Kyiv, Ukraine | Watching teenage skateboarders, decked in New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers hats, performing kick flips in Mikhailivska Square as European badged cars zoom by — you could be forgiven for thinking you were in Sydney’s Martin Place.

It’s only when you look up at the majestic beauty of St Michael’s Cathedral and its ornate, golden domes that reality strikes. Walk a little closer to its towering walls to see a tribute to the fallen soldiers of the Ukraine-Russia war and you will know exactly where you are.