People visit the Christmas market on Sofiivska Square in central Kyiv on Dec. 27, 2021. The two men are dressed as Saint Nicholas, or Svyaty Mykolay, the Ukrainian alternative to Santa Claus. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Despite the double threat of a looming Russian invasion and the new variant of Covid-19 virus, Omicron, Kyivans are making the most of the holiday season with the city’s Christmas markets.
People visit the Christmas Fair on Kontraktova Square on Dec. 27. Kontraktova Square and Sofiivska Square are the two main Christmas locations in Kyiv. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)Visitors of the Christmas Fair on Sofiivska Square in central Kyiv check out one of the mulled wine stalls on Dec. 27, 2021. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Like every year, Kyiv's two main Christmas markets are open on Sofiivska Square in the heart of Kyiv and Kontraktova Square in the Podil area.
People enjoy mulled wine by the fire at the Christmas Fair on Kontraktova Square in Kyiv on Dec. 27, 2021. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
The markets offer a variety of mulled wine and grilled food, as well as entertainment in the form of carol singers and actors dressed as Saint Nicholas, or Svaty Mykolay, the Ukrainian alternative to Santa Claus.
People pose for a photo at the Christmas Fair on Sofiivska Square in Kyiv on Dec. 27, 2021. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Kyiv's main Christmas tree stands over Sofiivska Square, where it's stood every year since 2014.
A woman poses for a photo at the Christmas Fair on Kontraktova Square in Kyiv on Dec. 27, 2021. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Before that, the Christmas tree used to be installed on the Independence Square.
Mulled wine sold at the Christmas Fair on Sofiivska Square on Dec. 27, 2021. Mulled wine is a popular drink at Ukrainian Christmas markets, with vendors usually offering a variety of tastes. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
After the 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution, that happened largely in the Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti), the city authorities started putting up the annual Christmas tree in the nearby Sofiivska Square.
People skate on the rink at the Christmas Fair on Sofiivska Square in central Kyiv on Dec. 27, 2021. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)People visit the Christmas Fair on Sofiivska Square in Kyiv on Dec. 27, 2021. The square is hosting the city's main Christmas tree. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
The Christmas market on Sofiivska Square will be open through Jan. 16, on Kontraktova Square — through Jan. 22.
Kyiv's main Christmas tree was placed on Sofiivska Square, as it has been since 2014. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
Donald Trump Jr. warned on Dec. 7 that his father may walk away from Ukraine, parroting Kremlin propaganda about corruption in Kyiv driving Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
The AP spoke to 34 refugees who reported kidnappings, sexual assault, and civilian killings at the hands of the Africa Corps, a paramilitary group controlled by the Russian Defense Ministry.
Czech President Petr Pavel warned that repeated Russian airspace violations may eventually force Europe to shoot down Russian aircraft and drones, and said European countries must be ready to fight and win a war on their own if the U.S. is tied up elsewhere.
Amid an ongoing Russian offensive, Ukraine has liberated a village in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the Ukrainian open-source mapping project DeepState and Ukraine's military reported.
In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur reports on another failed round of U.S.-Russia diplomacy over a controversial peace plan, as Moscow presses ahead on the battlefield and advances in and near Pokrovsk.
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Independent, under fire — and unstoppable with you on board
Independent journalism is never easy, and it’s even harder in wartime. Yet we can do it without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. More than 25,000 people chose to stand behind our mission. Thank you for making our work possible.
