The mother of a Scottish student killed fighting in Ukraine has said the war has "taken away our meaning of life" as she paid tribute to her "precious son". Arkadii Petrov fled to Kirkcudbright, in Dumfries and Galloway, after the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022.
Student's journey and death
Petrov studied at Kirkcudbright Academy and enrolled at Edinburgh University but later returned to Ukraine. Days away from his 21st birthday, he was fighting against the invasion forces in the east of the country when he was killed in action.
Paying tribute on social media, Petrov's mum Liudmyla said: "The war took away our meaning of life. It took away our dearest, most precious son – our Arkady.
"Our good, brave, courageous, outspoken, honest and incredibly pure soul boy. We lost this war for ourselves. Because it took away from us the most precious thing a mother and father can have – our child."
Tributes from school and friends
She added: "You will forever remain our boy, our pride and our boundless love. We will love you as long as our hearts beat. And even after that."
Liudmyla said the family was told on September 22 her eldest son had been killed in a combat mission on September 18 - just two days before he would have turned 21. In June, she had written a social media post saying he had been injured in combat but "promised to come home alive".
Kirkcudbright Academy rector Anthony Tuffery described Petrov as a "polite, respectful and hardworking young man". He added: "Everyone at Kirkcudbright Academy is saddened to hear of the death of Arkadii.
"Although he was only at the school for one year to complete his S6 studies, he was a polite, respectful and hardworking young man. 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."
Lewis Velntine, who went to school with Arkadii at Kirkcudbright Academy, remembered him as a "kind and friendly person". He said: "Really sad to hear about the passing of Arkadii. When he joined our year, we welcomed him in. Thinking about how awful of a time he must of been going through.
"Even with everything that had been happening in his homeland, he was always such a kind and friendly person. He was keen to get involved in the things we did, both in and outside of school, including our parties and was always a lovely person to have around.
"It's terrible to now hear that he has passed away in an awful war that is still ongoing. My thoughts are with the family and friends in this time."
The Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, prompting millions of Ukrainians to flee the country, with communities across Scotland welcoming refugees through the UK Government's Homes for Ukraine scheme and other routes.
