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Kyiv, Dec. 24 (AP) — Exactly one year ago, Kyiv’s Sofia Square was filled with giant Christmas trees and thousands of lanterns. In the final days of 2022, amid a war that has ravaged the country for 10 months, a more modest tree stands, its blue and yellow lights barely breaking the gloom of the square save for the headlights of cars Outside, the square was still pitch black.
Russia has been targeting energy infrastructure in recent months with the aim of cutting off power and heat for Ukrainians as the harsh winter looms. While the Ukrainian government tried to act as quickly as possible, it was virtually impossible to restore power to everyone in the country, including the capital’s more than 3 million residents.
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Sometimes the streets of central Kyiv are brightly lit, but authorities have imposed some restrictions and regular power outages mean there is no traditional sparkling city at Christmas.
But even in these gloomy times, some have decided to show their resolve during these holidays, doing what they can to salvage — like the Christmas tree, which stands proudly even without the splendor of recent years.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced the installation of the tree, which he said would be named “The Tree of Invincibility”.
“We decided not to let Russia steal our children’s Christmas and New Year’s celebrations,” he said. He added that the name was “because we Ukrainians cannot be broken.”
The “Invincible Tree” was inaugurated on December 19, the same day Russia launched a drone attack on Kyiv, but only damaged a power plant and did not cause a widespread blackout in the city.
Unlike previous years, Sophia Square was filled with music and cheerful crowds accompanied by tens of thousands of light bulbs, and now the only noise in the square is the sound of generators powering the lights of the 12-meter (40-foot) tall tree. In it At the top, instead of the star of Bethlehem, there is the Ukrainian symbolic trident.
In stark contrast, in the Russian-occupied city of Lugansk, a huge Christmas tree was erected, and people came out on Friday night to admire the bright lights and watch entertainment, including dancers dressed in the colors of the Russian flag.
Before the Kyiv government decided to install its tree, there was debate about the appropriateness of installing one in a year that brought so much tragedy and horror. Similar discussions are taking place across the country, with some areas deciding not to plant trees.
But now, some people do like the initiative.
“We’re excited to see at least something at a time like this,” Oleh Skakun, 56, said at Monday’s tree unveiling.
Every year on December 19, his wife’s birthday, they used to visit the Christmas tree in the southern city of Kherson, not far from home, he said. Not this year, because their house on the left bank of the Dnieper was captured by Russian troops and they had to flee to Kyiv in August.
Despite their sadness, Skakun said they wanted to keep the tradition of visiting the Christmas tree alive.
“There are twenty Russians living in my house now; they torture people, they torture my son,” said Larysa Skakun, 57.
Among other cities that have also decided to install Christmas trees, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has been on the edge of the front line for months, under constant fire from Russian missiles. There, instead of being placed on the square, it was erected inside the main metro station.
But for some Ukrainians, it’s hard to celebrate anything this Christmas.
Anna Holovina, 27, came to Sofia Square to see the tree, but said she has been missing her hometown in the Luhansk region, which has been under the control of Russian troops since 2014 occupied.
“I feel sad. I feel pain. I don’t feel like a vacation at all,” she said. “My family is in Kyiv, but my hometown has been under occupation for eight years. (AP)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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