Russian tanks on Kyiv's main street
Months after Russia first attacked Ukraine, its tanks reached the main street in Kyiv — but not in the way Russian President Vladimir Putin had intended.
Children on tanks
Children climb onto the captured Russian tanks displayed on the main street of Kyiv on the eve of Ukraine's Independence Day, which is celebrated on August 24. Six months ago, these tanks were ordered by the Russian president Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine. He reportedly reckoned that they would capture Kyiv in three days.
Months of war
Ukrainian soldiers held out against the invaders, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues. Now the main battles are taking place in the east and south of the country. The banner in the background reminds of the fate of the Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol, who surrendered in May.
Boosting morale
An exhibition of destroyed Russian military equipment was already held in Kyiv in May near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine as a way to boost morale. Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claims its troops destroyed more than 1,900 Russian tanks and more than 42,00 armored personnel carriers. The figures could not be independently verified.
Traveling exhibition
In June and July, the Ukrainian government organized similar exhibitions in Warsaw and Prague. Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has called for exhibiting captured Russian armor in other European capitals to keep the war on people's minds, even as media interest wanes.
Removal of Soviet T-34 in Estonia
The war in Ukraine also led to the dismantling of tanks in some European countries. In August, the Estonian government decided to remove a Soviet T-34 tank placed as a memorial in the eastern town of Narva on the border with Russia. The reason for the removal was that the monument poses a threat to public order, according to the Estonian government.