KYIV, Ukraine – The wedding registry in the heart of Kyiv is a whirlwind of romance and celebration, reflecting the defiant optimism on display across the Ukrainian capital these days.
Some got married on a summer Saturday, after the war delayed their plans. Others, like Larisa, 31, and Roman, 30, race to get married, concerned about how quickly things can change.
“We decided that no matter the situation in the future, we would always be together,” said Larisa, who, like the others interviewed, did not give their names for safety reasons. “Our family is sure that love always wins, and Ukraine will definitely win.”
Across Kyiv – a city where the future is uncertain but many people yearn to find joy in the present – Ukrainians are trying to find the rhythm and joy of everyday life amid uncertainty and uncertainty. and grief of war.
There may be no better place to feel the pulse of Kyiv in the summer than by the banks of the Dnipro River. Before the war, people were kayaking and windsurfing, music boomed from concerts and singing, crowds sunbathing or playing sports. That tumultuous Caophony hasn’t returned yet. But people are coming back.
Alexander Savchenko, a champion bodybuilder, went swimming on Saturday with his coach and his girlfriend, 27-year-old Valeria Baildalia, all visiting from Odesa. Mrs. Baildalia’s home is in Berdiansk, deep in the heart of the occupied south. She does not know when she will be able to return.
Valentina Shevchenko, 64, is leading a class in paleontology, the science of healthy living through exercise and proper diet. She led half a dozen followers to dance and swing to a pop song. For several spring months, they could not see each other because of the war. But now they have returned to their routine, with one change: They all wear blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Volodomyr, 79, said they ended the class by saying: “Glory to Ukraine, health to all her people and thank you to our Western allies.”
On an island in the middle of the river, Petro, a 53-year-old former soldier and retired lawyer, stands on the sandy shore, wearing wading clothes around his waist, stuffing a jar of fly larvae in his pocket. He had come to fish perch and carp, and to seek peace of mind.
Six months ago, instead of a fishing rod, Petro carried a machine gun and prepared to defend his home when Russian forces attacked Kyiv during the first weeks of the invasion. More than four months since the Russians were forced to retreat from the city’s outskirts, Petro has returned to his favorite fishing spot.
“It takes away all the stress from the war and all the negative thoughts,” he said, waiting for a bite to eat. “I just want to turn off my mind. And if I catch a fish, I thank God.”
