Mr. Blue Sky … so, a beautiful autumnal day. And, after breakfast, I headed to Kyiv; alone and to see some sites and to gauge the mood. Dmitry drove me to Slavutych and the The Green Line metro to Zoloti Vorota; you take the escalator and emerge directly beside Golden Gate.
The Golden Gate of Kyiv (‘Zoloti vorota’) was the main gate in the eleventh century fortifications of Kyiv, named in imitation of the Golden Gate of Constantinople. It was rebuilt completely by the Soviet authorities in 1982, though no images of the original gates have survived. I wandered along Volodymyrska Street to St. Sophia’s Cathedral.
The former Saint Sophia Cathedral is one of Kyiv’s best-known landmarks and the first site in Ukraine to be inscribed on the World Heritage List along with the Cave Monastery complex at Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. In the square is The Bohdan Khmelnytsky Monument built in 1888 and one of the oldest sculptural monuments in Kyiv; the monument is currently boarded up to protect from damage during the war. Alongside is a makeshift monument to the ‘Heroes of Mariupol’ who fought for 86 days in inhuman conditions; the monument stands until the last defender is released from captivity.
I stood and watched as a flatbed arrived; forklift lowered; parked vehicle lifted; raised vehicle secured; flatbed left. Two minutes; job done; don’t park badly in Kyiv. I continued along Volodymyrska Passage to Mykhailivska ploshcha (Saint Michael’s Square).
The Square hosts Russian military equipment captured and destroyed during the invasion of Ukraine; each time I’ve visited, a different display of war machines. But worse is the graphic photographic exhibition of Russian atrocities; beneath one picture the words ‘Charred bodies of civilians killed by the Russian occupiers who tried to burn them down hide (sic) the traces of their crimes, Bucha, Kyiv Region, April 5, 2022’.
The stunning St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery lies at the top of the square, dedicated to Michael the Archangel. The monastery has been the headquarters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine since December 2018. Much of the monastery, including the cathedral church, was demolished by the Soviet authorities in the 1930’s. The complex was rebuilt following Ukrainian independence in 1991; the cathedral reopened in 1999.
Next to the monastery is The Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine (today’s picture). The Wall was implemented as a joint work of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, the National Military History Museum of Ukraine, the editorial board of the book ‘Memory of the Fallen for Ukraine’ and the historical and cultural society ‘Amulet of Time’. There are countless thousands of fallen heroes.
As I stood here, the sirens screamed; the first alert in Kyiv for two weeks. And you know, people continued almost oblivious to the screeching in the background.
I wandered down the hill, passing The Arch of Freedom of the Ukrainian People (‘The Rainbow Bridge’), opened on 7 November 1982, amidst the celebration of the 1,500th Anniversary of Kyiv, to commemorate the sixtieth Anniversary of the USSR together with the ‘reunification of Ukraine with Russia in 1654’. The sculpture under the arch, which depicted a Ukrainian worker and a Russian worker standing together, was dismantled in April 2022 amidst the Russian invasion.
I continued into Maidan Nezalezhnosti (‘Independence Square’) but often simply called Maidan (‘square’). In the square, the iconic Independence Monument, ‘the Berehynia statue’, designed by Anatoliy Kushch, Christina Katrakis’ father (see blog entry, Sunday 15 October 2023). Since the start of Ukraine’s independence movement in 1990, the square has been the traditional place for political rallies.
I walked along Khreshchatyk Street, the main street of Kyiv; not busy but it was a Tuesday afternoon; but, truly, there was no sense of there being anything awry. Khreshchatyk was deliberately destroyed during World War II by retreating Red Army troops. The street was rebuilt in a Stalinist neo-classical style after the end of the war and has been renovated since Ukraine’s independence.
I headed to Palats Sportu metro station; as I neared, the sirens screamed again; this was the first time I saw real fear this trip; women and children were streaming to the basement shelter of the metro station. As I reached the platforms there were countless hundreds of people standing, sitting on the floor, sitting on small canvas camping stools, many in tears.
I took Metro 2 – The Blue Line to Teremky, the terminus. There, I met a family member of one of the refugees brought to England; Valeriy is hoping to come to spend some time with his young son; difficult times. I retraced my steps and headed home for dinner.
I said to Oleg this evening I should buy my return train ticket; I normally leave Kyiv on the Friday evening to spend a day with Peter the Priest in Uzhhorod buying supplies for the remaining refugees. But, Peter is away and there is still plenty to be done here; I would travel Sunday evening. Oleg looked … ‘Nick, every train is fully booked until next Tuesday’; normal. Don’t worry, we agreed; this is Ukraine; it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
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