The very real sense of impending doom – which stirred the population into large-scale, voluntary resistance – has receded outside the front-line areas in the south and east. Most restaurants and businesses in the capital gradually reopened. But like Kiev’s tree-lined streets and summer clothes, the physical aspects of life returning to normal have not compensated for the inner pain many Ukrainians are experiencing – brought home even more by the silent public holiday. “As I speak to you now, I am having fights. People I know, even my godfather, are fighting at the front. There is no celebration today. I can’t even believe this is happening,” said Yana Pasychnyk, a choral singer in one of Ukraine’s national choirs. Wearing a traditional Ukrainian blouse, Pasychnyk was heading home after singing hymns about Ukraine at Kyiv’s Saint Sophia Cathedral. “I’m constantly worried and praying that our skies will stay blue, and I understand that people are giving their lives for that,” Pasychnyk said. Children from Ukraine pose with a Russian tank captured by Ukrainian forces in Kyiv. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Her feelings are common. This year’s public holiday is not treated with the traditional parade in Kyiv and festive celebrations in the city square. Ukraine has banned the gatherings due to security concerns. The country and its Western allies say Russia plans to step up attacks on civilian infrastructure on Independence Day. Ukraine’s general staff has warned Ukrainians not to ignore air raid sirens, the frequency of which caused them to lose their power in the first weeks of the war. Visits to Kyiv subways during two of the four sirens on Wednesday found only about 20 people on their phones, waiting for the sirens, while dozens more waited for trains undeterred as they did before the war. The vicissitudes of Ukraine’s independence period, which saw six presidents and two revolutions, forced Ukraine to adjust to a rollercoaster of economic and political change. The future of the Ukrainian state depends almost entirely on continued Western military supplies to fight Russia and funding to sustain its economy. Western support in turn comes from the Ukrainians who are constantly agitating and showing constant resistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Instagram that Ukraine celebrated Independence Day during a war for independence and hoped that one day soon Ukrainians would be able to congratulate each other on Victory Day. map of Ukraine Ukrainian forces managed to push Russian forces out of the north of the country. The fronts remain relatively stable in the east and south, of which Russia now holds 20%. Military casualties on both sides were staggering, considering the timing. Ukraine says it has lost nearly 9,000 men, although the number is impossible to independently verify. Russia has yet to name a total. The US believes Russian casualties are at least 15,000 men, while the Ukrainians estimate the number to be more than double that. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told CNN that Ukraine has been through the worst of the war. Reznikov said: “We are at a stage of stabilizing all the battlefields or battle lines with little movement of units and we have done a lot of good deterrence there.” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu disputed Reznikov’s claim that the lack of movement along the front line was a result of Ukrainian successes. Shoigu said Russian forces were deliberately slowing their offensive to prevent civilian casualties, a statement he first made in May. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our site and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. People paint a white canvas with the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag in Lviv, Ukraine. Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Although it is difficult to measure their accuracy, two recent polls show that the mood of Ukrainians is striking with the confidence of Zelensky and Reznikov. Polls put the number of Ukrainians who believe Ukraine will beat Russia between 90% and 98%. But at least for some Ukrainians it is hard to trust the idea of victory, despite the masses of positive messages every day. “I think this is all a geopolitical game and I don’t think Ukraine has a chance to win,” said Alla, a 40-year-old Buddhist teacher, sitting on a bench in central Kiev. “If you had a family and some big guy came over, would you take them out for slaughter? It’s all very sad.” Thirty-one years ago, Ukraine’s parliament voted for the country to leave the Soviet Union and break away from Moscow’s control. It was his first successful attempt after two previous failures. In the West, some media commentators hailed the birth of a new nation, while many Ukrainians saw themselves as a nation denied a state by various imperial powers, most notably Russia. When independence was declared in 1991, no blood was shed. Ukraine’s deputy KGB chief at the time, Yevhen Marchuk, later said in interviews that the central command in Moscow had tried to thwart the process, seeing it as an insult. This strand of KGB thinking is what some believe led to Russia’s violent invasion this year, after it was absorbed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, a one-time KGB agent, and members of his inner circle. “If we stop fighting, that will be the end,” said Yaroslav Dmytrovych, 27, who was setting up a stand selling bicycles for rent. “Russia has no freedom of speech. I want to live in Ukraine where it is more interesting, happier and there are more opportunities. “Right now I feel good. The sirens are over. But everyone is waiting for something to happen and we don’t know what it will be.”
