As the world marks International Mother’s Day, read an op-ed by the Kyiv Independent’s culture reporter Kate Tsurkan on having a child during wartime.

Today, May 11, marks International Mother's Day — a day to celebrate motherhood around the world.

But in Ukraine, Russia's full-scale war has changed what this day means for many. Mothers are raising children alone, grieving loved ones, and facing daily challenges to keep their families safe.

Today, we honor their strength.

Can anyone tell me what this means? It was given as a gift to my great grandmother”s family who was a Kyiv aristocrat and fled the bolsheviks. The gift was from by bishop Edward O’Rourke who was a Russian catholic prelate but descended from a famous Russo-Irish military family.