Ukrainians seek peace on Kyiv beaches

• Despite temperatures nearing 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on the first weekend of July, no one is in a hurry to grab a beach towel.
• Daily life is dominated by fear of worsening conditions.
• A rocket killed one and injured four on June 26 in Kyiv neighbourhood that had been targeted twice.

KYIV, Ukraine: Ivan Sukhanov’s family vacationed in the Black Sea. Kyiv family wished to visit Egypt this year. Russian invaded.

Now, they’re going to the Dnipro river in Kyiv to have a regular holiday in strange conditions.

“We wanted to show the children the pyramids, but the war ruined our plans,” says the 41-year-old electrical engineer.

“This year, we’re enjoying what’s around Kyiv, the lakes, the parks… We’re relaxing as best we can“.

Kyiv’s sandy beaches are popular in summer.

Despite temperatures nearing 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on the first weekend of July, no one is in a hurry to grab a beach towel.

Three months ago, Russian troops left the northern and northeastern parts of the city to focus on the Donbas area in eastern Ukraine.

Kyiv is peaceful compared to Donbas‘ bombings and the south’s lethal strikes.

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Four months after Russian troops invaded his country on February 24, Sukhanov acknowledges, “We’re getting used to it.”

When air-raid alarms ring, “we don’t go to the shelters, we don’t follow the security rules… We live as best we can, hoping that everything will be OK“.

Daily life is dominated by fear of worsening conditions. A rocket killed one and injured four on June 26 in a Kyiv neighbourhood that had been targeted twice.

Many believe air raid alarms still bother them.

Add the daily 11 pm–5 am curfew and sandbags covering sculptures and government buildings, and it’s hard to forget you’re in a war zone.

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