City Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the tree was funded by donors and businesses and that there would be no public celebrations
Amid a hazy winter fog, officials in Kyiv reopened a popular footbridge damaged in an earlier airstrike and erected a smaller-than-usual Christmas tree in a central square.
The Christmas tree lights up in #Kiev 🇺🇦#UkraineRussiaWar #Ukraine️ #Ukraine #Ukrainian #UkraineWillWin #StandWithUkraine #SlavaUkraine pic.twitter.com/nKjPwlpjVz
— Feher_Junior (@Feher_Junior) December 17, 2022
In the vast space in front of the hundreds-year-old cathedral of Hagia Sophia, a huge evergreen tree is traditionally erected at Christmas. But officials opted this year for a 40-foot artificial tree with energy-saving lights powered by a generator.
Orthodox Christians make up the majority of Ukraine’s 43 million inhabitants.
Klitschko said the tree was funded by donors and businesses and that there would be no public celebrations.
Installation Christmas tree at the Kiev rail station, but it will work from the rotation bicycle pedals pic.twitter.com/kGnMaVWgP6
— Alla (@asy76listru1) December 18, 2022
“I doubt this will be a real holiday,” said Kiev resident Irena Solotchuk, who arrived with her daughter to see the tree hours after another round of air raid warning sirens sounded across the country.
“But we have to understand that we are all together, that we have to help each other,” she added.
RES-EMP
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.