Thousands of people used to flock to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on public holidays, to wander the streets, eating and drinking. Tourists, all of whom spoke different languages, would attempt shouting “Glory to Ukraine” in Ukrainian in the street, garbling the words, and joyfully roaring with laughter as other festive drunks shouted back “Glory to the heroes!”
Today the city is hosting thousands of people for a different reason: they are fleeing Russian bombs in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and elsewhere. When you meet them, their faces are often grim, their voices quiet. Lviv’s train station has become a transit hub for helping people displaced by the war, and the city has become a new home for others planning to stay.
openDemocracy spoke to both residents of Lviv and new arrivals in the city to learn how their lives had changed after 24 February, when Russian forces invaded Ukraine – and ruined millions of lives in an instant.
