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)
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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)
Moscow is organizing the deployment of a combined unit of military engineers from the Lao People's Armed Forces to Russia's Kursk Oblast, allegedly to help with demining operations, Ukraine's military intelligence said.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte presided over the handover, commending outgoing U.S. Army General Christopher G. Cavoli for his contributions to modernizing NATO's collective defense and bolstering support for Ukraine.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu hopes her pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) will retain its parliamentary majority in the September 28 elections.
"The US has to make sure that the stockpiles are at the level we need for the U.S. to have, because they are crucial for our collective defense," Rutte told reporters on July 4. "At the same time, of course, we hope for the flexibility, we have to make sure also that Ukraine can move forward."
"On the agenda, there's how to maintain Ukraine in a capacity to fight, how to increase pressure on Russia, and how to continue the work on the next steps," an unnamed French official told Politico.
Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, commander of the elite drone unit "Birds of Magyar," warned on July 4 that Russian Shahed drone strikes could increase to 1,000 per day, prompting Ukraine to consider relocating drone production.
Fires broke out across the city as Russia attacked the capital overnight on July 4. At least 23 people have been injured, with 14 of the victims hospitalized.
"Today we discussed the situation: Russian air strikes and, more broadly, the situation on the front lines. President Trump is very well informed," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko spent a day with an artillery crew from the 28th Mechanized Brigade in the front-line city of Kostiantynivka. Following the recent decision by the Pentagon to halt shipments of certain weapons to Ukraine, a looming shell shortage is once again on the horizon for Ukrainian forces.
A senior military review had concluded that while some munitions stockpiles, including precision weapons, were low, they had not fallen below critical thresholds, according to NBC. Still, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth opted to stop the shipment. This is reportedly his third such move since February.
Dutch intelligence services, together with German intelligence, have found that Russia is systematically escalating the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces, the Netherlands Military Intelligence (MIVD) reported on July 4.
"I'm speaking to President Zelensky tomorrow in the morning, and I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin," U.S. President Donald Trump told journalists.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's counter-disinformation center, said a drone hit the Azov Optical and Mechanical Plant in the town of Azov, Rostov Oblast. The facility reportedly manufactures critical components for the Russian military, including sights, rangefinders, thermal imaging systems, and fire control equipment for tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, ships, and aircraft.
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