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Defiant Ukrainians mark Independence Day amid fears of new attacks – National


Ukrainians revel in a surreal display of fire Russian Tanks and armor were laid out this week as trophies in central Kyiv to mark the 31st anniversary of independence, but fears of new Russian attacks hid behind a display of defiance their.

An air raid siren broke the eerily quiet atmosphere in Kyiv on Independence Day morning on Wednesday following dire warnings that Russia could launch new attacks on cities. great. Kyiv has warned Moscow of a strong response should that happen.

The holiday season, which falls six months after the Russian invasion, is usually marked by a military parade, but fearing attacks on major rallies, Kyiv has banned public events in the city. this year and the streets are much quieter than usual.

“I hope (the war) will end this year, so we can have fun next spring… I want us to get more help, so it can end sooner and we we can start living the happy life we ​​had before the war,” said Anna Husieva, 27, a resident of Kyiv.

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In the run-up to the state holiday, citizens gathered on the central streets, posing for pictures next to the wreck of a Russian tank and eating cotton candy in the yellow and blue colors of the national flag.

They pondered the irony of the armor display months after Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, laid out plans for a Russian military parade in Kyiv – for until Moscow’s assault on the capital was aborted in March.

Pavel Pidreza, 62, a retired Ukrainian soldier admiring the tanks while walking with his wife, Vira, said: “Putin dreamed of a parade on Khreshchatyk – here it is.

He added: “We are delighted that our military is proving itself highly skilled and fighting on par with the enemy that many countries fear, especially in Europe.


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When they spoke of the nation’s resilience, the residents also spoke clearly of their pain after six months of war killed thousands, displaced millions, and razed entire cities.

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Many parts of Ukraine are occupied and there is deep concern that the coming winter could be the worst season since 1991 with shortages of natural gas and coal threatening everything from electricity supplies to electricity. to the indoor heating system.

Among the revelers in central Kyiv on Monday was a man named Oleksandr, who broke down in tears thinking about six months of devastation and exclaimed in a shaky voice that he couldn’t say more.

Another resident, Yevhen Palamarchuk, 38, said: “Perhaps no one has done as much to unite Ukraine as Putin. “

He says he, like his friends, eagerly awaits to see Ukraine regain its territory in the south in a much-vaunted counter-offensive using sophisticated Western-supplied weapons. to attack and attack Russian supply lines.

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“People are tired of war, but they are still optimistic. It helps us get weapons from the West… Everyone is waiting for the first big success of our army,” said Palamarchuk.


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Independence Day is one of the most important holidays in Ukraine and holds immense significance in the context of what Kyiv says is a war of imperialist Russian aggression.

Moscow views the invasion as a special operation aimed at demilitarizing a Western-oriented Ukraine and removing it from what it describes as nationalist, a pretext that the West and Kyiv has denied as wrong.

A majority of Ukrainians voted in favor of independence from the Russian-dominated Soviet Union in a referendum in August 1991.

Palamarchuk said he sees the threat posed by Russia this week as serious, but that Putin has little choice but to escalate the attack on Ukraine except by radical escalation with the use of nuclear weapons. .

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“At this point, living in Ukraine is always at risk of being hit by a missile. I just don’t think statistically, it could very well calm me down a bit,” said Palamarchuk.





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