As the exchanges of fire between Ukrainian forces and Moscow-backed separatists renew fears of a Russian invasion, US President Joe Biden calls for an imminent attack and calls on EU and NATO leaders to hold an emergency teleconference to discuss developments in Ukraine.
Bombings are constantly reported near Stanitsia Luhansk, a city in eastern Ukraine that is under the control of government forces.
The sound of bombings can be heard in this city, which was also hit yesterday by a bombing that caused damage to a kindergarten.
However, in the Ukrainian capital people seem to remain calm, in a seemingly normal daily life.
On Wednesday, the day some Western media outlets reported on the Russian invasion, Kiev’s central square was packed with soldiers. However, locals, who have been living with the war in the eastern part of the country since 2014, are skeptical of a scenario of Russian invasion.
In Maidan, the square where the 2014 protests began, Sergei, another Sergei and Victoria, each about 20 years old, work in shifts in disguise, taking pictures with tourists and saying there should always be “room for joy”. . Their job is to talk to tourists and take pictures with them. However, the only ones here are soldiers.
Sergei said the war is a media war. “When I first heard about a possible invasion, I was scared, but then my mind started working and I went to the square to do my job,” he said.
The three told them that the number of pickpockets on the streets of Kiev has increased in recent weeks, indicative of the current economic situation.
“I’ll be here until the Russian tanks arrive. But, I’m a Palestinian, so I know what fear means,” said Nita, a producer for the Al Jazeera television crew, who are also in the square.
Next to Maidan, activists organized an event to cheer people up by giving them flowers. “It is not a political event. It is our attempt to encourage people and distract them from the war,” said one organizer.
A few hours earlier, a kindergarten was bombed, according to the Ukrainian army, in the Luhansk region of Ukraine. The humanitarian organization Proliska blamed the pro-Russian forces.
Zoya, 85, heard the news of the bombing. But she went out for her daily walk on a rainy day with her son, Valerie. Ms. Zogia has lived through World War II, she has lost her brother in the war. Every day he goes out to feed the pigeons near Meidan. Both said they were not afraid of a Russian invasion and did not trust the news. “There has been a war in eastern Ukraine for eight years. “I feel safe in Kiev,” Zoya said.
Many people in Kiev see the current events as a proxy war and Ukraine turning into a neutral zone. Some say the Biden government is trying to show that America has returned, following the chaotic withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan and the occupation of the country by the Taliban.
The war of words in the media extends to social media platforms. On TikTok, an American diplomat from the embassy has been posting videos of the evacuation of the diplomatic mission in a panic for days, with harsh words against Putin.
Some people in Kiev believe that belligerent rhetoric is used to cover up internal problems.
“For the last 10 years, all the financial aid that the European Union has given to Ukraine has gone to oligarchs,” said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Ukrainians feel helpless, they feel stuck between East and West. And they are being used as a pawn, like many other countries in the past and now. This is a new era of the Cold War.”
The Ukrainians are polarized about what will happen next. Some are very much in favor of the EU, but some in the east believe that joining the bloc will only increase the cost of living.
In recent years, about 5 million Ukrainians have left the country due to the economic situation and gone to Poland or Germany. Locals say there were foreigners ready to buy an apartment in Kiev and are now leaving the country postponing their plans, locals say.
Katerina, a 34-year-old translator from Kiev, lived in the eastern city of Donetsk. He had a family, a home and a good job. But things changed quickly and he decided to leave the city when the bombing started. Her husband refused to leave, saying he wanted to stay in his hometown despite the dangers.
“We no longer trust the media, even the foreign media,” says Katerina. “In Ukraine we do not have an independent media – everything belongs to oligarchs.” He went on to say that Ukrainians now believe that Americans are not as powerful as they pretend to be: “The only weapons they use now are the media and fear. But Ukrainians have been living under this threat for the last eight years.”
While the middle class lives in the country, representatives of the ruling party, the rich, officials and diplomats leave it. Pictures showed long queues of expensive cars waiting to cross the border into Hungary.
“People in Kiev live with anxiety and depression,” said Yuri, a 25-year-old bartender. “If I have no control over the situation, no influence, I do not think I should panic. If something happens, let it happen.”
The ambassadors of the EU countries to Ukraine had an online meeting on Wednesday as a sign of solidarity.
Although two Greek expatriates lost their lives in the east of the country this week, Vassilios Bornovas, ambassador to Greece, says the embassy remains open: “We have taken all appropriate security measures for communications and the protection of our staff. as do other European embassies. The Greek embassy is now open “
Journalists and cameras are everywhere in the capital. In Savich Square, foreign media are talking about an impending war. However, there is no fear in the faces of the locals.
On Wednesday afternoon, the lights inside the Ukrainian parliament were on, for an extraordinary sitting. For the first time at the Kiev airport, the Ukrainian national anthem was played on loudspeakers. The queues for the departures were full, while at the arrivals there were only a handful of people. Mostly Ukrainians and journalists
In the old town of Kiev on the street Andriivskii uzviz, one of the most attractive places for tourists and visitors to the city, with many souvenir sellers and street musicians, the street was empty. Only one souvenir kiosk was open. “What is happening is a disaster. “It’s a political game,” said Valerie, 39, who has been selling souvenirs for 20 years. Until 3 weeks ago it had many regular clients from embassies, visitors from the USA, Canada, Japan. But now no one comes to buy. “People no longer come to visit our country. We have a fantastic country, but they (politicians) are trying to kill it again and again. I do not believe in a possible invasion. When I hear such statements, I smile. “I consider myself a smart person.”
Alexei Alexovic, a 59-year-old taxi driver, has been transporting foreigners, Germans, Americans, Asians to the airport in recent weeks to leave the country. They were told by their governments to leave the country. Five flights were canceled on Wednesday. “Neither Russia, nor NATO, EU. Only Ukraine,” says Alexei.
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