Dumfriesshire MP witnesses tragedy and horror of war-torn Ukraine

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Tragic and horrific scenes in war-torn Ukraine were witnessed first hand by Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell last week.He was given the insight as a guest of the Thornhill-based HALO Trust and has praised the de-mining missions that are saving lives in the area.Mr Mundell has been supporting the region’s efforts to help fleeing refugees and those settling into Dumfries and Galloway since the Russian invasion.And he was keen to see the situation for himself, describing the work of the HALO Trust teams putting their own lives on the line so residents can return to liberated towns and villages as “brave and inspiring”.Among the most harrowing was a visit to a school in the town of Bucha, close to Kyiv, where many atrocities took place under Russian occupancy, including the murder of 460 people.Mr Mundell said: “We had an emotional meeting with the head teacher of the school and heard of efforts to get it back up and running so that pupils had some opportunity for face-to-face learning.“It was a sobering experience to visit the bomb shelters which are an inevitable requirement of the school being open.“We witnessed pupils learning from the HALO team about how to avoid detonating mines.“I was extremely impressed by the interactive discussion with the pupils and how engaged they were.“Given all the turmoil and tragedy they had experienced, the resilience of these young people will be something I will never forget.”He also got to spend time with the town mayor’s team and said: “The one message they wanted me to convey to people here in Dumfriesshire, and across the UK, was their gratitude for all the help and assistance this country has been able to give to Ukraine and how important it was to know that they were not alone in