In the morning, people rush to work with cups of coffee. The streets are full of cars and at night the restaurants are crowded. But the details tell a different story.
Life in the capital of a war-torn country seems normal at first glance. In the morning, people rush to work with cups of coffee. The streets are full of cars and at night the restaurants are crowded. But the details tell a different story.
Many buildings in kyiv bear the scars of Russian bombing. Sandbags are piled around monuments, museums and office buildings to protect them from attack. At night, the streets empty out after the midnight curfew goes into effect.
In the restaurants, diners chat about life, friends and jobs, discussing whether they preferred the Barbie movie or the Oppenheimer movie, or which concert they might attend. But those conversations can suddenly turn into stories about funerals for loved ones, or hiding from the latest missile attack, or adjusting their schedule to balance sleepless nights and the need to be productive at work.
“Death has become a very common part of our lives,” said Aliona Vyshnytska, 29, who works as a project coordinator.
Vyshnytska lives in the center of kyiv. He tries to create comfort in his rented apartment by buying small trinkets and growing indoor plants. He has become accustomed to the vibrations of shock waves shaking objects on window sills. After each night filled with loud explosions, he develops migraines. But like millions of people in the capital, she continues to work and “celebrate life during war breaks”.
She fears that the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which began in 2014, “will last forever or long, incongruous with human life”.
“And it’s that kind of underlying feeling that they’re just taking a life away from him, a life that should be completely different,” he said.
During the second year of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, kyiv suffered less physical damage than the first months. Ukrainian reinforced air defense units have become adept at intercepting Russian drones and missiles fired at the capital, mainly at night or in the early morning.
Walking the streets of Kyiv this summer, signs of normalcy are visible everywhere: a couple huddled on a bench. Children playing in parks. Bungee jumpers hanging over the Dnieper River. A newly married couple dancing to music on the street.
But people’s faces often show signs of sleepless nights under attack, fatigue from the uproar of tragic news and, above all, grief.
Olesia Kotubei, another Kyiv resident, says her relative serves at the front, and her best friend also joined the army.
This prevents you from forgetting the current war. He counts his birthday this year, June 7, when he turned 26. She and a friend visited a cafe in the heart of kyiv. Sitting in an inner courtyard adorned with abundant flowers and lush vegetation, they enjoyed their coffee with a direct view of Saint Sophia Cathedral. However, even in this picturesque scene, he couldn’t get rid of a feeling of unease.
These were the early days of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, during which his relative took part in a raid unit.
“Right now, nothing can be influenced. You have to wait and keep your sanity, kind of not lose your mind,” he said. On the back of her phone, there is a photo of her boyfriend under the cover. Olesia points out that her image occupies the same place on her boyfriend’s phone.
As he spoke, the sound of sirens began to sound. She noted that with a weary exhale. Shortly after, numerous powerful and loud explosions shook the capital.
“These missile attacks, which are happening alongside my attempts to lead a normal life, affect me deeply,” he said.
Source: Latercera
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
