New type of everyday life in Kyiv: a report from capital after missile hit

Rockets hitting homes in Kyiv have already caused dozens of deaths. Several hundred people were injured. But even these horrible figures are much smaller than the ones we get every day from Mariupol, Kharkiv, Severodonetsk, and other cities.

The events you will read about in this report are far from the worst of what is happening in Ukraine now. Kyiv residents live in fear and suffer from war, but join forces and respond to calls for help.

RUBRYKA tried to use the example of several people to show the everyday life of Kyiv residents during the war, to convey their views on what is happening in Ukraine, and their efforts to make the lives of others a little warmer.

Aliona

March 17. Multi-story building almost in the city center. Several apartments on the upper floors were completely destroyed. Traces of fire are visible. A missile launched by the Russians hit it. It was shot down by Ukrainian air defense, but the rocket did not explode in the air and flew into a residential area with houses, a shopping center, shops, and cafes.

The day before, these pictures have already flown around the world. Today there is a lot of work going on; people are clearing the rubble.

Underfoot is broken glass. Lots of broken glass. Aliona's apartment is the opposite of the hit house. The windows in her apartment are broken. In fact, windows are broken almost all over the house.

"I was in the subway at that time. I volunteer, help people, feed them. The guys bring us hot tea, we pour, serve. When they started saying that a rocket hit somewhere in the neighborhood, I couldn't find a place for myself. I wanted to run there, but how, when there's a curfew… "

"I will spend the night in the subway"

"Let everyone see the "Russian world" of this idiot, what he creates," says Aliona and leads us into the room. Some windows have no glass and even the frame itself is held slightly. Some have cracks.

A fragment of a rocket flew into Aliona's apartment through the balcony. It did not injure anyone, because no one was in the room then.

"It's impossible to live here, of course. It's cold. I'll spend the night in the subway," says Aliona, while two men on her balcony cover the windows with tape. Among them is Ihor.

Ihor

The Youth for Peace volunteer organization has been working in Kyiv for a long time. Volunteers feed the homeless, travel and maintain homes for the elderly, and have built a School of Peace for children in their office. It is in this office that Ihor now lives.

"We were all asleep in the office and I felt that something exploded, the windows were smashed. It is not clear whether our house was hit or not. Then, the next cruise missiles were flying, they could be heard, and we could only believe that they would not hit us. It's scary, it's shaking. When we went outside, we saw that the house nearby was on fire," Ihor recalls the moment of the rocket explosion.

He adds that during the three weeks of the war he was almost used to sirens. But after the explosion, each of them is now alarming.

Every day Ihor and his friend Ivan make tea and bring it to people who live in the subway.

"I am asked why you will not go to Kozyatyn. There are enough people there. Many people have moved from Kyiv to relatives. They are unemployed. That is why there are people there to volunteer. And here, there are many people in Kyiv who need help," sitting in the subway or in an apartment without windows," said Ihor.

After sealing the windows in his office, he went to help others in the neighborhood. He got a plastic film, boards, and screwdrivers – they were given by the construction store where Ihor works. The chain to which the store belongs continues to operate in Russia.

"You shoot at us with one hand and help with the other" 

"The Ukrainian retail chain helps the Armed Forces and the Territorial Defense. They also gave some things to the subway to keep people warmer. We have about 700 employees, all of them are volunteers now. Ukrainians working for the store are very close. But the central office in Europe does not stop Russia….

I want to convey that we do not support this position of the central office and are fighting for them to change it and sign a petition.

4.5 thousand people work for them in Russia. It means taxes that go to buy arms. They will now invest all their profits in the war. I do not understand how this can be done. You shoot at us with one hand and help with the other. That's surreal…" said Ihor.

"I believe that we will not allow all these deaths to be in vain."

Ihor says that helping others unloads the brain and gives the opportunity not to be absorbed in the news that strikes with pain.

"It's hard to imagine the psychological trauma of those children who have been under siege for so many days under fire. I've heard an explosion once, and I already have tears in my eyes and such strong emotions. And they are bombing cities there. They have no water, food, and you don't know at what moment they can destroy your house… Orcs rob humanitarian convoys. They steal provisions, medicine, water. Water! This is not a war, this is genocide of our people. This is not a war. There are no rules for them. They are simply shelling our cities.

I hope that all these victims in Ukraine will not be in vain. That we simply will not allow it. That our government will not make concessions, will not give up our territories. Because the worst thing is to lose the lives of many Ukrainians and give up," says Ihor.

Ivan

War is not the first difficult situation for Ivan as a volunteer. When it started, three people from his organization remained in Kyiv. They continued to feed the homeless.

"The police told us that it was impossible to gather crowds, so we searched for and distributed almost one person at a time," Ivan recalls.

When the war broke out, he and Ihor went down to the subway. The boys saw that the conditions there were far from the best.

"People really didn't have any hot food there for a few days. We started serving tea, and then on the fourth day, other volunteers joined in. They started carrying food and borscht," said the volunteer.

He says many friends have gone to Western Ukraine or abroad. From the first day, he decided not to go anywhere.

"Everything has already improved. The first time people were shocked and we helped everyone adapt. Now we bring tea to express our support," says Ivan.

Ivan comes from the Mykolaiv region. He reflects on how the Ukrainians showed an unbelievably strong patriotic position at the beginning of the war. Even in those regions that have not been famous for it before.

"Mykolayiv has never been a very pro-Ukrainian city. This was shown in particular in 2014 when most Mykolayiv residents opposed the Revolution of Dignity. I am surprised how much has changed over the years. Everyone understands that being a banana republic of Russia is not a good idea," says Ivan.

Zina

Elderly people, people with disabilities, and others who needed help lived in the Chaika boarding house near Kyiv. 38-year-old Zina also lived there. Until the war came.

The boarding house is located on the Zhytomyr highway. The director of the boarding house, says Zina, took care of food and medicine for the wards in advance.

"When it started to rumble, we went down to the basement. The director went down with us, did not go anywhere. Doctors, kitchen, nurses, all were with us and sat until the evacuation," says Zina.

They did not risk leaving for a long tie due to numerous shellings. When Zina was able to leave the boarding house, she saw destroyed houses and cars.

There were many wheelchair users in the boarding house. They were evacuated to Western Ukraine in the first place. Volunteers helped with this.

Zina left alone and settled first with relatives, and then she was hosted in the office of Ihor and Ivan.

"Soon I will also go to Western Ukraine. We have to be picked up and settled there," says Zina.

The guys say they will stay in the office and wait for the time when children could safely come here again; they will be teaching songs, drawing, and telling stories.