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Ukraine — A brave country celebrates its Independence Day

25 Aug 2024

Many predicted that Kyiv would fall in three days and that Ukraine stood no chance. They were wrong. Ukraine’s Independence Day this year is living proof. But the price Ukraine is paying keeps getting steeper and ever more heartbreaking.

I was happy to be in Kyiv for Ukraine’s Independence Day. I made this city my home quite a few years ago and even though a full-scale war is raging and things are dangerous and stressful, I love being back at home.

Of course, I am free to leave and I can cross the border without any problems, but for the majority of Ukrainian men under the age of 60, this is not the case. Things are not easy here, to say the least, and this nightmare war has caused so much pain, trauma and sadness.

And yet, life goes on.

Streets of Kyiv on 2024 Independence Day (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

Ukraine is the largest country in Europe, and Kyiv, the capital, is one of the most amazing cities in the world. A well-kept secret. Overflowing with creative spirit, eccentricity, energy, humour and so much beauty. A place that was just waiting to be discovered. A gift for travellers, for the curious, for artists, for techies, for architects, photographers, coffee lovers and foodies. For everyone.

And yet, missiles rain down on this incredible city week after week, as in other cities all over Ukraine. It is still hard to believe. Ukraine is the fourth-largest food producer in the world and the IT hub of Europe. If Ukraine disappears, the whole world will feel it.

In the past two weeks, the mood has lifted and Ukraine is back in the news headlines. God knows how this is going to play out, but one thing is for sure: Ukrainians are brave and smart. Their audacious move into the Russian area of Kursk has captured the world’s imagination.

Streets of Kyiv on 2024 Independence Day (Photo: Ronnie Apteker)

I am guessing that most people who are reading this were born in a free, democratic country. It is so easy to take your country’s independence for granted. If freedom and democracy are all you know, then it makes sense that you don’t spend your time worrying about losing this freedom.

In Ukraine, the Soviet era was something that was meant to have been a closed chapter.

Last year, I was also here for Independence Day, filming for a documentary film project. That year, tanks and war machines were on display in the city centre.

This year’s celebration was different. There were children on scooters, people in the streets wearing vyshyvanka shirts, and Ukrainian flags wherever you cast your eyes. The Ukrainian spirit is alive and well, but under the surface there is trauma and pain that will be around for decades.

Over the past year, I have seen a growing number of amputees in the city. Not many, but enough to notice. It is estimated that there are more than 30,000 Ukrainian war amputees and that number is sadly only going to increase. Can you imagine how strong the spouses will need to be when the dust eventually settles?

Heartbreaking

I remember every detail of what happened in the first week of the war, in February 2022. I am pretty sure I will never forget any of it.

Many predicted that Kyiv would fall in three days and that Ukraine stood no chance. They were wrong. Ukraine’s Independence Day this year is living proof. But the price Ukraine is paying keeps getting steeper and ever more heartbreaking.

Not much has changed after another year of this insane war. People are still dying. People are still trying to carry on living. Ukraine still begs for more aid and weapons.

The numbers are different, though. More people have lost everything. More people are dead. More lives are ruined.

There were no air raid sirens on Friday and only two on Saturday. Some journalists wrote online that this was because the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, was in town and he is pals with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Modi left on Sunday and attacks were expected to resume.

The morale is up from a month ago. The Ukrainian army’s move into eastern Russia has tipped the scales somewhat. But what will happen next is anyone’s guess. The memes have started flowing again with this boosted spirit, and the Ukrainian sense of humour never stops capturing the imagination.

The mobilisation laws that were passed about two months ago have created a whole new kind of stress. Many men are trying not to go out and are cooped up in their apartments. They don’t want to bump into the ubiquitous military recruiters. Everyone here loves their country and everyone is helping the war effort. But not everyone wants to be a soldier.

And yet, if it weren’t for the brave men and women in the armed forces I would not be sitting here at home in our apartment in Kyiv writing this text.

You see many generators in the city and you often hear them humming in the background. The city is not as busy as it was last summer. And of course, nothing is as busy as it was before the war.

But the city is not quiet and there is life and energy in the air. There is still martial law and the curfew is still in place. Getting to Kyiv by train from Poland is an intense journey and is not for the faint-hearted.

One of the big fears is what will happen this coming winter. So much of the electrical infrastructure has been destroyed. There may not be enough electricity to cope with the usually brutally cold days. And if Russia destroys more of the infrastructure...

Ukraine is fighting for the very values that the free, democratic world is meant to stand for.

Putin is a coward. His so-called red lines do not exist. If they did, he would have used a nuke by now. Every time he said a red line was crossed, nothing changed. The Russians are masters of propaganda and the West eats it all up.

Ukrainians have shown us who Russians are. I was here when the war started. Putin said on TV that Russia was not going to invade Ukraine. All lies.

I don’t get why so many Westerners keep calling this country “the Ukraine”. It is not an area. It is an independent, free country. And it is Ukraine. Not “the Ukraine”. If you call it “the Ukraine”, you are falling for Russian propaganda.

Ukraine’s Independence Day is more than just a celebration here. It is about reflection and remembrance. And about mourning. For all of those who have given their lives so that a free and independent Ukraine can continue. DM

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Heartbreaking