| Translate This News In |
|---|
Ivan Sukhanov and his family used to spend their vacations by the Black Sea. This year, the Kyiv family hoped to travel to Egypt. The Russians then invaded. They’re now going no further than the banks of the Dnipro River in Kiev to have as normal a holiday as they can in very unusual circumstances. “We wanted to show the kids the pyramids, but the war derailed our plans,” the 41-year-old electrical engineer says.
“This year, we’re exploring the area around Kyiv, including the lakes and parks. We’re doing our best to unwind “.
Kyiv has many sandy beaches, which are usually crowded in the hot summer months.
Despite temperatures nearing 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on the first weekend of July, no one is rushing to claim a prime spot with a beach towel.
Even though Russian troops withdrew from the city’s outer northern and northeast suburbs three months ago to focus their offensive on the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, the city remains in slow motion.
‘I’m used to it.’
In comparison to the bombings in Donbas and the deadly strikes in the country’s south, Kyiv is now relatively calm.
“We’re getting used to it,” Sukhanov admits, four months after Russian troops invaded his country on February 24.
Many people say they are also affected by the frequent air raid warnings.
Add to that the daily curfew, which runs from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., and sandbags protecting statues and government buildings, and it’s difficult to forget you’re in a war-torn country.
‘Really difficult’
Vera Sapyga is also trying to have fun on a Kyiv beach, but she can’t hide her anxiety.
She returned to the capital a week ago after leaving on the first day of the war with her five-year-old daughter for a village in western Ukraine.
She’s already planning her next trip out.
“It’s really difficult in terms of morale,” the 37-year-old says. “I’m concerned about the warning sirens and the news.” I cry every day.
I’ve never been under such duress.”
Sapyga plans to travel to London with her daughter next week to stay with a family who has offered to help Ukrainians.
She’s been exiled before, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula, where she and her husband were living at the time.
She has no idea how long she will stay in the British capital if she manages to get there.
“It’s extremely difficult to plan anything.”
Rumours
That is a phrase heard on a daily basis in Kyiv, where no one dares to predict how long the war will last.
“At first, experts assured us that the war would be over quickly, then they said, ‘It will be over by Constitution Day’ (June 28), then by Independence Day (August 24), and now they say nothing,” says Liudmila Iashchuk, 55, who is sitting with her husband at one of the few cafes open on the beach.
