Despite hardships brought by war, flowers fill Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — On his way to the Kyiv train station to greet his wife and daughter returning from Poland to Ukraine , Oleksander Tryfonov made a stop. Derek Gatopoulos And Anton Shtuka, The Associated Press Jul 4, 2024 5:02 AM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Various flowers are seen in front of a field of flags in memory of fallen fighters, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Despite hardships brought by war flowers fill Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
They burst out of planters that line the capital's backroads and grand boulevards and are fixed to lampposts. (AP Photo/Anton Shtuka) KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — On his way to the Kyiv train station to greet his wife and daughter returning from Poland to Ukraine , Oleksander Tryfonov made a stop. He bought two red roses from one of a half-dozen flower shops lining a dimly lit underpass — something beautiful for the two most precious people in his life.
“I haven’t seen them for two years,” Tryfonov, a burly 45-year-old driver said of his family. “Flowers are important for women.” Flowers have always been linked with Ukraine's culture, but since Russia's 2022 invasion , their significance has only grown, with blooms becoming a symbol of both resistance and hope.
Despite hardships brought by war — or perhaps because of them — Ukrainians take every chance they can to fil.