Air raid sirens sounded across every metre of Ukrainian-controlled territory as the country marked six months since Moscow’s invasion on a sombre independence day, overshadowed by warnings of “brutal” attacks.
The sense of foreboding was deepened by a warning from the White House that the Russians had stepped up preparations to hold sham referenda in occupied regions as a precursor to annexations, and that they could begin “in a matter of days or weeks”.
Joe Biden announced a further $3bn in military aid, including anti-aircraft missiles, artillery, counter-drone defences and radar equipment as a show of US support on Ukrainian independence day, and senior politicians from across Europe have travelled to Kyiv to show their support in person, despite security warnings including a US call for its citizens to leave the country.
The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, in his third visit to the country since Russia invaded, urged the international community to “stay the course” in its support for Ukraine. He also told the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, that Ukraine “can and will win the war”.
It is 31 years since Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union, and six months to the day since Russia launched a war that aimed to reverse that step away from Moscow’s control.
Many in the capital on Wednesday were taking stock of both their achievements and losses. Few outside Ukraine, even among its allies, expected the country to hold off Russia’s army so effectively, including in a decisive victory outside Kyiv.
But the country has paid a terrible human price for its success so far. Thousands of civilians have been killed since the war began on 24 February, while Ukraine has acknowledged 9,000 military deaths, millions have lost their homes or been forced into exile, and there is little hope that an end to the fighting is in sight.
“I’m constantly worried and praying that our skies remain blue and I understand that people are giving their lives for this,” said Yana Pasychnyk, a choral singer in one of Ukraine’s national choirs. She was was heading home after performing at Kyiv’s St Sophia Cathedral.
“As I’m speaking to you now I have goosebumps. People I know, my godson even, is fighting at the front. There’s no celebration today. I can’t even believe that this is happening,”
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, told his fellow citizens that their country was reborn when Russia invaded, in a speech recorded on the steps of the capital’s monument to independence and aired on the morning of the anniversary.
“A new nation appeared in the world on 24 February at four in the morning. It was not born, but reborn. A nation that did not cry, scream or take fright. One that did not flee. Did not give up. And did not forget,” he said.
He pledged to keep fighting until Ukraine had recaptured annexed Crimea and occupied areas in the east. “What for us is the end of the war? We used to say peace. Now we say victory.”
A spokesman for Biden’s national security council, John Kirby, warned that the Moscow was making preparations to stage referenda in the occupied areas.
“We have information that Russia continues to prepare to hold these sham referendum in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and the so called Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics,” Kirby said. “We’ve also learned that the Russia leadership has instructed officials to begin preparing to hold a sham referenda, particularly in Kharkiv as well. And these referenda could begin in a matter of days or weeks. In fact, we can see a Russian announcement of the first one or ones before the end of this week.”
Kirby said that holding referenda, intended to be a prelude to annexation, was proving a challenge to their Russian organisers in the face of near-total opposition of Ukraine’s population.
“Our information is that Russian officials are so concerned that there will be a low voter turnout .. that they’re trying to work on workarounds and how they would how they would communicate that,” he said, but did not describe what those “workarounds” might be.
Meanwhile, the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, claimed that the slowing pace of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine was deliberate, and driven by the need to reduce civilian casualties.
Shoigu said: “Everything is being done to avoid casualties among civilians. Of course, this slows down the pace of the offensive, but we are doing this deliberately.”
Zelenskiy had warned on the eve of the holiday that Ukraine might face “repugnant Russian provocations”, and urged citizens to take seriously any air raid warnings – often ignored by a population now inured to the risks of war.
The US had urged its citizens to leave the country, although the embassy remained open and the ambassador, Bridget Brink, promised a commitment to the fight against Moscow. “I stand in awe of your steadfast defence of our shared values. The United States will stand together with you for as long as it takes,” she said.
That promise is expected to be backed later in the day by the announcement of a fresh $3bn security assistance package for Ukraine, the Associated Press has reported. It will aim to help secure the country’s medium- to long-term defence in what has become a grinding war of attrition.
As air raid sirens sounded across the country, putting Ukraine on alert, the latest news came through of partisan warfare that has been so successful behind Russian lines. A car bomb killed the Russian-installed head of the town of Mykhailivka, in an occupied part of southern Zaporizhzhia region, on Tuesday, a Russian official from the local administration said.
Zelenskiy also celebrated national unity, which has been bolstered by a powerful government messaging campaign. “We are fighting against the most terrible threat to our statehood and also at a time when we have achieved the greatest level of national unity,” Zelenskiy said.
A display of destroyed Russian tanks and other military equipment on the main street of the capital replaced the usual military parade through the centre of Kyiv, cancelled over fears that such a symbolic day could attract fresh attacks.
It was both a celebration of Ukraine’s military success and a trolling of Moscow’s expectations of a quick victory; it had sent some soldiers to battle with parade uniforms which they had expected to use in Kyiv.
Drones will fly a giant national flag over the capital, which is largely locked down, with increased security and people who have been returning to their offices in the centre urged to work from home.
Alex Rodnyansky, a presidential adviser, said many civilians were trying to leave the city because of fears it could be targeted. Andriy Yusov, a senior intelligence official, said Russia and Vladimir Putin’s regime “are really obsessed with dates and symbols, so it would be logical to be on the lookout and be prepared for independence day”.
There has been particular concern about how the Russian military are managing Europe’s largest nuclear plant, in Zaporizhzhia, which they seized in March, amid warnings they might be planning a risky move to disconnect it from the Ukrainian power grid.
The UN’s nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday it could visit within days “if ongoing negotiations succeed”. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wants to assess safety and security at the plant, which both sides accuse the other of shelling.
There was a show of international support, including visits to the capital by a coalition of European politicians.
“Here in Kyiv we’re in shelters after being woken by the air raid siren,” the British MP and former Conservative leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat wrote on Twitter. “I’m in Kyiv with 30 representatives from across Europe to show our support for Ukraine and stand against Putin’s illegal invasion.”
Reuters contributed to this report
