Russian President Putin did not destroy the Ukrainian government, but deliberately strengthened it. But the war continues and threatens to plunge both countries into the abyss.
A young Ukrainian man stands in front of the ruins of his home near Chernihiv. Russia’s excessive use of force did not make the Ukrainians resign, but it strengthened their self-defense.
This Wednesday, Ukraine reached a double milestone: First, Russia’s civil war has now ended for six months, longer than most optimists on both sides expected. On the other hand, the country celebrates its national holiday on August 24, the anniversary of the declaration of independence in 1991, when the then Ukrainian Soviet Republic shook Moscow’s rule. What happens at these two memorials is symbolic, because if the war has shown anything, it is this: Ukraine’s independence cannot be easily broken.