Ukrainians across the country marked the 31st anniversary of independence from Soviet rule on Wednesday, a date that coincided with the six-month anniversary of Russia’s invasion and ensuing war.

The public holiday, which is usually marked with a military parade, was quieter than normal with its capital banning public events in the city, fearing attacks on mass rallies. In Avdiivka, people raised a Ukrainian flag to the sky with balloons, letting it float in the Donetsk region to cheers.

“Half a year of a violent full-scale war,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said to Ukrainians gathered in Kyiv. “A generational fight for Ukraine. I'm asking you now to honour with a minute of silence all the Ukrainians who gave their lives for ours, to honour them with this minute."

In Lviv, residents held a memorial service for Mykhailo Hamkalo, a 45-year-old Ukrainian soldier who was killed on the frontlines. “I would like it to end faster, for mothers’ tears to stop shedding, for children to finally see their parents and mothers to see their sons. I want there to be victory,” resident Halyna Misiak said after the service.

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