25 Aug 2022

Ukraine celebrates independence day amid war

From Morning Report, 6:21 am on 25 August 2022

Ukraine is celebrating Independence Day six months after the invasion by Russia began.

The invasion has resulted in immense destruction, the displacement of millions of Ukrainians and the deaths of what is thought to be tens of thousands of people including the death announced yesterday of a New Zealand soldier.

This handout photo taken and released by the Ukrainian presidential press service on 24 August, 2022, shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and wife Olena attending a commemoration ceremony at a memorial wall displaying images of Ukrainian servicemen and servicewomen killed since Russia launched a military invasion on the country in February, in the centre of Kyiv, on Ukraine's Independence Day.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and wife Olena attend a commemoration ceremony on Ukraine's Independence Day. Photo: AFP / Ukrainian Presidential Press Service

New Zealand freelance journalist Tom Mutch spoke to Susie Ferguson.