For millions of Ukrainians, many under Russian bombardment and dealing with power and water shortages, New Year’s celebrations will be muted as Russia’s 10-month war continues with no end in sight.
But for some families, it’s a chance to reunite, even briefly, after months apart.
At Kyiv’s central train station on Saturday morning, Mykyta, still in his uniform, clutched a bouquet of pink roses as he waited on platform 9 for his wife Valeriia to arrive from Poland. He hadn’t seen her in six months.
“Actually, it was very difficult to wait that long,” he told The Associated Press after hugging and kissing Valeriia.
Nearby, another soldier, Vasyl Khomko, 42, joyfully met his daughter Yana and his wife Galyna, who had been living in Slovakia because of the war but returned to Kyiv to spend New Year’s Eve together.
The mood was in stark contrast to that of 10 months ago when families were torn apart by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In February, fathers, husbands and children were left behind while their wives, mothers and daughters boarded trains with young children seeking safety outside the country.
Scenes of tearful farewells filled television screens and newspaper front pages around the world.
But on the last day of the year marked by brutal war, many returned to the capital to spend New Year’s Eve with their loved ones.
As Russian attacks continue to target power supplies leaving millions without power, no big celebrations are expected and a curfew will be in place when the clock strikes in the new year.
But for most Ukrainians, being together with their families is already a luxury.
Valeriia first sought refuge from the conflict in Spain but later moved to Poland. When she was asked what her plans were for New Year’s Eve, she replied simply: “Just to be together.” The couple declined to share their last name for security reasons, as Mykyta has been fighting on the front lines in both southern and eastern Ukraine.
On platform 8, another young couple met. University student Arseniia Kolomiiets, 23, lives in Italy.
Despite longing to see her boyfriend Daniel Liashchenko in Kyiv, Kolomiiets was afraid of Russian missile and drone strikes.
“He was like, Please come over! Please come! Please come!’” she recalled. “I decided that (being) scared is one part, but being with loved ones at parties is the most important part. So, I overcame my fear and here I am now.”
Although they don’t have electricity at home, Liashchenko said they were looking forward to 2023 together with their family and their cat.
In a bid to ensure residents have light during their celebrations, the regional government of the Odessa province in southwestern Ukraine plans to limit the work of the most energy-intensive industries on December 31 and January 1.
Regional head Maksym Marchenko made the announcement via Telegram on Friday, saying that electrical engineers in the province had used all possible means to “eliminate the consequences” of Russia’s barrage of attacks on Ukraine in
on Thursday and restore the power supply.
In Kyiv, the recent attacks have left many on edge, wondering if the skies will be peaceful on the last day of the year.
“We hope there are no surprises today,” said Natalya Kontonenko, who had traveled from Finland. It was the first time she had seen her brother Serhii Kontonenko since the full-scale invasion began on February 24. Serhii and other relatives traveled from Mykolaiv to Kyiv to meet Natalya.
“We are not worried about electricity, because we are together and I think that is the most important thing,” he said.
