In front of a posh bistro, anti-tank hedgehogs lie on the sidewalk. On a playground hit by a missile, young trees grow.
A year after the Russian invasion, kyiv holds its head high despite regular missile strikes.
The first Russian bombardments at dawn on February 24, 2022 had plunged the capital of Ukraine into amazement and caused the exodus of a majority of its approximately 3 million inhabitants.
A year later, with hostilities concentrating in the east of the country, many residents have returned and life seems almost back to normal, in stark contrast to what residents are experiencing in towns and villages near the front where the war rages.
In kyiv, still under curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., schools, hospitals and many shops are open and public transport is operating.
On weekends, many residents stroll through the streets of the city center or the parks.
And this, despite waves of regular Russian missile or drone strikes launched since the fall, which particularly target energy infrastructure sites, causing massive power cuts.
The last attack dates from Friday. Warning sirens sounded five times in the capital.
Ten Russian missiles were shot down by anti-aircraft defense.
Shrapnel caused some material damage, but this time no casualties.
For the duration of the alerts, the inhabitants descend into underground shelters.
In the metro, families with children and animals, pensioners, students and teachers patiently wait for the end of the signal.
In the historic center of the city, the Italian bistro-patisserie Bassano closed only during the first weeks of the invasion, when the Russian troops were at the gates of the capital before withdrawing.
The establishment has long rubbed shoulders with a checkpoint whose anti-tank hedgehogs are still in front of its windows.
“It’s impossible to break the spirit of Ukrainians,” said owner Oleksiy Kamardin, 35, who also owns a restaurant. “We adapt to everything and very quickly”.
For Oleksiy and his family, the war began in 2014, when the occupation by Russian and pro-Russian forces of their hometown of Donetsk (east) forced them to move to Kiev.
When Russia attacked the capital, Oleksiï decided to stay to “defend” it and did volunteer work in particular.
Since reopening, he has noticed that during alerts or strikes, his customers pounce on sweet croissants and desserts.
“Sales of sweet things increase sharply when people are stressed,” explains the restaurateur, whose two establishments have seen their income drop by 70% since the start of the invasion and are running “at zero profit”.
“Of course, we’re fed up and we want it to end. But let’s be realistic, everything won’t end quickly. And I’m ready for it,” he says.
According to him, the solidarity of the first months of the war sometimes cracks and the differences are back between the Ukrainians, between those who fled abroad and those who stayed, or those who live in the west of the country. rather spared and those who remain close to the front.
But “despite our internal differences, the fact that people are ready to fight restores strength”, underlines Mr. Kamardine.
According to polls, the vast majority of Ukrainians are showing great resilience a year after the start of the invasion.
More than 95% of the inhabitants are confident in the victory of their country and 69% say they are ready to tolerate current difficulties “as long as it takes”, according to a poll carried out in December by the KMIS institute in Kiev.
Even the perception of the economic situation has improved. Today, 60% of the population consider living conditions in Ukraine “rather satisfactory”, compared to only 34% at the end of 2021, according to the study, which explains it by “the consolidation” of society and a “national uprising”. “in the face of war.
In kyiv, routines have settled in to adapt to the new reality.
Faced with power cuts – on average lasting two hours a day, depending on the neighborhood – people buy battery-powered bulbs, reflective tapes and generators, the noise of which can often be heard from the street.
Many have stocked up on water, food and gas canisters so they can cook when the electricity fails.
The scars of war are also quickly erased.
In a historic downtown park, a children’s playground hit by a Russian missile in October shows no signs of destruction.
The impact crater was quickly filled in and saplings were planted on the site.
Serguii Pazioura, a 27-year-old garbage collector, participated in this effort at the start of the invasion.
He no longer removed the household waste but the debris from the Russian bombings.
If some are wondering about the possibility of a new Russian offensive against kyiv, Serguiï excludes leaving.
“We will fight for this city,” he proclaims.
Today, he finds the townspeople better organized but also “sader” because “our people are dying every day” on the front lines.
But “fatigue does not exist”, assures the young man. “We have to work for our victory and we will rest later.”
20/02/2023 07:52:37 – Kiev (Ukraine) (AFP) © 2023 AFP
