Despite the war, some Ukrainian families reunite for the New Year. WGN Radio 720

Kyiv, UKRAINE (AP) — For millions of Ukrainians, many under Russian shelling and grappling with power and water shortages, Russia’s 10-month war has no end in sight , New Year celebrations will be low-key.

But for some families, it’s a chance to reunite, even briefly, after months apart.

While waiting for his wife Valeria to arrive from Poland on Saturday morning at Kyiv’s Central Station, Mikita, still in his uniform, clutched a bouquet of pink roses tightly. hadn’t met her.

“It was really hard to wait that long, actually,” he told the Associated Press after hugging and kissing Valeria.

Nearby, another soldier, Vasyl Komko, 42, was delighted with his daughter Yana and wife Galina, who had lived in Slovakia for the war but returned to Kyiv to spend New Year’s Eve together. I met.

It’s a contrast to the mood 10 months ago, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine broke families apart.

Back in February, fathers, husbands and sons had to stay home as their wives, mothers and daughters took a train with their small children to seek safety out of the country. Scenes of the tearful goodbye burned the front pages of television screens and newspapers around the world.

However, on the last day of the year when the brutal war was recorded, many returned to the capital to spend New Year’s Eve with their loved ones.

No major celebrations planned, curfew in effect as New Year’s clock strikes as Russian attacks continue to target power supplies, leaving millions without access to electricity will be But for most Ukrainians, being with family is already a luxury.

Valeria first tried to escape the conflict in Spain, but later moved to Poland. When asked about her plans for New Year’s Eve, she simply replied, “Just to be together.”

Mykyta has fought on the front lines in both southern and eastern Ukraine, so the couple refused to disclose their surname for security reasons.

On Platform 8, another young couple reunited. Her college student girlfriend Arseniia Kolomiiets, 23, lives in Italy. Even though she wanted to meet her boyfriend, Daniel Lyashenko, in Kiev, Kolomyets feared Russian missile and drone attacks.

“He said, ‘Come on! Come on! Come on!'” she recalled. “Sometimes I get scared, but I’ve decided that being with the people I love while on vacation is the most important thing. So I overcame my fear and now I’m here.”

Although there is no electricity at home, Lyashchenko says she is looking forward to welcoming 2023 with her family and cat.

To ensure that residents have access to light during celebrations, the local government of the Odessa province in southwestern Ukraine will limit the work of the most energy-intensive industries on December 31 and January 1. are planning

Regional chief Maksim Marchenko announced via telegram on Friday that state power engineers were doing everything in their power to “rule out the consequences” of Thursday’s Russian attack on Ukraine and restore power supplies. said.

In Kyiv, the recent attacks have left many unsettled and unsure if the skies will be peaceful at the end of the year.

“I hope there are no surprises today,” said Natalia Kontonenko, who traveled from Finland. It was the first time she had seen her brother Serhiy Kontonenko since the invasion began in earnest on 24 February.

“We’re not worried about electricity because we’re together and I think that’s the most important thing,” he said.

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