Kyiv resident on fighting Russia: 'Eventually we will win but not everyone will live to see it'

By Jeyhun Aliyev

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - A 62-year-old Ukrainian said on Saturday he believes his country will emerge victorious against Russia as he unfurled two Ukrainian flags with images of national heroes in Maidan Nezalezhnosti, the central square of the capital city of Kiev.

"Eventually we will all win but not everyone will live to see it," said Volodymyr Babich, braving intensified Russian attacks.

Despite the high risk of shelling and bombardment ongoing in Kyiv, Babich, a patriot, was standing alone and very proud in the iconic square.

"In short, life is a struggle," he said.

The images on the flags showed Viacheslav Chornovil, a prominent dissident and fighter for Ukraine’s independence in the Soviet era, and Babich’s grandfather, Yakim Lasko, who was a commander in the Soviet army.

One of the most prominent political figures of the 1980s and 1990s, Chornovil was known for paving the way for contemporary Ukraine to regain its independence.

"He was a representative on a national patriotic movement and died in mid-1990s," said Babich.

He said Lasko was an ethnic Ukrainian who was defending his homeland from "fascists."

"They are the Ukrainian heroes. This is the essence," he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military intervention Thursday, a move that has met strong response from the West.

While economic and military support has been announced for Kyiv; sanctions have been imposed on Moscow, including measures targeting Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.