​‘The City Lives’: With Russian Forces Gone, Kyiv Starts to Revive

 

Residents returned and businesses opened their doors after a month of Russian artillery attacks on Ukraine’s capital subsided.

“KYIV, Ukraine — On Feb. 25, the day after Russia invaded Ukraine, Kolya Rybytva gathered his grandmother and younger sister and left Kyiv ‘quickly and without unnecessary sentiments,’ he said, heading west. His parents and brother stayed behind to help in the war effort. ... At the time, Mr. Rybytva, 24, understood that he might never return. But two weeks ago, he did, re-entering Kyiv, the capital, just as Ukrainian forces were starting to push Russian troops out of the suburbs and, eventually, into a full retreat. After a month of artillery attacks that ravaged buildings and had Kyiv residents seeking shelter in the subway stations, a sense of relative calm is being restored. ...”

NY Times (Video)

GRID - GlobalUkraine mystery: Why have so many Russian generals been killed?

NY Times: Fiona Hill on Whether Ukraine Can Win — and What Happens if Russia Loses (Audio)

Smithsonian: The 20th-Century History Behind Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine (March 4, 2022), Nazi collaborator monuments in Ukraine (Jan. 2021)

 

The debate over how to remember Ukraine's World War II history, as well as its implications for Ukrainian nationalism and independence, is key to understanding the current conflict.