It has been six months since Russia invaded Ukraine. But on this Wednesday, August 24, Ukraine is also celebrating 31 years of independence from the Soviet Union. A symbolic date which makes many inhabitants fear Russian bombings. There is still no place to feel safe in the country.
National holiday or not, bombings still threaten in Ukraine, especially the capital. Alexander Rodnyansky, one of the Ukrainian president’s advisers, has also expressed his concern about possible Russian attacks on the BBC. ” There are rumors of an attack. They could hit the decision centers, as the Russians say. So there’s some anxiety in the air “, he explained.
A fear that is confirmed in the capital, yet relatively far from the front line. Olena Gnes has chosen to stay in kyiv with her young children, despite calls from the government to be very careful. ” This is exactly what Putin would want. He wants us to be afraid, he wants us to go away, to give up, to surrender without a fight. But we won’t give him that pleasure. We won’t panic “, she says.
A day of war like any other
For Olena, the war has never stopped and this August 24 will be a day like the ones she has been living for six months. ” There hasn’t been a day’s respite in Ukraine since February 24. Everyday civilians are killed in the country and there is nowhere to be safe “, she continues.
Olena does not know if she will be able to join a bomb shelter with her children. The potential shots could make the situation very complicated.
►Also read: Ukraine: six months after the Russian invasion, a conflict with an uncertain outcome