I cry for citizens of our twin city facing night after night of fear

Rescue workers put out fires in a building which was destroyed by a Russian strike on November 13 just outside Kyiv, Ukraine. (Picture: Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

But none of these things had made me cry. It was the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine flying proudly above St John’s Church at the west end of Princes Street that triggered me.

I had just spent a week in the war-torn country, with several days and nights in our twin city of Kyiv, and my emotions were still raw. The sight of the flag reminded me, as if I needed prompting, of Ukraine’s courageous fight against the terrorist Putin. And it was a sign of our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, whose bravery and resilience has astounded the world.

Wandering round central Kyiv during the day, with its splendid architecture reflecting its – and Europe’s – long history, it is easy to convince yourself that Kyiv is the same as any other European capital. Paris. Warsaw. Edinburgh.

But as darkness falls, an uneasiness starts to pervade every street, every home. As people prepare their evening meal, they have one eye on their phone and the app that will alert them to a Russian drone attack.

During my three days in a city centre hotel, I spent several hours each night in its basement, which is now a bomb shelter. I was so uncomfortable on the second night, I retreated to my room on the 12th floor and made a makeshift bunker in my bathroom. I barely slept for 72 hours. I have no idea how Kyiv’s three million people cope with this terror, night after night after night. Yet they do.

Edinburgh and Kyiv have been twinned since 1989, a partnership that reflects the two cities’ significance as historic and cultural centres, as well as tourist hotspots – or at least Kyiv was until 24 February 2022, when Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine. Edinburgh is also home to Scotland’s largest Ukrainian community, with many people seeking refuge here after the second world war.

And the links continue to grow. After the war started, Edinburgh University established a partnership with its sister institution in Kyiv, the Taras Shevchenko National University. Edinburgh City Council has a welcome hub in the South Gyle for Ukrainians displaced by the war. And local charity Dnipro Kids evacuated 50 cared-for youngsters from six orphanages in eastern Ukraine, and continues to support them as they make a new life in Scotland.

The people of Ukraine have endured several generations of misery. Climb Calton Hill and you will find a memorial stone marking the Holodomor, the Soviet famine of 1932-33 that claimed the lives of millions Ukrainians. Today, Ukraine does not release official figures of the number of troops killed or wounded in the war, but estimates suggest that more than 30,000 have been killed, as well as more than 11,000 civilians, including hundreds of children.

As we settle down tonight in our safe, secure homes, spare a thought for the citizens of our twin city who face another night of fear. Slava Ukraini.