'It's a repeat of 80 years ago': N.S. man finds decades-old newspapers with headlines about war in Ukraine

Less than a century ago, fighting in Ukraine made headlines around the world.

But in 1942, Russians and Ukrainians stood side-by-side in resistance against the Nazis -- a fact a Nova Scotia man was reminded of during a recent trip to a flea market.

"I go to the flea market every week. I miss the odd one, but almost every week," says Bruce Nedved of Lake Echo, N.S.

"I like looking through the old newspapers and magazines."

Nedved was walking through the aisles of the Funky Flea Market at the Halifax Exhibition Centre when he came across more than a dozen “Halifax Herald” newspapers from 1942 -- a time when fighting in Kyiv, Ukraine was making headlines.

"It definitely was a World War. Every country is mentioned in these,” he said of the old newspapers.

War in Ukraine is making headlines again today, but this time, Russia and Ukraine are at odds after Russian forces invaded the country last month.

Nedved never thought a newspaper from 1942 would share so many coincidences with the world we live in today.

"They were kept in an elderly lady's attic and they're all about Ukraine," he said. "Mainly, what I noticed was just the conditions. It sounds like almost the exact same thing that people are going through.

"It's a repeat of 80 years ago."

Also among Nedved's treasures is a number of music sheets from a time before his own.

"One that really caught my eye was titled, 'Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition,'" he said. "And it was from what President Zelensky had said about, 'I don't need a ride. I need ammunition.' I just found that very ironic and it really meant something."

Since Russia’s devastating attack, millions of Ukrainian refugees have scattered throughout Europe and thousands of people have died.