In a field on the outskirts of Kiev, the World War II battle for the city has once again been fought between Soviet troops and the German army. <br /><br />Seventy years ago it marked the beginning of Ukraine’s liberation from Nazi occupation. Today 1,000 members of historical re-enactment clubs from Europe and the US have been bringing history to life.<br /><br />Vasil Fedorenko, looking every part a Soviet soldier took part for personal reasons:” My grandfather was in the war, he reached Berlin but was killed there . I’ve decided to participate in this event because I want to feel the way my grandfather did.”<br /><br />Valeriy Teslya just likes making history more real for the people who come to see the show: “ They want more than just military uniforms….when soldiers start fighting that is more like it.”<br /><br />To make it more authentic copies of the period’s artillery, tanks and armour are used. Our reporter in Ukraine, Maria Korenyuk had a grandstand view of the battle:<br /><br />“In 1943 the river crossing operation and the establishment of a beachhead lasted several days. But in this simulated battle it took the Soviet soldiers only two hours to defeat the Nazi Army,” she said.
