Ukrainians once celebrated Victory Day on May 9, in the Russian tradition. But now, as they rebuild the rubble of their homes and mourn lost family and friends, many remember the occasion a day earlier.
“I have lived here for 40 years in this house. My two children were born here,” Olga Teterska, a 48-year-old accountant from Borodianka, near kyiv, told CNN as she looked at her destroyed home. “It is impossible to describe in words how I feel back here and seeing what has happened.”
“The flower garden continues to grow,” he added. “We will save those we can.”
“We celebrate on May 9 until 2014,” Teterska said. “Now I will only observe May 8 as a day to remember the soldiers who fought and also as a way to be closer to Europe.”
The surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945 marked the end of Europe’s largest ground war until this February, when Russian forces launched an all-out assault on Ukraine.
But the timing of that surrender – late afternoon in Germany and after midnight in Russia – symbolically split Europe in two, creating separate days of commemoration on the continent.
Most of Europe celebrates VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) on May 8. But in Russia and a handful of former Soviet states, the anniversary falls on the 9th. In Moscow, it is celebrated with an extravagant military parade and a speech by President Vladimir Putin.
“Now May 8 is more important,” Valentina Torghunshko of Borodianka told CNN. “May 9 for me is Russia day now. It used to be Victory Day, but now everything has changed. The Russians want us on our knees.”
“When they bombed the building, I was in the bunker,” the 68-year-old added, describing the day Russian forces attacked her home. “Everything I had is destroyed. I was able to save my cat afterwards. He had no food or water, but he is alive.”
This year, it is feared that the Russian leader will use his Victory Day parade speech to formally declare war on Ukraine. Until now, the Kremlin has euphemistically referred to its invasion as a “special military operation.”
That could bring even more destruction for many in eastern Ukraine and across the country. kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged citizens to stay indoors from Sunday through Monday, and Western officials warned the Russian invasion could intensify.
Vladim Bozhko, a farmer from the village of Andriivka, said his house was occupied by Russians and then destroyed by shelling while he and his wife hid in the basement.
Her son was fighting in the Ukrainian army and was killed in April near Hostomel, she told CNN.
“I don’t feel anything now,” he said, reflecting on the meaning of May 9.
“It used to be about celebrating our grandparents’ victory. This year there is nothing to celebrate.”
“I will always remember what my grandparents did in World War II,” he added. “But with what the Russians have done to my son, to my house, I will not celebrate Victory Day.”
“To the Russians: do not bring your children here,” he warned. “We have nothing to lose anymore. We will fight you.”
Reference-www.cnn.com