybody blinked and the year’s like over.”

All residents are invited to join the vigil, which is supported by Peterborough City Council, Helping Empower Lives in Peterborough (HELP) and Peterborough Cathedral on February 24, at 5pm.

The assembled crowd will be addressed by a number of speakers including Reverend Bohdan Bilunyk from the Ukrainian Church and The Vice Dean of Peterborough Cathedral, Tim Alban Jones.

The UK as a whole will mark the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine with a national moment of silence - an expression of solidarity with Kyiv following President Volodymyr Zelenksiy's visit to London earlier this month.

War in Ukraine: Peterborough to hold vigil to commemorate conflict one year on