Inside Kyiv's Heartbreaking, War-Torn Christmas: 'My Only Wish Is Peace'
Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
It has been a long 10 months of war for Ukrainians, who are living under constant assault in Russian President Vladimir Putin's attempt to take over their country. Nearly 8 million people have fled Ukraine as refugees since February, and several million have been displaced within the country. The majority of Ukraine's children will not be in their homes this holiday season.
Half a million Ukrainians are fighting in the military, and thousands of soldiers and civilians have lost their lives. More than 1,100 children have been killed or injured. And it's not over.
Needless to say, those who stayed in Ukraine will be having subdued Christmas celebrations this year, if at all.
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Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Concrete barricades are turned into Christmas decor in Kyiv
It was this time last year that real estate executive Alexander Nosachenko was on vacation with his wife and children in Europe for a winter holiday. By the end of the trip, war was apparent.
Nosachenko asked his wife and children to stay in the safety of Europe while he went back to defend Ukraine as a civilian sniper. He visited them in Germany in August, but hasn't seen them since. His kids attend a Ukrainian school online.
Missing Christmas this year, he says, is "not important at all." His single focus is beating back the Russians and helping his country gain freedom. Family celebrations will have to wait.
Courtesy of Alexander Nosachenko Alexander visits his children in Germany in August 2022
When he surprised his mother recently at a bakery, she hugged him tightly and cried. Yet he won't spend Christmas with his mother either because he'd rather she stay in western Ukraine, as far away as possible from Kyiv, where he is, and from the Russian border.
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Nosachenko has been spending Christmas money on thermal underwear and American assault rifles for the military. "This is what we buy as presents these days," he says.
"Everybody is buying winter boots or proper underwear or power banks" and sending them to the frontline, he says. Helmets, tactical headphones, vitamins, assault rifles and rifle accessories are also common gifts. "Our soldiers are not equipped with proper firearms, so this is something we have to buy for them here."
Courtesy of Alexander Nosachenko
But many in the capital city are indeed getting into the Christmas spirit, however muted. With rolling power outages and temperatures near freezing, stores stocked with Christmas trees operate under a few lights powered by a generator, and business has been steady.
When Kateryna Balakay's son Glib, 9, submitted his Christmas list, she was surprised. He asked for something inexpensive, worried that Santa wouldn't have enough money this year for expensive gifts. He also asked for the war to end. It made his mother cry.
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Parenting has been difficult. Balakay worries when he's out of her sight. She was checking in with him on his cell phone, but now it's hard to get a connection so she doesn't let him go anywhere alone, even to the playground. "I worry when we are apart," she says.
Glib can play outside with his friends, but only near the house. The kids like to play hide-and-seek, charades and iPhone games. Glib has a lot of free time because he can only go to school every other week — the school only takes the number of kids who fit in their shelter. Balakay worries less when her son is at school because she knows if the missiles fly, the kids will be in the bomb shelter.
Courtesy of Kateryna Balakay Families continue to shop for Christmas amid power outages and cold weather
Glib will be showered with books, toys, and treats this Christmas, but not as many as in years past because the family is donating presents to "some unknown children," Balakay says. They are also donating to the military. Shops are open and stocked, but due to Russian attacks on Ukraine's electricity transmission and heating infrastructure, buildings are often dark and cold.
Balakay has taken in her mother and mother-in-law due to the war, and they plan to celebrate Christmas together — albeit without some friends who are in the military or far away this year.
"At Christmas it is customary for us to have 12 different dishes on the table, but this year we will prepare them in advance, while there is light," Balakay says. Currently, she tells PEOPLE she only has power at night.
Courtesy of Kateryna Balakay Kateryna and Glib stand beside their unlit Christmas tree
One mother in Kyiv, Yuliya Lebedyn, will buy gifts for her daughter Polina, 1 ½, but this won't be a normal Christmas.
"Normal Christmas is the one without a war in your country and without a daily fear for the lives in your family," Lebedyn says. "Normal Christmas is the one when you celebrate in a house with electricity, water and heating. Normal Christmas is the one when you can relax and not think about the terror in your country, wounded soldiers, people with damaged homes and damaged lives."
Rather than lighting sparklers at the Christmas tree in the town square, as they usually do, Lebedyn says she and her family will be having a quieter Christmas in the countryside. "There will be a Christmas tree, lots of presents, and hugs."
Though for her, she says, "I don't want to get any gifts this year — mine and my family's only wish this year will be victory and the long-awaited peace for our country."
The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.
