Prince Harry has paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv following an invitation from a Ukrainian charity that supports people living with life-changing injuries caused by the war.
The Duke of Sussex said he wanted to do “everything possible” to aid the recovery of wounded military personnel.
Harry arrived in the Ukrainian capital by train on Friday morning and is expected to follow a tight schedule throughout the day, although official details are not expected until the evening.
According to The Guardian, the trip will see him unveil new initiatives to boost rehabilitation efforts for the injured.
The organisation behind the invitation, Superhumans, provides prosthetics and rehabilitation services for those affected by the conflict. Its founder, Olha Rudnieva, was seen greeting Harry with a hug as he stepped off the train in a video shared by Ukrainian Railways. She also presented him with a podstakannik, a traditional silver tea glass holder used on Ukraine’s overnight trains.
This visit marks the prince’s first appearance in Kyiv. In April, he toured a Superhumans-run facility in Lviv.
Ukraine is currently home to tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers who have lost limbs since Russia’s full-scale invasion, though the government has not released exact casualty figures.
Ahead of the trip, Harry told The Guardian, “We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process. We can continue to humanise the people involved in this war and what they are going through.”
He is accompanied by his Invictus Games Foundation team. The sporting initiative for wounded veterans, which Harry founded in 2014, welcomed Ukraine into the competition in 2022 after President Volodymyr Zelensky granted special permission.
At the opening ceremony, Harry declared the world was “united” with Ukraine.
The visit follows a fresh commitment from the Sussexes’ Archewell Foundation, which on Wednesday announced a $500,000 (£369,000) donation to support injured children in Ukraine and Gaza.
The grants will back World Health Organization medical evacuations and fund the development of prosthetics for young people.
The wider Royal Family has also voiced solidarity with Ukraine throughout the war. King Charles hosted President Zelensky at Sandringham in March, having previously condemned Russia’s “indescribable aggression.” Meanwhile, Prince William met Ukrainian refugees during a two-day trip to Estonia, praising their “amazing” resilience.
Harry’s arrival in Kyiv comes just days after meeting his father in London on Wednesday, their first in-person discussion since February 2024.