“Away, away! You must come away immediately, they are bombing.” The voice is that of a man who, despite a certain age, has a lot of vigor. He makes the music stop and the children, who are singing and dancing, stop. The sound of the alarms drowns out the volume of the music to which the little Ukrainians have developed the choreographies. This would be their celebration before Christmas, but in Voznesenk, as in the rest of Ukraine, normality has long been had to be given up. Christmas is upon us and in this well-organised children's center they deal with war every day. Partly because most of the minors present, who are many, also live here. Orphaned children who have found a safe refuge in this structure. In addition to them, there are many children with disability problems who are followed daily. They all play together and share activities that are organized by the older ones, mostly women or elderly people, who constantly look after them (the video of the escape at the bottom of this article).
Once the alarm is over, the children sing again
To reach Voznesenk, coming from Kiev, you pass through Youzhnoukrainsk, a city built around the nuclear power plant. A bit like Chernobyl, which is so reminiscent. Arriving there, you will notice the three reactors that stand out in this plain and the steam that rises from the river. An intense cloud that sits right above the water. The architecture is reminiscent of the Soviet period. Huge condominiums where many families still live. Those who live here, in most cases, work at the power plant.
The presence of soldiers is very numerous and the entire area surrounding the reactors is absolutely armored. For months there were fears that it could become a target, it would be a catastrophe. Not that the concern no longer exists today, but we have learned to live with this too. Even the road that leads to Voznesenk has a name that recalls the presence of the nuclear power plant. The fact that so many children with various types of disabilities were born in this area is a consequence that no one declares out loud, but almost everyone says it in a whisper. And for these children, the place where they are followed and cared for is the center of Voznesenk. The same one where the performance was taking place, interrupted by yet another Russian attack (photo above). A party that fortunately will not be ruined. Once the alarm has passed, the children start dancing again.
Why Ukraine moves Christmas forward to December 25th
Since last year, by government decision, the Ukrainian Orthodox Christmas has fallen on December 25th, like the Catholic one. A way of saying that it is better to celebrate with those who have proven to be friends of the Ukrainian people, rather than with enemies. But not even Christmas silences the guns. Alarms and attacks are daily, continuous. For this reason, in Kharkiv, decidedly far from Voznesenk, in the north of the country a few kilometers from the Russian border, they did not want to give up the celebrations. But a method was chosen that guarantees a certain security.
All the events, especially the initiatives designed specifically for children, take place in the city's metro stations. The Ukrainian subways are on average deeper than those we usually encounter. The one in Kiev is the deepest in the world, the one in Kharkiv does not reach this depth but it is still a safe place. This is where people take refuge when the sirens sound. They prefer this solution to the shelters scattered throughout the rest of the city. Not only for a question of safety but also because it is a way to be together in this moment of great difficulty. Concerts and shows, designed especially for children but not only, take place every afternoon throughout the holiday period. And there are a lot of people who meet on the subway to share these moments (in the photo above, the approach to a checkpoint).
In Kharkiv the lights are turned on again for the holidays
In Kharkiv many of the people who had fled the city have reappeared. Not all of them, of course, but many have returned. For a series of factors, including economic ones. In fact, the rich can afford the enormously increased rents in cities less affected by the conflict, but most people cannot afford it. So the difference even just compared to a month and a half ago can be seen. There are more people around, more cars. Of course, talking about traffic would make little sense, but there are more cars circulating than in October. Even more so if you think about the summer just gone by.
All Ivan Compasso's investigations on the war in Ukraine
That it is Christmas in Kharkiv can also be seen in other details. Notwithstanding that the alarms often sound and if you look at the sky you always notice something moving, the administration has decided to put some lights in the centre. There are few, but in the last two years there were none. And invariably there are decorated trees, especially in the metro and train stations.
Under Putin's drones no one sees the end of the war
The enormous Freedom Square is still an open-air museum, where both Russian tanks and the remains of the missiles that fell on the city are put on display (photo below). But the thing that stands out most is that the enormous poster covering the façade of the government building, which has suffered several attacks in the last three years, has changed. If previously they had chosen an image and a caption that incited resistance and even enlistment, today there is a completely new message.
Not that there is no lack of references to the situation we are experiencing, to the drama of the war. But there are also Christmas greetings. And a thought for the year to come, which will necessarily be that of the Ukrainian recovery. Because here, no one really thinks that the war is about to end, after the announcement of the possible meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. At any level. Meanwhile, a few hours before Christmas, it's snowing heavily. And it's always better to see snowflakes than bombs on your head.
