Ukraine celebrated this Thursday his fourth Christmas at war between Russian attacks and with little hope for peace, while awaiting Moscow’s official response to the 20 point plan to end the conflict prepared by kyiv and Washington.
Many families, including soldiers on leave or in rehabilitation, walked today through the streets of Lviv (west) and other Ukrainian cities, in a try to absorb at least a little Christmas spirit.
However, the nationwide power outages and Russian attacks against the energy systemwhich continued during the night of December 24 to 25 and throughout this Thursday, dampened the brightness of the festivities.
The electrical and heating systems of Kharkiv (northeast), the country’s second largest city, suffered especially as a result of the attacks, which killed one person and injured 15, while temperatures fell to 11 degrees below zero.
A Ukrainian boy holds a Star of Bethlehem at the street display of destroyed Russian military equipment near St. Mykhailivsky Cathedral in kyiv. / SERGEY DOLZHENKO / EFE
A sad Christmas
“I’m not really feeling the Christmas spirit“Katerina Bushtruk, a 28-year-old artist from Zaporizhia (south), told EFE, explaining that her husband and father are fighting on the front and that at best she will only see them in several months.
Still, Bushtruk has decorated his apartment, in a gesture of defiance toward the Russians. “They want us scared and depressed“he stressed.
“You can only celebrate when everyone is at home”
In Lviv, hundreds of ribbons with the names of imprisoned Ukrainian soldiers appeared next to a nativity scene, while in a place where families of captives usually gather, to urge the world to pressure Russia for your releasea Christmas tree was installed with symbolic gifts at its feet.
“You can only celebrate when everyone is at home“said the handwritten message on a banner, while another note stressed: “This Christmas we are waiting for people, not miracles.”
Ukrainian children attend a parade on Orthodox Christmas Eve in central Lviv, Ukraine. / Associated Press / LaPresse / LAP
The return of all Ukrainian captives, both soldiers and civilians, is among the 20 points of the peace plan presented this week by the president Volodímir Zelenskiafter concluding contacts between kyiv and Washington to modify the initial 28-point proposal from the White House.
However, many Ukrainians are skeptical of Russia’s willingness to accept and honor a hypothetical peace agreement, even if Ukraine de facto recognizes the occupation of 20% of its territory and makes other concessions.
“I dream of all our people returning home. But I don’t really think the Russians are going to return them.“The Russians have already proven their promises,” Bushtruk said.
Little hope for peace
While millions of families gathered for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner on Wednesday, many others were unable to do so.
Ukrainian servicemen attend a parade on the eve of Orthodox Christmas in the center of Lviv. / Mykola Tys / AP
According to Lviv authorities, approximately 50,000 inhabitants of this western region are serving in the Army. Only some of them were able to celebrate Christmas in the midst of the incessant fighting, with modest celebrations in the trenches.
Many families from Lviv They went to the military cemeterywhere a ‘mourning carol’ was played to honor the hundreds of fallen people, whose graves were decorated with Christmas trees and symbolic gifts, including traditional toys or sweets.
“I don’t think these negotiations will bear any fruit, because Russia will not stop attacking us, even if it eventually pauses briefly.”
“There can be no peace until Russia sees our strength“Olga Spodar told EFE, who came to spend Christmas next to the grave of her son Nazari, who enlisted as a volunteer at the beginning of the Russian invasion and fell in combat a year later, at the age of 38. “I don’t think these negotiations will bear any fruit, because Russia will not stop attacking us, even if it eventually takes a brief pause. “The only way to guarantee peace is for our soldiers to win and force the Russians to leave us alone,” he said.
“I don’t know what exactly we and our allies have to do to win, but I don’t see any other way out,” Bushtruk also said, along the same lines.
Ukraine is paying an incredibly high price, he noted, and ““The best of the best” are dying so that Ukrainians “can live, dream and build a strong and independent Ukraine.”
“The worst thing we could do is allow ourselves to be fooled by vague guarantees, unreliable conditions and thus ensure a terrible future for our descendants,” Bushtruk said.
