Amid outages, Ukraine's Kyiv to shine with Christmas tree powered by exercise bicycle

The Ukrainian capital of Kyiv is set to be adorned with a giant tree ahead of Christmas, despite being at the top of Russia’s hit list in the ongoing war. According to the city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv Sofia Square will be illuminated with a nearly 40-foot-tall Christmas tree. 

What makes the tree special compared to others that will be spread across Ukraine during the festival is its adornments, specifically, several "energy-saving garlands" that will be powered by an exercise bicycle, making it the ideal option to brighten up Ukraine at a time when the war-torn nation loses its critical energy infrastructure due to rampant Russian strikes. 

Taking to his account on Telegram, Klitschko shared a progress report of the tree’s installation. According to the mayor, the tree will be decorated with about 1,000 yellow and blue balls and doves. At the very bottom, flags of nations that are allies of Ukraine will be placed. 

The tree will be placed in Sofia Square, a popular landmark in Kyiv which often holds festivities and celebrations. However, this year, no Christmas markets, events, and other activities will be held in the square due to the war. In a statement last month, Klitschko told local news agency RBC-Ukraine that the city will be sprawled with Christmas trees “to remind our children of the New Year mood.”

'We cannot let Putin steal our Christmas': Kyiv mayor 

“No one is going to cancel the New Year and Christmas, and there should be an atmosphere of the New Year. We cannot let Putin steal our Christmas,” the mayor said. Meanwhile, last week, Russian forces zeroed in on multiple cities in Ukraine, including Kyiv, and unleashed a barrage of missile attacks.

About 40 missiles were fired on Kyiv, and 37 of them were intercepted by Ukraine’s air defence, according to military spokesperson Mykhailo Shamanov. Furthermore, 10 missiles were shot down over Ukraine’s central region, according to Dnipro governor Valentyn Reznichenko.