London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

Life in Ukraine after one year of war:  'Exhausted, but not broken'

Life in Ukraine after one year of war: 'Exhausted, but not broken'

A year after my first visit to the war-torn Ukraine, I am back on Maidan square in the heart of Kyiv, at the very same spot I stood at on the first day of Russia's all-out invasion of the country. Most barricades have gone, and there are no piles of sandbags.

But I found that what hasn’t changed, is the extraordinary resilience that the Ukrainians continue to demonstrate, despite everything.

In towns and cities devastated by the war, I came to hear the personal accounts of those whose lives and families were torn apart, but are refusing to lose hope.


Irpin school: Bombs shelters and weapons training


Irpin, the gateway to Ukraine's capital, was one of the hardest hit cities during the Russian offensive on the Kyiv region. A year later, residents are trying to return to some semblance of normalcy.

Like every morning, the children rush to start their day at the Myria Lyceum school. Evacuated and bombed during the battle of Kyiv, the establishment reopened its doors in autumn for the start of the school year.

Everything has been planned in the event of an air alert or power failure, which are still frequent.

"All the children are organised with their teachers, they know where to go, [and] in what shelter," explained the Headmaster, Ivan Myronovych Ptashnyk.

In order not to overcrowd the shelters during alerts, the children who can come to school also alternate between class and distance learning. Many of these pupils were displaced abroad or across the country before returning to school.

Children alternate between class and distance learning, Irpin, Ukraine

"We need to defend our Ukraine, our homes and our families" says Anastasia


Teenagers are required to learn how to handle weapons. A legacy from the Soviet era that made them smile before the war. Not anymore.

"Unfortunately, we need to learn that, to defend our Ukraine, our homes, and our families," says 16 year old Anastasia.


Gorenka: People and businesses determined to carry on


The village of Gorenka, in the Bucha district, was ravaged during the Russian occupation. Here, young volunteers from the Brave to Rebuild NGO have come to clear the rubble.

This surge of solidarity has given hope to Tetiana, a local resident whose family home has been destroyed.

"Brave to Rebuild" volunteers help to clear the rubble in Gorenka, Ukraine


"They brought me back from another world," she told Euronews. "Now we are cleaning up so that we can then rebuild."

Before the war, Gorenka was home to many companies that employed thousands of people. Most of them were destroyed, but not all.

"These models show we are unbreakable", says Robert Milaiev, Head of engineering at Ugears


Resuming production as quickly as possible was essential for the mobile model maker Ugears, which has more than 200 employees, even in times of war.

"I think it is important for Ukraine because it gives pride, and makes it clear that we are unbreakable, and that we can rise again, despite all the destruction," states Robert Milaiev, the Head of Engineering.


A birthday in a Borodyanka shelter


Borodyanka is about fifty kilometres away from Kyiv, and the most bombed city in the region. The inhabitants of what remains of one of it's ravaged neighbourhoods have nothing left. Thousands of people have been displaced.

Some have found refuge in temporary accommodation centres, funded by Poland.

As we visit one of them, volunteers from the Food Foundation are delivering goods to the community there. They surprise Tamara, one of the residents, with a bouquet of red roses.

"Today is my birthday," Tamara tells Valérie Gauriat.

Tamara, displaced from her destroyed home in Borodyanka, receives flowers from a volunteer on her birthdayEuronews

"A year ago we were sitting around a table, there was music. We shared pleasant memories. And now I don't know what to remember. There is nothing to remember. We are just waiting for victory. We hope it comes soon, because we can't take it anymore" she concludes, her voice breaking.


Kharkiv: Kitting out the troops


Kharkiv, in the northeast of Ukraine, witnessed months of intense fighting before the Ukrainian army forced Russian troops to totally withdraw from the region last September.

But it's a resistance for which Ukraine's second city has paid a heavy price.

A few months later, the tension is still high in Kharkiv. About thirty kilometres from the Russian border, it continues to be under fire from Russian missiles.

Natalya Poniatovska is the manager of a workshop that has adapted to the war. She made women's clothes before the war.

Now, she and her team are now putting their skills at the service of the Ukrainian army.

"Who would have thought that we would go from this, feathers and frills, to that sort of thing, for the military?" she told Euronews.

"We are working to make victory happen" says Natalya Poniatovska, who designs army garments in her workshop in Kharkiv, Ukraine


Backpacks, bulletproof vests, cases for satellites or for solar panels, stretchers, or thermal underwear, are just some of the items made here upon order and delivered to the front line.

"We do everything that serves the war, like these backpacks, for Armed Forces battery charging stations -a station is mounted...in the bag," Natalya explained.

"The army told us that twenty-nine men who were surrounded managed to escape because they were able to carry the device which allowed them not to be spotted."

"Thanks to that, they are all alive and healthy. That's why we're proud of what we do! What motivates the team, is to win this war. We are not here just waiting for the victory, we are working to make it happen as soon as possible. I have a three-year-old grandson. I want him to grow up in a free Ukraine. That's the first thing that comes to my mind when I wake up in the morning", she confides, tears flowing to her eyes.


Saltivka's 'unbreakability points'


The suburb of Saltivka is only twenty kilometres away from the Russian border and is the entry point to the city of Kharkiv.

The scale of the destruction is impressive. Before the war, the area had about 40,000 inhabitants. Only two to three thousand remain.

"They took away our lives" says Olga, whose husband was killed in Saltivka, Ukraine


Olga can't hold back her tears as she stares at the rubbles of one of the destroyed buildings. Her husband was killed in Saltivka as he was going to the gas station.

"They destroyed everything." she cries out. "They left us without our loved ones, without parents, without husbands, without sons. Without our previous life. Without work… without anything. »

Reconstruction is underway, but the task is huge, and the future is uncertain. Daily life is a challenge for those who stayed on.

Humanitarian aid distributions are for many the only way to survive.

So-called 'unbreakability points' have also been set up here in tents or shelters, as in all parts of Ukraine. There, people can find some warmth and recharge their batteries, in every sense of the word.

That's where we meet Oleksii, 21, who comes here regularly, to charge his phone, have a warm drink, or simply watch television.

"It is impossible to restore the water and gas supply networks, nor any service. It won't get better as long as there's war." he says.

"Europe and the world must take more decisive action, right now" says 21 year old Oleksii


"If the European community and the world hear me, I would like to call on them to take more decisive action, right now, before the Russians massively mobilise new troops on our territory," the 21-year-old pleaded.

"We are at a moment when we could stop this war now, with strong measures. But we need your help, and decisive action on your part," concludes Oleksii.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×