Ukraine independence day overshadowed by fear of Russian attacks

The mood in the capital was sombre. Thousands of civilians have been killed since the war began on 24 February, Ukraine has acknowledged 9,000 military deaths, and there is little hope that an end to the fighting is in sight.

Oleksandra Mykolaivna, 68, out walking her dogs in Kyiv’s suburbs, said it would be a painful day. “Everyone feels under pressure. A [normal] public holiday is when everyone is happy and celebrating. How many people have died? And then there are those pictures of the injured.”

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, told his fellow citizens that their country was reborn when Russia invaded, and he pledged to recapture annexed Crimea and occupied areas in the east.

Zelenskiy warns of Russian attacks on Ukraine independence day – video

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Zelenskiy warns of Russian attacks on Ukraine independence day – video

In a recorded speech, Zelenskiy said Ukraine no longer saw the war ending when there was peace, but when Kyiv was victorious.

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“A new nation appeared in the world on February 24 at four in the morning. It was not born, but reborn. A nation that did not cry, scream or take fright. One that did not flee. Did not give up. And did not forget,” he said.

The 44-year-old leader delivered the speech in his trademark combat fatigues in front of Kyiv’s central monument to independence from the Russia-controlled Soviet Union.

“What for us is the end of the war? We used to say peace. Now we say victory,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, claimed that the slowing pace of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine was deliberate, and driven by the need to reduce civilian casualties.

Shoigu said: “Everything is being done to avoid casualties among civilians. Of course, this slows down the pace of the offensive, but we are doing this deliberately.”

Zelenskiy had warned on the eve of the holiday that Ukraine might face “repugnant Russian provocations”, and urged citizens to take seriously any air raid warnings – often ignored by a population now inured to the risks of war.