00:00A memorial to fallen soldiers in Maidan or Independence Square in the heart of Kiev.
00:07A place to pay tribute as Ukraine ushers in yet another year under the shadow of war.
00:16The sea of flags has grown steadily as the country's losses pile up.
00:23There are such a lot of people who have died.
00:31My nephew was killed in October in Donetsk.
00:37Every time you're on the city centre, you're forced to see it.
00:40It's a direct reminder to people that the war is going on, that it takes the lives of
00:44the best of us.
00:47This is another heavy price the war has extracted.
00:52Fedir Sambursky was hit by a drone while serving near Kherson in 2022.
00:58He needed multiple surgeries.
01:03He opened this cafe two weeks ago, supported by a charity that helps veterans like him
01:08with rehabilitation.
01:11It's a meeting point for injured soldiers and their families.
01:16Here people like Fedir can be productive again.
01:21I enjoy the feeling when you lie down in the evening with that pleasant light exhaustion.
01:25I really love it.
01:26I'm passionate about this project.
01:33The charity is trying hard to lift spirits for the new year, but few here are in the
01:39mood to celebrate.
01:43There's no festive mood because, unfortunately, the war continues and our comrades and civilians
01:49are dying in Ukraine.
01:50But on the other hand, we need to keep going for our children.
01:59Not everyone agrees.
02:01Some of these former soldiers say it's time to end the bloodshed, though they don't agree
02:06on how.
02:09It's difficult to talk about it.
02:10I don't want to lie to anyone.
02:12Let the Russians stay in the territories they have destroyed, but they should not be allowed
02:16to go a kilometer further, not even one meter, so that our country can create solid borders
02:22and they will not be able to invade again.
02:28I think the sooner there will be some negotiations, the sooner the war ends, the better it will
02:33be.
02:34But the war should end on conditions that Ukraine remains Ukraine and we should not
02:40lose what we are fighting for.
02:44If and when the fighting stops, one thing is sure, Ukraine will have many more injured
02:50soldiers it will need to find a place for in society.
02:55Fedir hopes his cafe can serve as an example.
03:00I really want to create conditions for our soldiers so that after we win the war, they
03:05understand that someone is there for them, that they have somewhere to go and that they
03:08are not forgotten.
03:11Despite the pessimism, there's some hope here as well, that 2025 could bring a resolution
03:18in the conflict, one that leads to a fair deal in Ukraine.
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