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'Russia Can’t Steal Christmas': Kharkiv Installs Christmas Tree in Metro Station

The main Christmas tree display in Kharkiv, Ukraine, was set up at an underground metro station on December 7, due to safety concerns, city officials said.

The Christmas tree, or New Year’s tree as it’s also referred to in Ukraine, was installed at the University metro station, which lies beneath Freedom Square, where the tree usually stands, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.

“There is a war going on, and it is inappropriate to put up a Christmas tree on Freedom Square, as we have always done. That’s why we installed it in the subway. It is safe,” Terekhov said.

This footage posted by Kharkiv-based researcher Maria Avdeeva on December 8 shows children stopping to look at the tree. “Russia сan’t steal Christmas from our children,” Avdeeva said.

Terekhov said there will be free New Year’s events and concerts for children in the subway. Credit: Maria Avdeeva via Storyful

Video transcript

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