It has been a year since Ukraine first parked a parade of destroyed Russian tanks, other armored vehicles and artillery pieces on Kyiv’s main thoroughfare to commemorate the country’s Independence Day, forgoing major public events in the hope of avoiding Russian missile strikes.
That was the country’s first Independence Day since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
Over the next 12 months, Ukrainian forces retook areas of territory in the northeast in September.
On Thursday, Ukrainians in the capital, Kyiv, once again milled about the destroyed Russian vehicles that lined Khreshchatyk Street and stood in front of Independence Square, also known as the Maidan.
Independence Day in Ukraine commemorates the country’s 1991 break from the Soviet Union, but also increasingly serves as a rallying point for Ukrainians to assert their identity and aspirations.
Organizations:
Russian, Russia, Kyiv
Locations:
Ukraine, Kherson, Bakhmut, Kyiv, Russian, Soviet Union, Russia