Incomplete independence

For families of missing, captive and fallen soldiers, Independence Day magnifies the absence of loved ones

Destroyed military and civilian vehicles stand on the plaza outside St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv on Aug. 24, 2025, Ukraine’s Independence Day. (c. Martin Kuz)

---

Independence Day carries deep resonance in Ukraine for the obvious reason that its sovereignty is under siege. Russia occupies about one-fifth of the country, and with each hour, the human toll of preventing the invaders from seizing more territory rises ever higher.

This Aug. 24 marks the fourth wartime Independence Day for a proud, fierce nation where the word patriotism denotes a genuine love of country, and where that love is measured in blood. Earlier today in Kyiv, beneath a bright blue sky that slowly clouded over, family members of missing, captive and fallen soldiers gathered on Maidan Nezalezhnosti — Independence Square — to honor their loved ones.

They held flags and photos aloft as speakers demanded that Russia return the living and the dead. The somber mood reflected the reality that even if Ukraine one day regains every square inch of occupied land, hundreds of thousands of families will never be made whole.

---

---

---

---

---

(All photos c. Martin Kuz)

---

Etc.

— My sincere thanks for reading. Please share Reporting on Ukraine with anyone you know with an interest in the country and its people, and if you’re a free subscriber and find the newsletter to your liking, I hope you’ll consider upgrading to paid. My work is entirely self-funded, and it is paid subscribers who make my reporting trips possible. You can also support my work here. Thank you.