At her grandfather Nikolai's side, Lera Neliub admits it is difficult to talk about the Russian invasion with this World War II veteran.
Earlier today, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Kiev, Lera held him as he bent down to leave a wreath of flowers to honor the memory of his friends and comrades in the Soviet army who died fighting Nazi Germany.
"It is difficult for him to talk about this," meaning Russia's invasion of Ukraine in order to "denazify" the country, Lera explained. "At first, when he watched the news on TV, he didn't believe it."
"It's completely stupid what's happening. Putin is rewriting history," she added.
Since 2015, a year after the first battles in Donbass against Moscow-backed pro-Russian separatists, Ukraine has celebrated "Remembrance and Reconciliation Day" on May 8, so as not to coincide with those in Russia, which commemorates the end of the war on May 9.
At the same time in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Russian military was fighting in Ukraine to "defend the homeland against the unacceptable threat" represented by the neighbouring country. An argument that angered Kiev residents who went to honour the dead of World War II.
Tetyana Levchenko said she "got a hair up" after hearing Putin's speech. "We are not Nazis. This day is a celebration for me, a nice celebration. It is the victory over Nazi Germany," the 65-year-old woman said, not hiding her anger.
According to historians, 8-10 million Ukrainians, civilians and soldiers, were killed during World War II (1939-45).
For many months now, Vladimir Putin has sought to link Russia's invasion of Ukraine with the events of World War II, calling the Kiev government "neo-Nazi". But Sherhi Mamuzhin, a 46-year-old worker whose grandfather was killed in World War II, decided to ignore the political controversy and commemorate this day, which he considers sacred. "Of course Victory Day is used by politicians, but for me it's still a holiday," he said."
Next to him, some people went to honor soldiers killed after the February 24 invasion. Among them was Nina Minorova, a retired teacher who "wants to honor the soldiers defending us."
"I want this war to end so badly because it caused us so much pain," she said.
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