I visited Kyiv in August 2019 and spent only a few days there before heading to Chernobyl. Even then, just five years after the events of Euromaidan, the city pulsed with life. There was a sense of motion, of healing, and of transformation. I could so plainly sense that I was in a nation looking toward its future, seeking new avenues of integration with a union of nations that shared her values. These few images from that visit remind me of a Kyiv that, while still bearing its scars, stood vibrant and full of promise.

That same city now lives under the shadow of invasion. Its streets and monuments have been transformed by war, a bitter and looming terror that threatens every street and neighborhood with fire and fear. The contrast between the peace I experienced then, with my own senses, and the reality of now—stories told in a thousand voices across just as many mediums—is difficult to hold in my mind.

Still, years after my visit, I often think back to those quiet moments in the city: the warm afternoons, the echo of my footsteps near the gold-clad spires, and, most of all, the kindness of her people. In these moments of reflection, I feel a deep longing for Kyiv to return to peace.

This is a city that has endured centuries of upheaval, occupation, and renewal… and I believe it will rise again.

I hope one day to walk its boulevards once more, to see its landmarks unshattered, and to feel that spirit of hope restored.

May justice come for Ukraine, and may Kyiv flourish again.

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