It is the destruction of the Ukrainian people.” “I can’t sleep at night because of what I see and hear about what is being done in Ukraine,” said a retiree who gave only her first name, Tetyana, her voice shaking with emotion. Folk singers set up, and many revelers - ignoring the sirens - were out and about in traditionally embroidered dresses and shirts. Nevertheless, a festive atmosphere prevailed during the day at Kyiv’s Maidan square as thousands of residents posed for pictures next to burned-out Russian tanks put on display. He repeated the warnings ahead of the train station attack, saying, “Russian provocations and brutal strikes are a possibility.” Over the weekend, Zelenskyy cautioned that Russia “may try to do something particularly nasty, something particularly cruel” this week. President Joe Biden announced a new military aid package of nearly $3 billion to help Ukrainian forces fight for years to come. Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson marked the holiday with a visit to Kyiv - his third since the war broke out - and other European leaders used the occasion to pledge unwavering support for Ukraine, locked in a battle that was widely expected to be a lightning conquest by Moscow but has turned into a grinding war of attrition. As the day wore on, Russian bombardments were reported in the country’s east, west and center, with the most serious attack apparently at the train station. Residents of Kyiv, which has been largely spared in recent months, woke up Wednesday to air raid sirens, but no immediate strikes followed. Wednesday also marked the six-month point in the war.ĭays ahead of Independence Day, Kyiv authorities banned large gatherings in the capital through Thursday for fear of missile strikes. Ukraine had been bracing for especially heavy attacks around the national holiday that commemorates Ukraine’s declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The deputy head of Zelenskyy’s office later said 22 people were wounded in the attack, which hit five passenger rail cars. “Chaplyne is our pain today,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation.Īt one point, Zelenskyy put the number of wounded at about 50.

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