As I walked the icy steps leading up to the observation deck above the Dnieper River, I could see Dr Yelizar in the distance. He had arrived at our meeting point ahead of time to take in the Kyiv skyline, the unfamiliar view of his new home city. I managed to catch his eye. Immediately he realised I had misjudged the weather: “Where is your hat? This is winter in Ukraine,” he said with a beaming smile, opening his arms for a hug. After the year he has endured it seemed surprising that he should be so concerned about my welfare.
He might not have cared so much a year ago, he conceded, but living in Ukraine during the invasion has forced people to find empathy, resilience, patriotism, love and even hatred where they didn’t know it existed. I have been in touch with Yelizar since February last year, shortly after I was sent out to cover the start of the invasion for ITV News. And I have returned to Ukraine to see how the people we encountered during those first few weeks have been shaped by the months that followed.
