The Iconic Christmas Carol Inspiring Ukraine’s Defenders

The Carol of the Bells, one of the most well-known carols in the world, originated in Pokrovsk, in eastern Ukraine.

This year, however, there aren’t many indications of Christmas throughout the city. Only the sound of intense bombardment and the coating of snow on empty streets and skeleton buildings.

Russia’s next objective is Pokrovsk. The distance between its troops and the city center is now less than two miles (three kilometers).

And the destruction isn’t limited to houses and structures. Russia is accused by Ukraine of attempting to eradicate its cultural identity as well, including its ties to that well-known carol.

The majority of people in Pokrovsk have already left. Numerous households are without water and electricity, and the gas supply has been cut off. Those who stay, such as Ihor, 59, only break cover to find the bare essentials. He says it’s like living on a powder keg – you never know when or where the next shell will land.

The 43-year-old Oksana tells me she hopes Ukraine’s armed forces can hold onto the city, but she believes that’s doubtful and that Pokrovsk will certainly fall. She says she’s too scared to leave her house, but she walks outside during a break in the shelling to get coal and wood to stay warm.

The worst has already been anticipated by the city. Mykola Leontovych, its well-known composer, has already had his statue taken down. The music school that was named after him is now boarded up and deserted.

In the West, Leontovych might not be well-known. With its chime-like vocals, however, the song he wrote is well-known worldwide. Based on a Ukrainian traditional chant, Leontovych is believed to have composed the composition’s early scores between 1904 and 1908 while residing and working in Pokrovsk.