A story from Kyiv: the war that’s changing cities and lives
The war in Ukraine isn’t just a war between armies. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary people in Kyiv form a second line of defence with boxes of bananas, bread, medicines, military equipment and encouragement. This huge resistance movement is made up of volunteers who work for the Territorial Defence Force. We met one of them on the road between Bucharest and Kyiv.
Oleksii, a 33-year-old man from the Ukrainian capital, took his wife and two children to safety in Romania and returned with helmets and bulletproof vests bought in Bucharest for the fighters in Kyiv. He owns a bookshop, but because he was forced to close his business, he’s channelling all his energy into the resistance effort.
Kyivans are strong. You can talk to them for hours about the war, Putin, and the future of Ukraine. They speak with great confidence, but sooner or later, something invariably triggers a strong emotion. Then their voices begin to falter, and it all ends in a tearful “Glory to Ukraine!”
The video has English subtitles.
