I was in Kyiv just a few weeks ago. The Ukrainians I met were dignified and resolute in the face of the disturbing build up of hundreds of thousands of Russian troops on their border. Life in the city’s cafes, shops and restaurants buzzed as normal, just as it does in London today.
The Ukrainian public was calm to the threat of invasion, partly because they had faced conflict with the Russian state since the annexation of Crimea and war in the Donbas that started in 2014. And partly because they have been focused on building a democratic, liberal future throughout those eight years.
