Pride, defiance and solidarity mark Ukrainian Independence Day under pall of war

A couple with a child visit an exhibition of destroyed Russian military vehicles and weapons, dedicated to the country's Independence Day, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the centre of Kyiv, Ukraine August 24, 2022. REUTERS / Valentyn Ogirenko

KYIV/KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - On the frontlines of Ukrainian resistance to Russia's invading forces and in shattered cities, combatants and civilians marked Ukraine's independence day with defiant words and the promise of victory.

In normal years a day of celebrations hailing the end of Soviet rule in 1991, this Independence Day took place six months to the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his troops over the border.