Despite war, some Ukrainian families reunite for New Year

For millions of Ukrainians many of them under Russian bombardment and grappling with power and water shortages New Years celebrations will be muted as Russias 10month war rumbles on with no end in sightBut for some families it is a chance to reunite however briefly after months apartAt Kyivs central railway station on Saturday morning Mykyta still in his uniform gripped a bouquet of pink roses tightly as he waited on platform 9 for his wife Valeriia to arrive from Poland He hadnt seen her in six monthsIt actually was really tough you know to wait so long he told The Associated Press after hugging and kissing ValeriiaNearby another soldier Vasyl Khomko 42 joyously met his daughter Yana and wife Galyna who have been living in Slovakia due to the war but returned to Kyiv to spend New Years Eve togetherThe mood contrasted starkly with that from 10 months ago when families were torn apart by the Russian invasion of UkraineBack in February fathers husbands and sons had to stay behind as their wives mothers and daughters boarded trains with small children seeking safety outside the countryScenes of tearful goodbyes seared television screens and front pages of newspaper across the worldBut on the last day of the year marked by the brutal war many returned to the capital to spend New Years Eve with their loved onesAs Russian attacks continue to target power supplies leaving millions without electricity no big celebrations are expected and a curfew will be in place as the clock rings in the new yearBut for most Ukrainians being together with their families is already a luxuryAlso Read Ukraine claims overnight drone strikes by RussiaValeriia first sought refuge from the conflict in Spain but later moved to Poland Asked what their New Years Eve plans were she answered simply Just to be togetherThe couple declined not to share their family name for security reasons as Mykyta has been fighting on the front lines in both southern and eastern UkraineOn platform 8 another young couple reunited University student Arseniia Kolomiiets 23 has been living in ItalyDespite longing to see her boyfriend Daniel Liashchenko in Kyiv Kolomiiets was scared of Russian missiles and drone attacksHe was like Please come Please come Please come she recalled I decided that being scared is one part but being with beloved ones on the holidays is the most important part So I overcome my fear and here I am nowAlthough they have no electricity at home Liashchenko said they were looking forward to welcoming 2023 together with his family and their catIn an attempt to ensure residents have light during their celebrations the regional government of Ukraines southwestern Odesa province is planning to limit the work of the most energyintensive industries on December 31 and Jan 1Regional head Maksym Marchenko made the announcement on Friday via Telegram and said that power engineers in the province had used all means possible to eliminate the consequences of Russias barrage of attacks on Ukraine on Thursday and reinstate the power supplyIn Kyiv recent attacks have left many on edge unsure about whether the skies will be peaceful on the last day of the yearWe are hoping there will be no surprises today said Natalya Kontonenko who had traveled from Finland It was the first time she had seen her brother SerhiiKontonenko since the fullscale invasion began on February 24 Serhii and other relatives traveled from Mykolaiv to Kyiv to meet NatalyaWe are not concerned about the electricity because we are together and that I think is the most important he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever