KYIV (Reuters) – Pink cherry blossom has brought a touch of spring to a Kyiv park still strewn with barbed wire and anti-tank barriers.
Picking their way through the defences and past signs warning of landmines, Kyiv residents are revelling in the splash of colour in Kyoto Park, a symbol of Ukrainian-Japanese friendship on the outskirts of the city.
“When I saw the sign reading ‘(danger) mines’, I thought that the gardeners must have been very lucky as they already mowed the lawn here,” saleswoman Olha Stashinskene said. “One should always look for something beautiful in life.”
Olena Yukhymchuk, 37, tries to go to parks as often as possible with her 8-year-old daughter Yaroslava.
“Despite everything, the colours give us an easier daily routine, because when everything is grey it’s much harder to deal with,” she said.
The Ukrainian military positions in the park, including trenches and a bunker, are no longer in use. But for some of the visitors, the stark reminders of the war are as important as the springtime glory of the trees.
“I actually want the tank barrier in the frame when my friend takes pictures of me. That’s our destiny, that’s the times we got assigned to live in. This should remain as a memorial even after our victory,” said Liubov Iliashenko, a 28-year-old dentist.
(Reporting by Anna Voitenko, Felix Hoske and Andrii Pryimachenko; Writing by Alison Williams; Editing by Conor Humphries)
