Independence Day

 

This is what the amazing statue in Kyiv must have looked like every the night, before the full invasion and blackouts in Ukrainian cities. This year, on Friday night, pre-Independence Day, there was a definite middle finger to Putin.

This was the main street in Kharkiv - LIT! - for the first time since the full invasion, half an hour before 11pm curfew, when the lights would have been turned off.

Friday, actually, was National Flag Day of Ukraine - some interesting history below...

I just missed this photo at Hell's Kitchen!

23 August is also celebrated as Kharkiv Day, commemorating 23 August, 1943, when Kharkiv was liberated from Nazi troops. 24 August is Ukrainianian Independence Day so no wonder there was so much festivity! The Ukrainian novelist, Andrey Kurkov, writes that, before the war, Independence Day seemed to be more of a formal occasion, organised by the state for the media, rather than the people. But its significance has gradually increased, turning it 'into more of a religious festival.' https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/24/ukraine-third-independence-day-war-future-panel-verdict?CMP=share_btn_url (An interesting read).

After the celebrations, normal life has resumed, mostly under air raid alerts in Kharkiv city and region. This morning (Sunday) there was a loud explosion at about 4 a.m, which is reported to have injured 3 people in the city. Deaths of soldiers and civilians continue in the frontline regions. It's horribly sad to see the tally of the soldiers killed, in Kharkiv region alone: at least 25 this month, as of 21 August (https://suspilne.media/kharkiv/803839-vtrati-harkivsini-u-serpni-2024-roku-zgaduemo-zagiblih-zahisnikiv-poimenno/), commemorated by flags by the Schevchenko monument at the entrance to the park.

The entrance to Schevchenko Park was beautiful in the full moon, a few days ago.The statue, as with so many treasured statues in Ukraine, is covered in protective material.

These have been a busy few weeks. There were a couple of welcome donations, following the last blog. One, together with my monthly donation, went towards buying medication for children with long-term illnesses, who are supported by "Adults for Children," Kharkiv.

Some went to support animals that have been abandoned due to the war. Mostly, these are cared for by people in their own homes...

A very generous donation has been used to purchase medication to support medical evacuation units on the nearby frontline in Sumy.

There continue to be a lot of foreign volunteers in these summer months; it's part of my job as volunteer coordinator, to welcome them and introduce them to the activities associated with Hell's Kitchen, which involve more than cooking meals and baking bread, important though this is. For example, a bus was donated by Finland, which is being transformed into a mobile "Invincibility Centre." Invincibility centres sprang up across Ukraine in winter 2022: they are places (sometimes no more than tents) where people can get heat, water, electricity, mobile communication, internet, rest, first aid kits, hot drinks, snacks and other support. 

I've also been attending the immigration centre in Kharkiv and, finally, have my temporary residence permit. This means that I can stay in Ukraine until the end of the war, plus 30 days!

We had the usual monthly volunteers "tea party" at Hell's Kitchen. It was quite amusing, the next morning, to see the kitchen volunteers having leftovers for breakfast, including homemade beer!

We volunteer coordinators have decided to incorporate regular First Aid training for volunteers, from teaching how to treat burns and other kitchen-related injuries, to learning to apply tourniquets, which we are advised to carry with us at all times. I know this looks suspiciously like synchronised dancing!..

I've started online Ukrainian lessons twice a week. In my last lesson we were talking about what was in my rucksack. I went to get it to show my teacher and he seemed surprised that I had a tourniquet inside. He lives in Lviv and said that he supposed that is the differencebetween life in Lviv and Kharkiv, which is true.

We'll be sad to say goodbye to Kate, who has taught us a lot about baking bread, as she has run bakeries, both in the USA and Angola. She has transformed some areas of the kitchen, using her construction skills, including this frame for making camouflage netting.

I found time to have a half-day walk in the countryside at the edge of Kharkiv, with another volunteer. Because it's the northern edge of the city you could hear the faint, but almost constant, rumble of artillery in the distance, but it still felt peaceful...

To make a donation, please:

Open PayPal and, when asked for email, enter sunflower_house@hotmail.co.uk