boisterous christmas
Church bells rang across Kyiv on Sunday as Orthodox Christians attended Christmas services, in a break with Russian spiritual leaders who will mark the holiday in two weeks.
At a service in central Kyiv, worshiper Olga Stanko told AFP she supports any move to tear Ukraine away from Russia.
“The war has brought us much sorrow,” she said. “We cannot do this with Russia, be under its influence.”
Also attending the service, Olena Zakharova-Goryanska said she was happy to celebrate Christmas on December 25 for the first time – describing it as an obvious choice after escaping Russian occupation in the town of Gostomel, north of Kyiv.
“I don’t want anything to do with the occupiers, with the enemy,” she said.