Kyiv residents celebrated the Day of the National Flag and the Independence Day of Ukraine on Wednesday, August 23, and Thursday, August 24, with mixed emotions of national unity, pride in resisting Russia's invasion, and fear that the war will continue unendingly and claim an untold number of lives. In any case, the perception is that Ukraine has no choices in its immediate destiny, given Moscow's determination to conquer the country, the intense fighting on the front line, and the daily bombardments of Ukrainian towns.

The 18 months of war that have so far passed seem like an eternity for Ukrainians. "I never imagined such a long war, such injustice," said Sergeant Serhiy Rudenko under the benevolent gaze of his wife, Ludmila. Together with friends from the neighborhood, Rudenko, a surveyor and also the owner of the Terasa café, set up Irpin's first rudimentary checkpoint at the end of his street when the Russian army arrived at the gates of Kyiv on the decisive days that followed February 24, 2022. He joined the army after taking part in the defense of Kyiv as a volunteer and he is currently fighting on the Bakhmut front in the Donbass region.

Rudenko was back, on leave for a few days. With his buddies from the Irpin checkpoint, he hoisted the national flag on the roof of his Terasa café, now being rebuilt after being bombed. His wife Ludmila wants to turn the building into a home for veterans. "Serhiy created the first checkpoint and Ludmila distributed humanitarian aid. These civilians got involved in the war," said Mykhailyna Skoryk-Shkarivska, the deputy mayor of the neighboring town of Bucha, which was occupied for five weeks and became the scene of atrocities that still haunt Ukrainians. "This couple and this place," added the official, who had come to the café as a friend, "are a symbol of Ukraine's survival and spirit of resistance."

A special operation in Crimea

Over the two days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky celebrated the "heroism" and "courage" of Ukrainians in the face of Russian aggression. He hailed "the free people" who celebrate the 32nd anniversary of the country's independence, saying that "independence" was precisely the "reason not to give up." For Zelensky, there is no other way than the "victory of Ukraine." "We are fighting the enemy. We are capable of winning!" he said, promising that "Ukrainian children in Ukrainian squares and streets will celebrate Ukrainian independence in the same way. Our grandchildren will celebrate. And their grandchildren."

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