A nation pauses: Ukraine’s daily moment of remembrance endures through intensified Russian attacks

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Each morning at 9 o'clock, Kyiv stops for a minute.

Traffic lights turn red, and the steady beat of a metronome on loudspeakers signals 60 seconds of reflection. Cars idle in the middle of the street as drivers step out and stand with heads bowed.

Across Ukraine — in cafes, gyms, schools, on television and even on the front lines — people pause to remember those killed in Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Near a growing outdoor memorial at Kyiv’s Maidan Square, four friends gathered with cardboard signs that read, “Stop. Honor.” Around them, flags, photos and candles for fallen service members formed a dense mosaic of grief and pride.

The four are connected by Iryna Tsybukh, a 25-year-old combat medic killed by a landmine in eastern Ukraine last year. Her death sparked a national outpouring of grief and added momentum to the daily remembrance initiative.

“Memory is not about death,” said Kateryna Datsenko, a friend of the fallen medic and co-founder of Vshanuy, a civic group that promotes the daily observance. “It’s about life — what people loved, valued and thought about. Someone might have loved gardening, someone else a favorite poem. This is the kind of memory we try to preserve.”

The 9 a.m. ritual began in 2022, weeks after the invasion started, as a presidential decree from Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It has since evolved into a shared national practice.

Public demonstrations of solidarity continue even as Russian missile and drone attacks have intensified in recent weeks, striking power facilities and cities across the country. Despite the escalation, Ukrainians still gather each morning to honor those lost in the war.

Ihor Reva, deputy head of Kyiv’s military administration, said the ritual fulfills a deep social and personal need.

“This war has a price, and that price is terrible — human lives,” he said. “You disconnect from everyday thoughts and simply devote that minute to remembrance. That’s what I’d call it — a mindful keeping of time.”

City officials have recently synchronized Kyiv’s traffic lights to turn red at 9 a.m., ensuring the capital joins the nationwide pause.

“Better late than never,” Reva said. “We definitely won’t stop there.”

For activist and campaign supporter Daria Kolomiec, the moment feels both collective and personal.

“Every day we wake up — sometimes barely sleeping because of attacks — but every morning at 9 a.m. we gather to remember why we’re still here, and for whom we need to be thankful,” she said. “You’re not alone in this grief. There’s energy between us in that moment.” ___

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine