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)
President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with U.S. President Trump’s Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Christmas Day to discuss "several substantive details" of ongoing peace talks, the president said.
Ukrainian forces struck multiple targets inside Russia overnight Dec. 24-25, hitting oil refining facility, a port, and a military airfield, the Ukrainian General Staff and a source from the the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said.
The missiles struck the refinery, triggering multiple explosions, the General Staff said, adding that the extent of the damage was still being clarified.
Ukrainian intelligence sources said the officers had previously taken part in Russia's war against Ukraine and were implicated in the abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).
Russia launched 131 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 106 drones. At least 22 drones made it through, striking 15 locations.
Russia's Defense Ministry reported that between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Moscow time on Dec. 24, its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 132 Ukrainian drones.
"'May he perish,' each of us may think to ourselves," Zelensky said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "But when we turn to God, of course, we ask for something greater. We ask for peace for Ukraine."
In a hypothetical runoff between the two, Zaluzhnyi would secure a decisive victory, winning 64% of the vote compared to Zelensky's 36%, according to the poll.
The Kyiv Independent’s Myroslava Chauin speaks with Kateryna Rashevska, a legal expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights and a children’s rights activist, about evidence that Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories were transferred to a children’s camp in North Korea.
The plant, located in the town of Efremov, produces dual-use synthetic rubber and polymers used in military vehicle tires, armored personnel carriers, and other weapons-related applications.
